So in the enjoyment of a job well done, I got in trouble this week for another part of my teaching job that wasn't being so well done.
You see, TAKS is the most important thing apparently--and it isn't apparently a bad thing that we spend almost a year preparing for one day...
I have a TAKs advisory that has been doing TAKs practice sheets. I haven't been doing as much as I should with it--and I'd intended to start doing a whole lot more after the UIL meet and in the five-six week time frame before The Day. Well, last week--on my first day back and on my feet after being sick and in the week before UIL Meet, our vice principal walked in and my students weren't doing a TAKs worksheet in advisory. The whole week before, the copiers had been broken--I was sick and at a workshop, one of the other full-time math teachers had been out sick for most of the week, our two coach/math teachers are busy with track and basketball so I (before being sick) and W. had been helping to cover S.'s classes and stay where we need to be in the Algebra curriculum. W. put together our test review and test while S and I were sick and made all our copies for us. So she also wasn't prepared for her TAKs advisory that day. We just didn't have the TAKs sheets ready.
Well, we got our copies made and had our students working through their oh so important practice question. Monday this week, the Monday that 3 week grades were due and the Monday after my stressful UIL meet of hours upon hours.... the v.p. walked into my advisory and I was trying to get my last class of grades submitted and the students had already turned in their TAKs questions to the tray--they worked rather quickly on their 5 questions because some just go faster. I also had a few students working on make-up Algebra (the second priority thing I teach). So, she pulled me out again and made it clear that she wanted the students working from bell to bell in advisory and that I had better get back in there and go over the worksheet. W. 's class again was also not working but was about to start on it. W. was also trying to get her last classes grades in and was just taking a few minutes to finish up before getting the kids working.
We had thought that would be the end of it...but no, yesterday we each get individually called into her office. She has a prepared a speech repeating what she had told us Monday about how TAKS should be the top priority and that I needed to be doing more--kids should be working 25 out of 28 minutes of advisory class doing some some sort of activity. And I also need to make sure all my classes are working in their desks when the bell rings--apparently I hadn't gotten my students started when she walked by 2 minutes after the 2nd period bell. I was sitting at my computer (probably responding to a UIL email with a time deadline) I also needed to be up and moving around more my class when they were working--offering encouragement and point out mistakes. I can't do this very well from my desk.
I was a bit overwhelmed and trying to maintain my composure so I was really at a loss for words when she asked why I hadn't been doing these things. All I could say was that I do walk around and help my students, it just depends on the activity and class--some classes it's dangerous to stop and help a student because than I can't keep an eye on the trouble-makers behind me... I should have also mentioned that I've been trying to weed my students off the "teacher training wheels". When I walk around and give them help, they expect it all the time and then they aren't thinking for themselves. They also get so used to it that they want help during quizzes and tests!--so I've been backing off of walk around help in the last unit just to try and encourage the students that they really can think the problem through and try it on their own. I've also had a TON of paperwork and other things I've been multi-tasking on while the students do their work.
Well, the v.p. was "nice enough" to put all of this in a memo--neglecting to mention recent illness and the UIL responsiblities-- to go in my permanent teaching file. It said that any administrative duties (entering grades) needed to be done during conference, before, or after school--not during class time when I had students. (I can't even begin to remember the last time I had a spare moment in conference time and don't want to consider the number of hours I have spend doing work outside of school time....)I walked away in tears to my lunch. I know I haven't been doing as much as I should or could--and I didn't know I was expected to be super-teacher. The school is just so worried about the possibility of low TAKs scores!!! The pressure they place on us in addition to the pressure we place on ourselves is so overwhelming at this point. I can't teach where I'm not being allowed to teach Algebra but teaching a test. The students are getting resentful at all this extra TAKs, it's all they hear about every single day....and they have enough issues as it is learning course material.
I'm ticked off and hurt that she decided a memo in my file was needed. I couldn't figure out why she decided there needed to be a memo until I realized that she's covering her buttocks if the scores are low, she's done what she was supposed to--checked on the teachers to make sure they were doing what they were supposed to. Thus, if the scores are low--it's recorded that I didn't do all I was told to do...
Anyways, if I rant much longer I'm going to be in tears again. I cringe when I hear her walk by my door and am so AFRAID of her walking in with bad timing again. Mr J, the head principal, walked into to of my classes today--thankfully, I was doing TAKs review with both classes at the time.
Posted by Anna at March 7, 2007 09:04 PM | TrackBack