His bathroom etiquette one is pretty funny too. And the Grinch one about assessments - you may wet your pants!
He manages to take the things that are annoying about education and make them funny. . . I wish I could do that.
This week I’ve discovered some things. Some of them are just annoying. Maybe sharing them with you will help me get over it. So here we go.
1. Very small children do not belong at Orientation, unless you can or will control them.
On Orientation Day, there were all sorts of parents in my media center. I had two boxes of books out on tables that children could look at and read. . Every time I went in from the hallway, un-attended children were pulling random books off the shelves and just carrying them around. Really?? Why? I had a 3 year old who decided to completely un-shelf and reshelf the A section of my middle school section. Not just unshelf, but she’d rather see the pages out than the cover. Oh and by the way, some kids need to be on a leash.2. Schools, not matter how hard they try, cannot fix bad parenting.
Buses at our school are a problem. We are working on it, transportation is working on it, everybody is working on it. But here’s the problem: sometimes parents do not do their part! For example, if parents drop off a kindergartener in the car at school, but haven’t taught/told that same baby or (that babies teacher) how they are getting home - that’s bad parenting. If a family has moved from one home to another and haven’t changed the address on all the school paperwork, annd haven't figured out yet that a new address = a new bus to ride – that’s bad parenting. When a parent comes to school and parks a car in the bus lane and gets out to go do something and clogs up the entire bus line -- that’s bad parenting.3. People who can’t or don’t read traffic signs.
I turn from I4 to Highway 27 every day. The turning lane has a sign t hat says “Right turn on red after stop.” That means exactly what it says. . . You stop, look and if you can go, you go! You DO NOT have to wait for the red arrows to turn green. DO NOT JUST SIT THERE! The whole line of people behind you all want to go. We can’t go until you go!4. Parent volunteers can be both a blessing and a curse.
My school has many, many more volunteers than my old school. Some are wonderful – they will do what ever you ask and even ask you for things to do. My book fair last year only worked because of our volunteers. Some of ours put together a Student Talent Show last year that was fabulous, just fabulous! But some are a pain – they think being a volunteer means they get to be the boss. . . And some gossip. I have a volunteer who is a brother of one of our students – I adore him! He does so, so much for me and I love him.5. Some teachers only want what they want and don’t care about anybody else in the whole entire school. They definitely don't get the idea of TEAMWORK or "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one." They mostly are NOT bad teachers, just not good teammates. (And that’s all I’m going to say about that!)
6. People need to learn the difference in “Reply” and “Reply All.” They also need to learn how to fix their email settings to spell-check before they send things. We don’t look like professionals when we send emails that have things spelled all wrong. I think they often use their phones instead of outlook on their computers and write it like a text message.
7. Some teachers would send me their children to laminate if those same children would stand still long enough. . . Everything that you touch or that ever comes in your classroom door does not need to be laminated. (And if you make signs and posters to hang on your wall, check your spelling before you get it laminated. And one more thing - if it's made to "write on/wipe off - it doesn't need to be laminated - it came that way already!)
8. School supplies – new pens and pencils and notebooks make me happy.
9. For every teacher like # 5 up there, there are two or three or 10 that are just wonderful and kind and appreciative and understanding. Those make the #5 ones bearable. There really are a WHOLE lot more of this kind than the #5 kind.
10. I really, really love my job, even though I haven't done much of “my job” this week. Seeing my little kids again at Orientation and them running up and hugging me is just the greatest thing. Hearing my sweet little boy say “Hi Library” again just made my day. The little girl who cried all the way to the bus for months last year who said “Look, I’m a big girl now” is just fabulous. My bigger ones who looked around and said “Wow – look at all the new books” – priceless!
