This is the view over my shoulder leaving school at 9pm.
It's not a bad cold. I, in many ways, feel warmer outside here than I did in Portland - there's none of that in-your-bones soaking-through all-consuming cold that 30º in Portland brings with it. It was -2º last night, but the dry, crisp, windless, powdery-snow-filled cold felt more 'brisk' than 'freezing'.
Yesterday was a staff meeting, this morning was a staff meeting. One forgets, when considering education as a career, how far the bureaucratic nonsense has intruded into the daily lives of teachers. It's easy to remember the standardized testing, value-added scores, constant assessment and curriculum direction, institutionally mandated guidelines covering everything from how to present information to how to handle conflict to what you do and don't have to report to administration; that's all apparent to anyone who follows the news. But the degree to which your daily life is taken up with meetings and discussion about those things, that part is easy to forget. I mean, until you're living it, then you get constantly reminded. How is anyone supposed to teach anything while being constantly taught/refreshed/assessed/reminded/adjudicated/instructed/retrained/etc. on how to teach?
It's when they start trying to schedule meetings to set up/discuss/schedule meetings that I really become disinterested...
ReplyDelete(Also, thanks for sharing your adventures. xoxox)
We're going to have the preliminary meeting to discuss times that will work for the planning meeting wherein we will set the agenda at the next weekly meeting. What's your availability?
DeleteI think it's important for everyone to understand that this mandatory weekly meeting is mandatory. Since this meeting is your highest priority, no conflicts need be discussed. The weekly meeting is scheduled every week on Tuesdays at 11:30 am and Saturdays at 10:45 pm. Thank you.
ReplyDelete