Except for the usually large number of parents requesting to meet, parent-teacher conferences went without anything special happening. I am finally caught up with my grading and have updated my online schedule, uploaded files to my page for students to download, and caught up on paperwork left sitting for weeks.
There are eight class days till Thanksgiving vacation and I have scheduled exams for the Wednesday before in each class. I will be taking Monday the 30th off to go to a technology conference and have planned ahead for class assignments. Needless to say, I am looking forward to some time off to relax—Christmas vacation and the end of the semester are only a month away!
During step-up-day last week many 7th graders from local grade schools visited during the class day. While this activity had a disruptive effect on my teaching, I know it is vital to our recruitment efforts. The first Sunday in December we will have an ‘Open House” for 8th graders from 10:00 to 2:00. It is vital that we get grade school students to visit and see the facilities. Teachers are expected to be present for at least two hours that day. At the Department meeting this week my staff already began complaining about having to be her for it. They don’t seem to understand how important it is to market the school to the community; they only think about how it will interfere with their off time, some even argue that they should get a day off for showing up. Thankfully I have several teachers who are dedicated to our mission and will be here for all four hours greeting, meeting, and talking with prospective students. Most of the bitching that comes from teachers about activities like this is because they feel underappreciated and over worked.
I am underappreciated and over worked; what else is new? I also have better things to do than spend all day Sunday in my classroom making happy talk with grade school students and organizing a “dog and pony show” for their entertainment. I also understand that the continued success of my school and my future employment depends on my cooperation in such matters—so I do this enthusiastically and remember I am fortunate to work at a school that is worth the money parents spend on tuition. It would be much harder to sell another school with much less to offer.
No comments:
Post a Comment