Thursday, October 10, 2002

MORALE CONTINUES TO FALL Half the teachers were gone today - they got subs for most (not all!) of them (The janitor covered a reading group this morning!) The 4/5th grade class is now at 22 with another kid starting next week (in a school that promises parents and teachers they'll cap at 20). One staff member is seriously considering resigning. The principal lied to a teacher about staffing adjustments that aren't going to be made. The computer lab techs have taken over the computer lab (as they should!) But they don't like it when I teach in there (I don't like to teach in there BUT there is no other room for me to teach in!) And they don't allow students to work on computers (OK - so what's a computer lab for then???)

I've said before that this school was a great dream - a beautifully impossible dream. But I'm starting to wonder if the director is dreaming more than doing. Her door is ALWAYS closed (with a "Do Not Disturb" sign permanently taped to it). She does not want to be involved in disipline issues (we can't send kids to the principals office . . . ) The troops are not happy and she is choosing to ignore it. The whole "at will" employment thing works out really well FOR HER without a contract she can stick an extra 2 - 3 kids in every classroom. Of course staff can quit at any moment - but most teachers aren't going to leave their class after 5-6 weeks (that's so unfair to the kids!)

The bummer is, there is so much I like about this school. There are so many kids who are there to really learn and do great things (but the kids who are there because they were kicked out of the public schools far outnumber them!) It's sad.