I learned quite a bit about the inner-workings of our school in the past weeks. I spent some time with our guidance counselors to discuss the issues raised in my last entry - namely, that students are placed in my class against their will ("dumped", a reactionary teacher would say) when a different placement may suit them better. The issue is more complicated than that, naturally. It seems there are across-the-board problems with the master schedule involving a sort of bottle-necking of students during 2nd and 3rd period. Classes are overcrowded throughout the building, and available electives are few. Students with gaps in their schedule may only have a choice between Art and ROTC (which would you choose?). And typically there are students who don't know where they want to be when they're signing up for classes - until they get there and realize that ain't it.
Still, I had a few students who were defiantly opposed to learning anything about art (?) and were desperate to switch classes. I went to guidance and advocated for a different placement for these students, expecting to be politely shown the door. On the contrary, the counselors were understanding and immediately accommodating. They actually changed two student schedules while I was there. This sort of thing is completely unprecedented - "Don't even bother going to guidance", other teachers warned me, "That won't get you anywhere." These teachers would probably be the types to storm in and slap their roster down on a counselor's desk demanding satisfaction. Instead, I approached them in a friendly way, as colleagues, and got immediate results. I was even able to express concerns about class size and shoot the breeze about the value of art education in general. This is not to say that my challenges expressed earlier are solved - I am still working to promote engagement and quell the drift toward entropy, always will - but it's nice to know that the powers that be are at least nominally sympathetic.
So it's hard to be a guidance counselor, I suppose. Especially at a school with the organizational horrors of ours. And hokey as it sounds, it seems people are just plain ol' people if you treat them nice. The saying about flies and the vinegar and honey may be true.
Now, what to do with those students who weren't able to change my class? (And there's quite a few of them!). Should I grade them on their ability to ignore me and sleep, or can you make a semester out of hand turkeys?
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2 comments:
I was thinking today about something similar. There were two fights in the freshmen hallway today, in the exact same spot that the fights always (daily) occur. We teachers vented at lunch about the frustration that comes when we can't stop it and there are no administrators or security there.
It couldn't hurt to have them there, for sure, but just this period I was thinking that if it is this tough for us teachers, it can't be any easier for administrators. Read: It's easy to pass the blame--or, really, the responsibility for who is to fix the problem.
Similarly, just as our classrooms are not perfect (understatement), guidance's work will not be perfect. Too much stuff happens at this school for anything to be perfect. And while some people may be more responsible for problems than others, there is no one person, or one group, to point the finger at.
And that's why a friendly, individual request will work. No one here is refusing to do their job. It's just a big job with a lot of imperfections. Taking it one imperfection at a time rather than addressing a whole glob is much more effective.
Just when I want to blame all my troubles on Ms. P or Mr. P, I think about what life is like in their shoes. Besides the nice suits, it's probably pretty similar.
P.S. Hahaha. You said "Hand Turkey."
Are we both suffering from Stockholm Syndrome?
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