| What aspect of your job do you find least favorable and how do you try to overcome it? What has worked? |
| Dealing with parents who think their kids can do no wrong, and dealing with the kids who know their parents think this. |
| Administration not doing their job. |
Can you give an example of what a student did wrong and parent's reaction when you told them? |
Please an example would be helpful if you feel ok to share. |
| BS tasks like completing staff surveys that I know admin and Central Office won’t listen to. This week, we were asked to write a reflection response to the principal’s reflection on some student voice data. I would be fine if we were asked to reflect on the student voice data or even just assigned to read through it. However, instead, we are told what our principal thinks (she found it embarrassing and it hurt her) and how do you respond to that? |
Ugh the worst. On top of everything else we need to do. |
| Fearing for my personal safety and toxic positivity. Example: for the last 2 weeks I’ve had to text or screenshot emails to my spouse because of threats made against my school by one of my students. Meanwhile, the PTA organized a community event tied to a grant they won and ALL the teachers on the leadership team send congratulatory emails to the AP for organizing the event “on top of the day to day”. As if the AP was handling the day to day well in the first place but also ignoring how low attended the event was, how PARENTS did the work, and how none of it mattered given all the other crap we are dealing with at school right now. |
| The behaviors. Definitely the behaviors. Everything is allowed. No use sending a kid to the office when they will immediately get sent back. |
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I don't like being treated like a child during staff meetings and trainings (sometimes sitting in small chairs, or having to "think pair share" and fill out exit tickets).
Honestly, a lot of my coworkers are not very bright. Not to say that they aren't good teachers, but very limited life experience and general knowledge. The overwhelming needs of these kids. The families need help. It's so hard to reach them if basic needs aren't being met. |
| DEI BS |
Told a kid to stop throwing things across the room to/at friends during class. Didn't stop. Reported it. His mother's response was "he's just being a kid!" |
And not only get sent back, but get sent back with a donut or lollipop! |
| Not choosing my own curriculum, or having no curriculum at all and being expected to throw things together. |
| The lack of consequences for rule breaking at the high school level in general. Students perpetually arriving late to school and class, or just wandering the halls during classes without any consequences whatsoever (often times just chatting it up with security when they should be in class). Restorative justice, which in reality allows students who hinder the learning process and are sometimes a danger to students and adults to continue to be in school rather than being suspended. High schools are just a mess when it comes to poor behavior and literally no consequences whatsoever. |