Thursday, January 26, 2006

...She's Under That Rock Over There

•I've been "away."
•It' was exam week in Middle and Upper School, grades need to be entered by many teachers...always problems with the software (or more accurately the software users)
•Have been prepping for a major presentation -also at the "big" school. That's done but now lots of follow-up and planning for the next presentation.
•Report card support in Lower School, not too bad this year, but still not as smooth as I would like.
•There are several things (of an uncomfortable nature) brewing at work having to do with employment and next year and I don't want to go into it.
•I have a major (three-year) plan that needs to be drafted in five weeks.
•I have a meeting with red pants in three weeks.
•I'm still teaching my third and fourth grade classes every day.
•I have yet to set up the new purchase order database for the business office that was requested in October.
•It's contract time for the students, don't have that part of the database working properly.
•I'm totally sick of the database...I mean really sick.
•I took advantage of no meeting yesterday to run downtown and purchase supplies for my auction project but while I was out...
•Someone rifled through my computer lab last evening and stole something of value.

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Load Those Staplers Folks!

I'm afraid our "new guy" has gone a bit off the deep end. It's not so much this message he sent
Looking forward to seeing new bulletin boards now we're back.
as the fact that he sent it at 11:01 PM on a Saturday night.
At about the same time Saturday night ...Mondale was toasting his newly-attained Google status. I was arriving home after dinner at Stone Park and returning to the Season Three, Six Feet Under marathon that I had started at dusk.
I wonder what my other blog-pals were up to at 11:00 PM this Saturday night?

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Mid Year Report Card

Back in August I wrote about the opportunity for change that a new school year brings. We reach the halfway point in January. Time for a report card. You'll see that I'm not living up to my potential (who the hell is?) but there is time to get my grades up.

I haven't followed through on making this the year I figure out a great new system in the classroom. I never teach the same things in the same way and that's fine but it does make me feel like I never get things to go really smoothly. Still, the teaching kids part of what I do is the best and most satisfying part of my day's work. Kids are happy in my class and we do a lot of fun stuff. Every year is different and that's good.
Dealing with everyone's technological breakdowns and questions is – to put it mildly – daunting. I will never get used to this deluge. I have been a teacher of young children for a long time and so I have a high tolerance for interruption but this is over the top. Literally, the ONLY time I can work on something for longer than 15 minutes is when everyone has left the building at the end of the day. The other hard part for me is this: I can't fix or answer everything and some days I feel like I haven't fixed or answered anything! This leaves me feeling inadequate. This is a "course" that I wish I just didn't have to take. But I can't get out of it and so I have to make this better somehow.
I'm working on a couple of presentations right now, one on introductory web page creation and one for parents on Internet safety. These tasks are actually interesting to prepare and with the Internet safety one I've been working with some folks from the upper school and that has been good for me. I'm pretty impressed with the the number of tasks these particular staff members juggle and their high degree of professionalism. They work hard and there's no whining (at least not that I've witnessed) They are my new models.
Other administrative stuff that I've had to do has been very mixed. I'm a bit overmatched by this new database and helping all those who have to use it. That's only going to get worse. The business office also had a major computer crash this fall and I had to sweat that out, still am, actually. I have a major report in the way of a three-year technology plan to write before the end of the school year. Some of this I like and I'm good at, I just don't have enough time to do my best so it gnaws away at me.
One area where I need to work harder is having fun. Maybe it's not going to be in school, as I always hope. So I just have to face that and use my time away from school in more fun ways. Some excellent examples have been set for me recently by fellow bloggers. I have to develop some good habits here! More movies, going out, seeing people, taking trips, spending money!!
OK it looks like teaching the kids gets an A, being "your company's computer guy" gets a D, Working with others on special projects? I think a B+, Administrative duties a C+ at best, Having fun? I'm failing there. I'll get a tutor and turn that around soon.

Monday, January 02, 2006

Flappy New Year

First day back at school after the holidays...D+
The plus is just because the lobby of our building was fixed up over vacation and it looks, well, plus.
Everything else about the day...D