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| Hell is other people; True or not? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: May 4 2007, 07:40 AM (627 Views) | |
| lara | Oct 13 2007, 07:55 PM Post #26 |
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Kopi Luwak
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YIPEE! One would think they'd wait for the No. 1 boss to make such decisions, anyway. Sounds like No. 1 boss might someday tire of fixing others' cock-ups - unless he's had others foisted upon him by competing interests. |
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| Eral | Oct 13 2007, 10:57 PM Post #27 |
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Kopi Luwak
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Boss No.1 is experienced at dealing with interference in her area. :lol: In fact, she has expressed that she is kind of tired of it. (You have to know the woman to know how big that is.) Boss No.2 has hazy notions about what her role entails and often spreads out her tentacles into places where she really shouldn't. They hate each other in the politest possible way. No.1 is especially peeved because nobody mentioned a word to her about the staffing changes, and they were ringing her nearly every day, I quote, "to tell me about every other bloody thing going on". She said to me on Wednesday, in tones of removed calm, " I can tell you, no changes will be made to this department without my approval.:eral: " I find her a little difficult to understand sometimes, because she does tact and diplomacy at very high levels, and you have to read the sub-text: but I believe that meant "you'll be going over my dead body." :) |
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| lara | Oct 14 2007, 02:16 AM Post #28 |
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Kopi Luwak
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Who cares about No. 2 and No. 3 when you've got No. 1 on your side? Awesome, Eral. |
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| Regullus | Oct 14 2007, 04:58 PM Post #29 |
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Reliant
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Fantabulous!
I still think you should try your hand at writing. Mr FPS must be very excited - tell him the car has to be yellow.
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| Bex | Oct 15 2007, 05:19 AM Post #30 |
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puppet dictator
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Cool, provided that you are not so embittered by the previous machinations that you wish to leave anyway. Do whatever feels right. |
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I belong to one of those families that does not speak to or see its members as often as we should, but if someone needed anyone to fall on a sword for her, there would be a queue waiting to commit the deed. -Min Jin Lee | |
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| Krazy | Oct 15 2007, 09:20 AM Post #31 |
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I haz powah!
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Try your hand at playing Machiavelli too. Makes life more interesting plotting the demise of the boss you don't like.
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| "Well, ‘course dis one’s betta! It’s lotz ‘eavier, and gots dem spikey bitz on de ends. " | |
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| Eral | Oct 16 2007, 11:04 AM Post #32 |
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Kopi Luwak
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Oh, I want to stay. I was feeling some residual bitterness towards Boss.No.2 , but she returned from Singapore wearing the most fabulous shoes that I feel almost friendly towards her. It's a great job, with great people as colleagues, and I am extremely fond of my students, despite their tendency to induce :banghead:. Tomorrow is Judgement Day. Feeling hopeful. Krazy: I am crap at being Machiavellian. It's so complicated, I don't have the patience. Head-on insults and push-the-envelope remarks are much more me. :blush: |
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| Eral | Oct 19 2007, 06:44 AM Post #33 |
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Kopi Luwak
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Up date: Judgement Day was moved to today. No decision has been made. :banghead: The Big Head is waiting to see if a teacher currently on stress leave wants the job. If she does, I get the boot. If she doesn't, I get the job. It has been suggested to The Big Head that a job that means hanging around with children who are too wacko to be managed in class is hardly right for someone who couldn't handle a grade with normal children in it: but there are those who believe he is trying to scare her into quitting. Mr.FPS: "Why are they putting a nutcase in the job?" Eral:" I'm not exactly a model of sanity myself." Mr.FPS:"Can't they see that you are a better nutcase than her?" It's said with affection. :lol: |
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| Krazy | Oct 19 2007, 08:22 AM Post #34 |
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I haz powah!
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Good luck with that. |
| "Well, ‘course dis one’s betta! It’s lotz ‘eavier, and gots dem spikey bitz on de ends. " | |
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| Bex | Oct 19 2007, 02:25 PM Post #35 |
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puppet dictator
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Yes, good luck. |
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I belong to one of those families that does not speak to or see its members as often as we should, but if someone needed anyone to fall on a sword for her, there would be a queue waiting to commit the deed. -Min Jin Lee | |
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| Regullus | Oct 19 2007, 07:42 PM Post #36 |
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Reliant
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Hoping for the Best! Let us know as soon as you can! BTW, thanks. :) |
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| Bex | Oct 19 2007, 07:59 PM Post #37 |
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puppet dictator
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On the subject of general work ranting, would anyone like to speculate as to why I'm being asked to file a printout of a PDF of a file we already had in hard copy, stapled to the original hard copy? |
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I belong to one of those families that does not speak to or see its members as often as we should, but if someone needed anyone to fall on a sword for her, there would be a queue waiting to commit the deed. -Min Jin Lee | |
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| Eral | Oct 19 2007, 11:47 PM Post #38 |
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Kopi Luwak
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I'd guess it's an effort to reach the paperless society I've been hearing about. :lol: Attach a copy of "A Sustainable Future" to it before you pass it on. |
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| Eral | Nov 16 2007, 01:58 AM Post #39 |
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Kopi Luwak
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I am taking the unprecedented action of posting while I am at work, because I have had a major revelation about the nature of the students at my school.
I have noticed that many of them are rude, disrespectful and un-co-operative, and that it can be extremely difficult to conduct ordinary activities without major conflict. I have wondered why there are so many normal children with highly oppositional behaviours - the kind of behaviours you usually only see in disturbed children, from dysfunctional backgrounds. I have discovered the reason. Normally, children accept that when a teacher gives an instruction, they are supposed to comply. In the event that they think the request is unfair, they complain to you, or their parents. Generally, they accept that if the teacher says "sit down in your desk and do not wander around the room" they are supposed to do this, and that if they do not comply and receive a consequence, this is the normal order of things. The children here believe they only have to do what they are told if they want to do what you ask. If you have said "sit down in your desk and do not wander around the room" and they decide they want to get up, they have every right to do so. They will sit down if they feel like it. Today is a very hot day, and at recess I asked children who were wearing jumpers to take them off. Here's what normally happens in such a scenario. Eral: Take off your jumper. Child: I'm not hot. Eral: I didn't ask you if you were hot. I said, "take off your jumper." Child: *takes off jumper* All is jolly. Not here . Child responds indignantly: But I don't want to. Eral: Why am I asking you to take off your jumper? Child: Because it's hot, and I will de-hydrate. Eral: Right. So please take off the jumper. Child: But I don't want to. I'll take off my jumper when I feel hot. Eral: You won't feel hot until you are de-hydrated. Child: How do you know? Eral: I've been a teacher for a long time, and I know children find it difficult to monitor the temperature of their bodies. So please take off your jumper. Child: But I don't want to. Child will then walk away still wearing the jumper. Even better, if they have taken off the jumper, they will put it back on while you are looking at them. They are under no obligation to follow my instructions. It's completely up to them. And that will be the conversation you have with 18 out of the 20 children you ask to remove their jumpers. As a teacher, I have a duty of care, and I am supposed to prevent bad things happening to children. They do not have the maturity of judgement to know when something might not be good for them, and that is why they are supposed to comply with instructions. I have always thought. I really hate the snotty attitude of these spoiled arrogant brats. These are my choices: ignore my duty of care and let them do what they like: just mention that I think it might be a good idea to put on hats/pick up rubbish/go back to class/stop punching that boy in the head but have no expectation that they will, and then have covered my arse, sort of: or continue having these really unpleasant inter-actions. And do you know what is the best thing? I am in trouble with Boss.No.3 because I told children to take off their jumpers on a 30 degree celsius day and they think I have no business telling them what to do. |
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| Eral | Nov 16 2007, 06:53 AM Post #40 |
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Kopi Luwak
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Update: 37degrees celsius.
This is the preferred option. Seriously. In our little chat, I found out teaching is different now in private schools. In state schools they might still have had archaic notions about obedience and respect in Term 1, 2007, but in the alternative universe the important thing is to avoid having children complain. I am not to get aggravated by children ignoring me and disregarding rules, and am to cease making such things an issue. It's escalating conflict. I'm pretty sure that I am to continue expecting that the children in my program comply with standards for behaviour: it's just I'm to stop expecting that from anybody else in the school. He did say I've done a great job with the kids in my program and acknowledged that I might be kind of stressed about waiting so long to hear about the job, and it's kind of maybe bad that I have been treated this way and has been maybe a little hard to deal with, and yes, it could be a possibly really horrible stress that is the school's fault and then he left the meeting. I feel kind of upset at this minute, because I hate eating shit, (I did not defend myself, except to point out that in Term 1 I was working in schools where if you gave an instruction, the kids did what you asked simply because you're the teacher and it was not necessary to debate the justice of the instruction for several minutes) but the incredible :wacko: - ness of it all is already occurring to me, and I am torn between thinking I should have quit in September, and making a really good story out of it, because it's too ridiculous. One teacher at the school is leaving because he has had such a difficult year this year, and the stress and aggravation is too much for him. (That is his openly stated reason.) Two of the three Grade 6 teachers were in tears this week because of the uncontrollable behaviour of their kids, openly flouting rules and ignoring instructions. The Librarian is on stress leave because she doesn't want to have to go through the stress of dealing with rude children with no regard for others, whom she is not allowed to discipline. She told me that. So clearly, Boss No.3 is completely right about how important it is to placate children, because that's going to make the school a much better place. In the meeting I was informed that BackStabber is not happy with me and is finding me a most unsatisfactory person to work with, for reasons that Boss No.1 was unable to explain to me because she never listens to anything Backstabber says. It is somehow extremely comforting to know that my failure to either rise to her bait, or submit to her bullying has annoyed her. ![]() A bright spot is an otherwise crappy day. |
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| Bex | Nov 16 2007, 03:56 PM Post #41 |
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puppet dictator
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Urgh. Hurrah for growing up middle class. |
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I belong to one of those families that does not speak to or see its members as often as we should, but if someone needed anyone to fall on a sword for her, there would be a queue waiting to commit the deed. -Min Jin Lee | |
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| LizDiggory | Nov 17 2007, 07:06 PM Post #42 |
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Breakfast
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At least you get to go away from them for the day, the three boys I take care of (including my 3 year old son) I am with every day ALL day, of course the two other boys are my nephews so the only 'BOSS' I have to deal with is my stepsister. And she's pretty cool.
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| Eral | Nov 18 2007, 12:51 AM Post #43 |
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Kopi Luwak
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I do enjoy getting into my car at the end of a difficult day and knowing I am returning to The Real World, where I won't stumble across any of them. :lol: The obvious solution is to not fill in for absent teachers any more. When asked, I will say in a tone of deep sorrow, "Oh, I can't." And when I do yard duty, I will only intervene when they are killing each other. As I now understand that my role is decorative, not active, I'm sure there will be no more problems. For me. Good luck to everyone else who has to deal with the little schmucks.
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| Eral | Nov 28 2007, 12:04 AM Post #44 |
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Kopi Luwak
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And the decision is, Alternative Nutcase. I was going to retire, and live a reclusive life, child-minding, computer-gaming and coffeetalking (I was going to include a few other things like reading and driving my dad around, but they don't start with 'c' and ruin the alliteration) but then I realised I will have no reason to wear earrings or really nice shoes or shop for clothes and so have decided to continue emergency teaching. I am officially over people though.
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| lara | Nov 28 2007, 12:12 AM Post #45 |
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Unregistered
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Ah, Eral, hopefully you'll find something much more suitable, where children are expected to behave well. |
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| Bex | Nov 28 2007, 01:39 AM Post #46 |
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puppet dictator
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Yes, I know you had some very good moments with the kiddies, but the entire operation sounds insane to me. Perhaps alternative nutcase teacher will fit better with their approved methods of not questioning the authority of the children. |
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I belong to one of those families that does not speak to or see its members as often as we should, but if someone needed anyone to fall on a sword for her, there would be a queue waiting to commit the deed. -Min Jin Lee | |
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| Krazy | Nov 28 2007, 08:29 AM Post #47 |
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I haz powah!
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Yeah, probably just got to hope something better comes up, Eral. |
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| Eral | Nov 28 2007, 08:35 AM Post #48 |
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Kopi Luwak
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:lol: The interesting aspect to their choice is that Alternative Nutcase is much like Backstabber, and doesn't believe that learning should be enjoyable. I have a theory that the school is trying to get rid of it's students with learning difficulties, prior to national test results being published. :ph43r: |
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| Regullus | Nov 28 2007, 03:15 PM Post #49 |
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Reliant
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You're well rid of them, Eral! They had to give Alternative Nutcase the job - not because of her great teaching abilities - but they can't get rid of her. They drive her into disability and then fire her? A guranteed lawsuit on that one. I'm sure they didn't want to pay two salaries. If it's any consolation Alternative Nutcase is probably equally disappointed and depressed by the decision. Something better will come along. :) I really think their attitudes and priorities are skewed. Not to mention how they handled all this is terrible. |
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| Nibsi | Nov 28 2007, 03:32 PM Post #50 |
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Te zijner tijd
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I'm sorry to read that Eral. Will you still be working as a stand in? On a related note, high school kids here are on strike. Yes, the children are on strike. Why? Because recently the government decided that schools aren't providing enough hours, because of absence of teachers and stuff, and they have set a minimum of hours for schools to give. If a school doesn't manage to provide enough hours for the children, they will be penalized. So what do schools do? They keep the kids at school if there isn't a teacher, so they can sit around and do nothing. So that's why the kids are on strike. Sure, if you ask half of them why they are on strike they probably don't know but they just think it's cool, but still... |
| -Nibby | |
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no changes will be made to this department without my approval.:eral: "
I still think you should try your hand at writing. Mr FPS must be very excited - tell him the car has to be yellow.
He did say I've done a great job with the kids in my program and acknowledged that I might be kind of stressed about waiting so long to hear about the job, and it's kind of maybe bad that I have been treated this way and has been maybe a little hard to deal with, and yes, it could be a possibly really horrible stress that is the school's fault and then he left the meeting.
It is somehow extremely comforting to know that my failure to either rise to her bait, or submit to her bullying has annoyed her. 



8:40 AM Jul 11