Work Ethic

Yes, a very boring topic but one I need to get off my chest.

The school year begins again in a couple of weeks.  Lots of people think teachers are lazy bums if we relax over the summer.  Well, come take a gander at the kickass work ethic going on ten months out of the year and you will understand the need for two months of vegetating.  Now, I do not expect everyone to have the same work ethic as I do, but I want people to come close.  I do not expect anything of my students and coworkers that I don't expect of myself.  So....

Cell phones at work?  Hubby and I have been discussing this a lot lately.  He is a supervisor.  He struggles with this daily.  You might say that my attitude towards this issue stems from the fact that I do not have a smart phone, therefore I cannot check my texts, e-mail, or facebook every ten minutes.  Not exactly.  I have a work ipad.  I can check most of those things.  I choose not to.  Why?  I work in a field in which my attention must go to 21 individuals at all times during my 45 minute class period, during my lunch when providing extra help, during my prep when - duh - prepping for classes, and after and before school when with students and colleagues.

I do squeeze in time to check personal e-mail during prep - maybe - and lunch - maybe - but only to see if hubby contacted me.  I don't bother looking at the e-mails otherwise.  We have a rule at our school.  Students are not permitted to use their cell phones.  At all.  If seen, the item must be confiscated and turned in to the disciplinarian.  However, many teachers use their devices in front of students.  We are not supposed to.  In one of those rare instances in which I cheered the guy, the disciplinarian told faculty that if the rule exists for the students, it is also existing for us.  We must lead by example.  I do.  It really isn't that hard.  In my mind, it is about respect.

And that word is what keeps coming up when hubby and I discuss this.  Respect.  Why do you think it is ok to keep checking your phone when with another person, working, socializing, whatever?  If you are teaching and you keep checking your phone, how does that look?  If I am the student, I might think my teacher can't wait to get the hell out of work and away from us.  I might think you just have little interest in what you want us to care so much about: your subject.

If you have a job that has down time, good for you.  I get that you can check your device during the work day.  But there is a time and a place, right?  If you work in a store, I do not want to go into a place of business and see the employees on fb or playing cell phone games.  I spent many years in retail.  I would never have had the nerve to bring a book to work to read in the shop.  Why is it ok to sneak a cell phone check?  When I worked at a sports organization, one of the college interns had a cell phone (one of the big ones).  She used to make cell phone calls in the photo library at all times of the work day.  We all were appalled.  Our thinking was that socializing is done outside the work day, not during.  Sadly, I think this is seen as normal now.  In my mind, if you are socializing while at work, something else is being given short shrift.  Fine if your job does not involve others relying on you.  If that is not the case, damn, why are you still employed?

OK, so you might have been off work for a time - hello, teachers - but I do quite a bit to get myself back into work mode.  (like getting my bladder used to not peeing whenever I want)  So, howzabout you get used to not being hyper connected while at work?  If you work with others who rely on your undivided attention, that moment you look away to check your device could be the moment something horrible happens.  I find it so disturbing that quite a few recent teachers of the year at PV are voracious cell phone users.  Kids have mentioned it to me in disgust.  I groan when I see it.  We both feel like the individuals are flouting their positions of authority by ignoring the rules and showing their disrespect by not giving undivided attention.  My own friends do this and it disgusts me.

Unfortunately, I know that hubby and I will lose this argument.  Time to shop for that desert island.