Testing

Last week we gave our Quarterly Based Assessments (QBAs).  I did all the things a good teacher does:  distribute the review sheets days in advance, review with the students, make myself available for one-on-one review time before and after school.  Then I graded them this week.  Holy crap.Some students told me flat out they did not study.  Well thank you.  These QBAs count for their yearly average.  That was mainly form my Photo II kids.  The AP kids did fabulously well.  I am so proud of them.  But Photo II?  Well, I cannot even curve the grades when I have someone get a 95.  (And I am not one who has ever curved a test).  And the results of these QBAs have a bearing on our evaluations.  That makes a great deal of sense when the kids do not take them seriously.  Yet, I know they know the processes.  They perform them in class every day.

Then I graded the Photo I QBAs.  Three received a 100.  Hooray!  But then I noticed something that makes me hate these types of tests - those kids who know the process in and out and are my go-to kids when someone needs help, they bombed the test (well, bombed in my eyes is 85 or lower).  Those who are absolute dipsticks in the darkroom and when shooting?  Great grade on the test.  These written tests screw up the kids' grades.  So I vow to give performance based QBAs from now on.  If I want to give a written test, it will be counted as a quiz.  I can't in good conscience give a test that will screw with a kid's confidence or grade just for the sake of producing a piece of paper with a number.  It takes a hell of a lot longer to grade a performance based exam, but it is more fair and is a better assessment of the kid's true ablilites.  I mean, the results of these exams were so out of whack in some cases that I laughed out loud while grading.  

I also have so many kids below target on my SGO right now.  I believe that having us complete those by October first was a mistake.  I can see that kids I assessed as having one level of ability were way off.  I cannot judge a kid's potential ability to grow in a mere month, at least not with the way we have to teach Photography.  At that point, they have just begun camera work.  That is the meat of the year and we have to assess their potential growth for the whole year without really knowing them, their issues, their abilities?  I already marked about a third of them for adjustments for growth expectations.  And we have little choice in the due date for the SGOs.  That was state mandated.  Yes, by the man who is never in the state and his puppet, I mean appointee.

Oh, and the results of the PARCC tests given last Spring just came out this week.  Yes, the tests that are supposed to determine a teacher's job, a student's placement.  Yes, they came out in the end of October.  Tell me how that helps.  If the test results are supposed to determine a teacher's effectiveness in that year, why are the results out after year end evaluations and PIPs are due?  If the tests are supposed to help guide the student's courses, why are the results out after the school year has begun?  Why does it take so long to grade?  Why were the cut off scores determined after the scores were given?  So that the state can decide how to penalize the schools.  Basically, what they did was see the scores then decide what the minimum acceptable score would be.  When your state administration makes no secret of the fact that they want to privatize all parts of the public sector, it does not take a genius to figure out the motives there.  What score to you need to show near total failure of the public school system?  That's the minimum score needed.  Oh sure, we have less time lost to testing this year.  But as I look at the year's schedule for mandated tests posted above my monitor, my head spins.  Nearly every single month has some form of mandated test.  Those are tests the districts have to pay for.  It is astounding how much money is to be made in testing, and those companies are raking it in, all while directing the public to believe the teachers and our (self-funded) pensions are the problem.  Oh, how I long for an educated public.  

Then I see these ridiculous ads on the train for starting pay for computer engineers and IT jobs.  Hell, you don't need an education!  Come to our 10 month program and make $70,000 starting out!  I know they are ads and not totally truthful, but they are way closer to the truth than I want to know.  Do you realize how long it took me to get to $70k?  Just this year, my 18th year teaching with a BA, a professional certificate, and an MA.  Almost all of which was paid for out of my pocket.  No tax-payer or employer-funded schooling for me.  I pay for my workshops/trainings out of my pocket.  And yes, I do judge you based on your level of education if you are a smarty pants and think your computer/desk job deems you more deserving of an inflated salary.   Your job has no positive societal value.  But then, this is a direct reflection of our country's values.  My value is based on an arbitrary test score.  Screw the positive impact I have on a kid's life or the community I teach in.

So before going out, I spent last night e-mailing nearly every single colleague of mine.  I had previously looked up their legislative districts based on the town of residence.  Then, last evening, I looked up the NJEA endorsed Assembly candidates for each district and e-mailed them in batches based on district.  (It is strange that I am the only district 25 resident in the building, but not everyone can handle the fabulousness that is the 25 - just kidding.)  A lot of legwork for a hopefully successful election.  So, this morning, I tentatively check my LAT e-mail, nervous that I will get some nasty "do not e-mail me" responses.   So far, so good.  Perhaps they will do what they always do:  go to my union president and complain I am telling them who to vote for.  Um, this was his idea - a personal touch that I agree with - and this is your pension at stake.  You know, that pension you paid into more than 50%?  Yes, that one.  I want to have some more of my colleagues do actions like phone banking, leaflet drops, canvassing, but it is very hard to get that from them.  I think some of them are deluded into thinking they will come through their career at the other end completely unscathed.  Some are just truly burnt out.  They spend all their energy giving to the kids, and they have none left at the end of the day.

Which leads me to something related to the last post.  Societal impact.  I do judge your high paying job and the related smugness you carry based on the societal impact.   Our culture values gross income over the importance and benefit to society.  I know too many people who think that is fair.  My political beliefs are a part of why I think they are wrong.  Some of those same people believe a fast food worker or a department store cashier does not deserve a living wage.  Yet they fail to see the contradiction.  I know my thoughts on this and my judgments are probably closed-minded, but after being in a profession that has rapidly gone from being respected to being vilified, the result is this.

I know that many people will pay lip service to the whole "your job as a teacher is wonderful".  Sure, we are saints, patient, special people.  But your words are contradicted by your attitude.  How many friends, former students, and relatives gleefully support politicians who are gutting the public education system in order to create for profit schools?  How many of them are so nasty about the taxes they pay towards schools, claiming it's the teachers taking all the money?  As a traditionally female profession, we have been expected to be martyrs.  But seeing the respect people have for a CEO who was smart enough to work a system to rake in millions each year, I fail to see the sincerity of the compliments to my profession.  I can only take a compliment from a person whose opinion I respect.

And as of right now, that group includes only my students.  Yes, adults are a let down.  My kids are what makes my days worth it.  The kindness and respect I am getting from them this year is phenomenal.  And it could not come at a better time.  Last year was the absolute worst as far as morale and love for the profession...  for all of us.  And on the friend front?  Well, let's just say the let downs just keep coming.  But my students?  They are pure delight, even when they are not listening to the lesson, trying to use the cell phones, asking a question that was just addressed two minutes ago.  Their kindness and respect comes from a place of purity and no judgment.  They see what I give them and are honestly thankful.  And here's the best thing....  When something bad happens to us, they care.  So much.  Two teachers in car accidents this year.  One who has been complained about a great deal; one who is universally loved.  Yet, the concern for the teachers was equal.  No judgment.  Pure caring for the individual.  They know the goodness of the teachers and reciprocate with genuine care and concern.  If I have a rough day, and I vent, they validate my feelings.  They do not try to tell me I am wrong.  They might suggest other ways to deal with things, but never tell me I am wrong.  This is so familiar.  Not because this is what I get from friends but because this they have learned from us.  This is how we teachers deal with them.  And at a time when the majority of the adults in our lives are more interested in letting us know that what we feel and believe and how we preserve our happiness is wrong, my time with my students is that much more satisfying.

What is a good soundtrack for writing recommendation letters?  Well, Fugazi got me going this morning.  I have to write 12 letters as of this morning.  I have completed six at this point.  Second person to sign in today.  And I read an article form the UK about how teaching is in the top three in most stressful jobs.  While it mentioned other stressful careers - medical fields, EMTs, police - one thing was a bit funny.  It made special mention that some IT jobs are stressful, but clearly not at the same level of teaching.  The article noted the extraordinary amount of work beyond the school day, the demands put on us from the community and society, the pressure to have students perform to standards set by those who have no comprehension of the myriad factors that enter into what goes on in the classroom that have nothing to do with the classroom.  So, for those of whom this job stress is a pissing contest, I think those of us in education win.

Because it sure does seem like a contest with some people I know.  It seems people have no ability to say "You know what, your job as a teacher is hard.  I will not demean what you do by gong on about how hard my job is as an equal comparison."  I know it sounds so rude, but too bad.  Teachers have to educate all our kids regardless of home/living situation, health status, intellectual ability.  We are expected to get through to each and every kid.  Now, there is the expectation that no student can fail their exams once all exams are averaged at the end of the year.  They can fail for the year, but if you have too many fail, it must be you.  In other instances, we can be sued and in some instances, that suit can be personal, not union protected.  Oh, you're "on call?"  Good for you.  I am too, it just is not put into words.  I am expected to reply to e-mails 24/7.  If I do not make myself available to help a student at any time, that is a problem.  Sure, it isn't in writing, and the union will say there is no contractual expectation.  However, it is implied...  very strongly.

You see, the thing is, we have been seen as servants.  Part of it is misogyny, plain and simple.  When I have to deal with mansplaining from any of my male IT friends or relatives regarding the stress and pressure of the job that I could not possibly understand because it is so technical, I roll my eyes and have begun to tune out.  The fact that teaching provides a benefit to society makes it valuable in a way other professions can't even touch.  The benefits of education reaches communities regardless of how advanced, developed, or undeveloped they are.  It has traditionally been a job held by females.  We are not ones to broadcast anything about the difficulties of our jobs,  We just buckle down and get to work.  Therefore, no one truly knows what the job entails unless they have done it.  You can train a person all you want, prepare them as much as possible, have pre-service students do all the research possible.  You are not fully prepared for all the possibilities involved in this job until you get that first teaching position.  As this is not my first field of work, I know that there are few other careers like that.  If a network goes down, we will survive, regardless of the field dependent on that network.  We survived without this technological infrastructure and we can do it if push comes to shove.  But an uneducated society?  Do you really want that?  Do you really think my job is equal to yours now?

First day back at work after two days of being sick was busy busy busy.  Yes, a teacher can be busy.  We have Quarterly Based Assessments this week, so my voice was saved for two periods Monday and two periods Tuesday.  The kids took the exams seriously.  Flabbergasted.  The work ethic this year continues to surprise me.  Seeing a kid who has been labeled "bad" studying voraciously is so cool.  The kids are doing their best to make the project deadline by coming in extra and not dilly dallying.  I am so pleased.

It is portfolio time.  The National Portfolio Days are coming up in November.  So one of my Photo II kids came in with a slew of independent work - drawings, sketches, photos - and we set up the shoot and scanned the smaller work.  He shot, I showed him how to set up the backdrop and lights for even lighting, low glare and no shadows.  I have even more recommendation requests to take care of too.  Four are complete, I have 6-8 more to do.  I put an essay on the PI QBA and the AP one is an essay.  However, the rest of the PI and the whole of the PII are scantron.  I hope my recurring headache will go away for me to grade the stuff.  I Have such a pile of stuff to do but I do not feel swamped, panicked, or tight-chested.  I feel calm.  It is amazing how having such wonderful kids can make the growing pile of work seem manageable.

We are looking over the faculty dress code here.  Today, I sent off my proposed changes.  I know there is a lot online about sexist dress codes in schools.  However, I noticed a glaring inequality in ours: the necktie requirement.  So I tackled that.  I also requested the use of clip on ID holders for art teachers.  I nearly choked myself again two weeks ago when working on a cable connection on Lori's computer.  I ripped the thing off and muttered "I hate this F-ing thing".  I have gotten it hooked on equipment, nearly cut it on the matte cutter numerous times, got it caught on the radiator when retrieving fallen negatives, cut myself on the deformed metal clip, broke it leaning on the sinks when mixing chemicals....  But when I swung the ID behind my back - while still wearing it - when cutting mattes one year, admin walks by, pauses to look at me through the doorway, and within 24 hours staff get an e-mail about wearing our ID at all times.  Is this an ID or a noose?

I would greatly appreciate a revisiting of the student dress code too.  I am tired of seeing the girls wearing see through leggings as pants and boys showing their underwear when these kinds of things are against the code.  I actually address male dress code stuff way more than female stuff.  I am disgusted by the need for dress codes - why are some people sexualized while others aren't - but the code exists and I would like it to be more egalitarian regarding rules.  It is not going away, but it could be more fair.  I would also like to see better enforcement.  I do think there is favouritism in the enforcement.  But, who am I to make noise.

As it stands right now, some colleagues get away with shady dress code violations and never wearing an ID, others get nailed the first time there is an infraction.  It happens to be the same with the students.  Once the dress code changes are made, I plan to make noise about the inequality of the enforcement.  We all know it exists.  We need to stop it.  It aggravates the kids and the staff.  We need to improve the work environment and morale here, and I think that is one of many things that can easily be tackled.

I actually missed two days in a row.  That is historical.  I do not think I ever missed two days in a row at any job.  I even missed going out last night.  Damn, this germ is rough.  Now the phlegm is loose, but not coming up.  That means no cool pictures to post.  Poop.

On the bright side, I have taken the time to catch up on reading and watching videos.  I also found a journal for the NAEA's Caucus on Social Theory in Education.  I am in the middle of reading an article form the Failure issue.  The article is about the failure to be a "good American."  This should be a good read.  I know I have tackled the saying the pledge issue before, so I will not go into that.  This piece is written by a woman who starts off the article with an anecdote form the age of five.  A boy insults her with various derogatory words for the Chinese and then proceeds to spit on her.  I am already hooked.

The caucus report that directed me to this journal mentioned how there can be art in different things we do in the classroom.  The authour writes about a class discussion.  He worries about the lack of "art" in class that day.  Someone tells him that maybe the discussion was the art.  Damn!  Validation for my tangents!  So often, I get off on a topic prompted by anything in the class.  I link it to photography in some way.  But I am fully aware of the fact that a passerby might think I am not teaching let alone teaching the subject I am paid to teach.

Here's my thinking...

I see art making as communication.  I have noticed a lack of ability to communicate.  This is in my students and my peers.  Too many of the people I have daily encounters with can put a pithy limited character comment online or make a side remark.  But can they have a sustained conversation?  On a topic of their choosing or not of their choosing?  Can they engage in discourse with someone who does not agree with them?  Are they losing the ability to hear, listen, absorb?  If so, how can they possibly know how to communicate through their art?  How can they comprehend someone else's message?  How can they learn form that message?

I do not agree with a lot of what others say or believe.  But I would be deceiving myself if I said I did not learn from them.  I learn the reasons for their beliefs.  I learn how life experiences, ignorance, hatred, or indoctrination formed their ways of thinking.  Some are understandable.  Some are deplorable.  But I took the time to listen.  If we do not listen, how can we take part in a discussion?  I don't think we can enter into a discussion with the aim to change one's beliefs.  But we can do our best to have that person understand our views and how we came to hold those views.  If I don't take the time to model that behaviour in my class, as the teacher, I am not helping my kids.  In other classes, the demand to reach some arbitrary score on a test limits those teachers from this kind of discourse.  I will continue to let my classes end up in 15 minute discussions.

I will occasionally let my students know the methods behind this.  They then understand that they did not succeed in derailing me from teaching, but I took advantage of an opportunity to hold a different kind of lesson.   Now I am working on trying to figure out a way to get this kind of discussion with my peers.  Some of them are so much more closed minded.  I offered an offline discussion to one recently.  He declined.  Perhaps I need to sweeten the offer with baked goods and coffee.  Political discussion at Casa Vasa.  All denominations welcome.  No screaming.  No name calling.  Ha!

Silence

For the first time in 17 or so years of teaching, I am missing Parent Teacher Conferences.  I happen to like these.  It is like a party.  We sit, chat, laugh...  It's fun.  I even considered starting to serve baked goods and tea in the future.

But...

Starting Monday, I started to feel a bit unwell.  I had a slight sore throat Tuesday, but made it through that day's afternoon session of conferences.  I had an evening union meeting and dinner.  It all went to hell that night.  As the night proceeded, my voice and pain got worse.  Monday and Tuesday nights involved waking up drenched in sweat.  However, Wednesday was school wide PSAT administration and I was administering.  I could not call out.  I had studied the book (as it turned out, the wrong book was given to me) and was ready.  I just could not speak.  I could croak and squeak, but not speak.  I knew I was needed because those with kids taking the test in other schools could not administer.  They were being used elsewhere in the building.  Well, I get there to pick up the materials and the head of guidance hears me and brains took over.  She got someone to sub for me.  I just helped out around the building for the morning.  I apparently have no brains for even trying to do the job.  Sigh....

Then I tried to teach.  Oh boy.  I was trying to go over our quarterly exam reviews.  Well, as one kid put it, with my arthritis bothering me in my hips and fingers, and now this, I am falling apart.  So...  Here I am, online after a sick day at home, waiting for parents to e-mail me since I cannot be there.  So far, nothing.  Kind of like the conferences themselves.  I had a total of six on Tuesday.  They were all fun and nice....  But that's a lot of down time in between visits.

To kill time at home (I hate doing nothing) I tried to decorate for Halloween.  I couldn't even finish that.  Too woozy.  But my answer when hubby asked if I was going to work tomorrow?  "Of course!  Don't be silly."

Now I must take a break to check out the attic.  Millie was at the door howling and screaming.  I thought her paw was stuck under the door.  Nope.  We either have a wayward animal or a ghost....  

Had a conversation with two different students about dealing with students versus dealing with adults.  I always think my kids feel I put up with a great deal of stupidity from their classmates and I am kind of light-hearted about it. Not quite that simple.  As I put it to the two ladies, what I can handle easily from a teenager cannot be put up with from an adult.  I told one girl yesterday "At my age, if you are still thinking those kinds of stupid thoughts, I don't have time for that."  A lot of people are impatient with teenagers, their impulsive actions and words, their supposed ignorant thoughts and beliefs.  But we have to look at it from another angle.  We were still figuring out who we were, what our opinions were, and how we wanted to be seen.  We were sometimes stupid, but also sometimes wicked intelligent.  And so are my students.  There are absolutely silly things that come out, and I laugh with them.  There are absolutely stupid, ignorant things that come out, and that is when I stop the class and do some social educating.  There are some crazy insightful things that come out, and that is when I shine the spotlight on them.  But..

And this is a big but...  I have zero tolerance for that kind of stupidity and ignorance in an adult of my age.  Some examples of the stupidity I am sick of dealing with?  I have known people who still say racist, sexist, homophobic things.  And when I call them out, there is a very weak excuse.  When talking about the cutting of overtime for people at my job, someone said "Well, many places no longer have overtime."  Well, just because my neighbour hits his wife, does that make it ok for me to hit my husband?  One bad action does not justify another.   I pointed out that the CEOs that made those cuts are still getting raises, the money is still there, the work is piling up, and the justification is false.  I got a shrug.   Last year, while insanely busy at work, I get a message from a former friend about that amber alert about a kidnapped kid in Delaware.  It was all anyone was talking about at work.  Really?  With all that is going on around you, that is your biggest concern?  Something you have zero ability to control, help, or solve.  What about the missing kids in other places closer to home?  Oh wait, this kid from Delaware was cute, white, blonde.  And found quickly.  It is so much easier to fret about something we can't do anything about while our local food pantries are empty, our students are homeless, their parents are losing their jobs, their houses burn down.....  I could go on.  But by all means, worry your pretty little hearts about an event a state away while you do nothing here at home.  Sorry, but the things that keep me up at night are the things I can do something to change or improve, and I actually get off my ass to try to change those things.

When I discuss these ignorant actions and ways of thinking with students, they get it.  I let them explain themselves and their thinking.  They let me explain my rationale and experiences.  We have a dialogue, we listen to each other.  We might not change each other's minds 100%, but the wheels have begun to turn.  When I try this with many adults, I get the "What are ya gonna do?"  Really?  What am I going to do?  I am going to get off my ass, write to people who can implement change, protest my local politician's office, go to my town meetings to raise a ruckus, get involved in my union, volunteer, support businesses that are righteous and responsible.  Because loafing around all day on facebook, twitter, or pinterest posting happy dippy thoughts or inane, insulting, ignorant memes won't change a thing other than making me realize I prefer my students to people like you.  And there are an awful lot of you out there.

So I took my first personal day of the year today.  I needed to get some things done that could not be taken care of on the weekend.  Luckily I managed to get that done and more.  I feel guilty for not being there for the kids, but I left sub plans that are really good.  Photo I read about how to set up a darkroom.  This will help those kids who want to do this at home.  It will also reinforce all I have taught about the darkroom and the associated materials.  Photo II had a choice of working on tutorials or preparing work for submissions.  They must complete one submission per marking period.   I cut this last year, but I am running things at a faster pace this year and making other accommodations to fit in all I was forced to cut with last year's testing.  AP was given planning sheets for the three parts of the portfolio.  I hope the classes took the work as seriously as I expect.

I spent some time viewing films on the Museo Nazionale del Cinema's page on Vimeo.  I have known of the Northern Italian connection to silent films for quite some time, but never looked anything up online.  Damn.  What a treasure trove of films.  There are historical films, hand tinted films, dance performances, comedies, you name it.  And my mind is spinning with all the ideas running around.  I can just put these film on the computer all period.  If a kid needs a break from the darkroom or the partner is printing, go on in the classroom and take in the films.  They could be so inspiring. I try to play one silent film a year for my classes.  Not every student gets it, but for those who do, the look in their eyes is amazing.  It is like I am opening another world to them.  Then I have heard from some kids who encounter one of those films later in life and I am proud to have introduced them to the art form.

The only tough thing is that the music accompaniment is your responsibility.  There are recommendations for what to play, but I doubt I have those in my collection.  I also hope that Vimeo is not blocked at work. If so, I think I have a good reason to be allowed access to it.  Oh, when I find new things like this to use in the classes, I get all tingly.  It's like when I find a vinyl record I have been hunting for....  Bliss.

Then, I just checked my personal e-mail for the first time today and received some great news.  I submitted three images for a show at a health center in Dover.  I had some photos in a show there once before.  I like the place and its mission.  Well, they want all three of my submissions to exhibit.  Woo hoo!  The best part?   I already have them framed.  Super happy about that.  It might motivate me to go back to my summer project.  If I can squeeze in the time....  I will also tell my students.  It helps that I do the things I expect them to do, regarding the submissions.  I also want to let my new photo kids know that I am also a working artist.  Modeling good behaviour in many ways.  tee hee..

I finally closed the pool yesterday.   It was part procrastination, part peaches.  It was much easier retrieving peaches from the skimmer than from a dirty pool cover.  The peaches are done and the weather is now cold, so pool closure was due.  A sad day, but I must go on....

I also did quite a bit of garden clean up.  Amazingly, the phlox are blooming again.  The animals didn't eat all the anemone, so there are a couple of blooms there.  I think my muscari is coming up again.  That is not good.  They are bulbs and should be dormant.  They are clearly confused.  The pears are finally ripening.  If hubby thought I had a ton of peaches taking over the freezer and refrigerator, just wait until the pears come.  Tons of pears for everyone!

Since it was Sunday, I could not use the weed trimmer.  I trimmed the grass along the stones with my gardening scissors.  They are designed for righties - grrrr.   My right hand and fingers are getting stiffer.  Very quickly.  I couldn't finish the trimming.  There doesn't appear to be any swelling, but the stiffness and pain is incredible.  I can't even give the middle finger with the normal amount of speed.  I took my anti-inflammatory, massaged it, used joint rub, all to no avail.  As I type, there is a bit of a delay with the right fingers, so I keep making mistakes.  And there is a mystery bruise at the base of my thumb about one inch wide and three inches long.  It really looks and feels like I punched someone....  just without the satisfaction of having actually done it.

So on to work....  The AP kids resubmitted their artist's statements with corrections made.  I reviewed them again, made more corrections and suggestions and then returned them again. And - get this - no complaints!  I can't believe this!  I am used to griping about having to continue to make corrections.  Not this bunch.  Phenomenal.  They start large format photography today.  I have them doing still life or portraiture and they must assist each other with lighting, reflectors, and metering.  That takes care of the issue of having just one camera.  Photo II is making lithographic film exposures.  I have the two part developer mixed on demand and put into a large tray on the floor.  The kids all sit there, chatting and agitating while waiting for the image to appear since this takes many minutes for the latent image to come up.  It's just so cute.  I really love them.

And now... the news about the mishap.  Yes, another hole.  Someone bumped into the shelving behind the sink in the darkroom, stumbled, some kids tried to catch him, and the wall took a hit.  Well.... time to find another poster.  Sigh.....  Either we need better quality wall board or we should put more studs in the wall. Screw 16 inches apart...  Let's do 8 inches.  That will catch an impact better.  It isn't as if I can turn on more lights.  It is a darkroom.  Duh.

E-mail Shenanigans

So I had an incredibly stressful week with AP.  I find out at the end of last week that my AP curriculum was not approved by the College Board.  This was news to me.  I go and look in my e-mail and well, well....  There is the rejection e-mail with all the rationales...  in my AP folder.....  from the end of July.  I.... never..... saw..... it.

This is not the first time funny things have happened with our work e-mail.  We know that the tech admin has access.  However, he is to be trusted.  I have had e-mails disappear from my inbox both before and after I read them.  I have not been able to find sent mail, and way before they are automatically deleted.  Others have had the same thing happen to theirs e-mail.

Then there was the confirmation that others have access - people who have no right to access.  One summer, we received an e-mail regarding a new feature with our network system.  I was so excited because this was something I had been looking for for a couple of years.  So I responded to the tech admin - NOT reply all - with a funny excited reply.  Upon leaving the faculty meeting on the first day of school that year, another administrator quotes my e-mail to me in passing.    This is not someone who has a need for access to our e-mails.  Thanks for the tip, buddy.

So now I have a vitally important e-mail regarding my AP class go from inbox to folder without me seeing it.  Hmmm...  I think the shenanigans originated in guidance for reasons I will not go into.

However, I managed to get through this.  Some sweating and sleepless nights later, and my curriculum was finally approved.  But this was a harrowing week.  I originally used other curricula as examples but the tiny details that were asked for were a surprise.  Those details were not in the samples I perused and I have no idea how those curricula were approved.  So I had to submit twice before the final approval came last morning.  To be honest, I do not think any human reads the submissions.  The responses are to rapid.  I think the are run through a program that looks for keywords.  I have a problem with that, but I cannot do anything about it.  Every morning I worked on adjustments....  Worked after school....  Fiddled with wording....  And yesterday?  Approval.  Phew.

With all this spying on our e-mails, one might think that the higher ups would have a bit of a better impression of my work ethic.  But, alas, that is not to be.  Instead, I know that the camera outside of my room is watched when I have a more challenging kid.  This is not just to watch the student in question but also to watch me.  I have been told I should deal with something or other that a kid does when he leaves my room with a bathroom pass.  My response?  Give me supervision to watch my class while I escort my student to the bathroom.  Otherwise, I cannot control what a student does once leaving my room.  Unless a child is on the "no pass" list, this will happen.  Duh.  If the administration insists on giving a pass to the primadonna teachers who reject the more challenging students, DO NOT hassle those of us who gladly take in those kids and manage to actually get them to learn something.  Instead, you should be hassling those primadonnas.  My class should not be a dumping ground for the kids no one wants.  This school should refuse to let a teacher push a kid out by being inflexible and ignoring the IEP.  That behaviour calls for disciplinary action, in my opinion, not cushy rosters and Teacher of the Year awards.

While people all over this country fret over the NSA spying on citizens, I think "Pssh.  The NSA? Hell, I work at PV."