OT: Teachers of Boneyard...Back to School Time

[Hey Adrien!]

To the Teachers of Boneyards, godspeed to you all and hope everyone has an excellent school year.

I'm back for meetings on Tuesday with students coming the following Tuesday and an overnight camping trip in NW NJ from that Wednesday-Friday. Nice way to start the school year without anything heavy content wise.

Also, I'm in a new classroom after staying in the same room for the first twelve years at my school, so I'm looking forward to that change.

Best of luck to all!

 

[husky429]

To the Teachers of Boneyards, godspeed to you all and hope everyone has an excellent school year.

I'm back for meetings on Tuesday with students coming the following Tuesday and an overnight camping trip in NW NJ from that Wednesday-Friday. Nice way to start the school year without anything heavy content wise.

Also, I'm in a new classroom after staying in the same room for the first twelve years at my school, so I'm looking forward to that change.

Best of luck to all!

This will be my first year with an office instead of a classroom. Very weird feeling.

I'm running new teacher orientation next Monday and Tuesday. And we hired my ex's sister. Everyone pray for me, please!

 

[husky99]

Back in the building the 29th

 

[Tiamat7]

Yes, thanks. I just finished my week of teacher/ staff meetings, and can't wait to get back in the classroom. The freshmen who arrived on campus this week look so excited to start the next chapter of their lives...in person!

Admin creep is real, and the meetings are seemingly neverending. (For reference, I teach at a state liberal arts college.).

Good luck to all the teachers. Especially primary and secondary levels. It's the toughest job you'll ever love. So critical for society.

 

[temery]

To the Teachers of Boneyards, godspeed to you all and hope everyone has an excellent school year.

I'm back for meetings on Tuesday with students coming the following Tuesday and an overnight camping trip in NW NJ from that Wednesday-Friday. Nice way to start the school year without anything heavy content wise.

Also, I'm in a new classroom after staying in the same room for the first twelve years at my school, so I'm looking forward to that change.

Best of luck to all!

What subject?

 

[Hey Adrien!]

What subject?

Middle school math at an independent private school in CT. I lead the department too, coach and other various hats.

 

[UConnKev]

My sister is starting up her 20th year at Greenwich High. She’s heading back next week for the meetings.

Glastonbury where my kids go start school this Thursday.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

in Connecticut, we're only short 1000 bus drivers as of now.
expect delays.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

My sister is starting up her 20th year at Greenwich High. She’s heading back next week for the meetings.

I graduated there in '04. Crazy that I was there during her early years!

 

[Minicoop69]

Year 15 teacher here in the RV production capital of the US in Indiana. Teach High School math at a public school.

Our 1st day with students was last Wednesday. We were the last district in the area to start school this year. Other districts started the 1st Friday in August.

Really need to get out!!!

 

[temery]

in Connecticut, we're only short 1000 bus drivers as of now.
expect delays.

I kinda think there'd be fewer delays.

 

[UConnKev]

I graduated there in '04. Crazy that I was there during her early years!

She loves teaching there. I think she primarily teaches AP History now and maybe one or two sophomore level classes

 

[SportsFan88]

i teach in bridgeport we start the 29th, the summer goes by faster and faster LOL

 

[Jbirdp5]

Back in the building the 29th

Same, virtual convocation to start my year off right

 

[BFieldHusky]

Back in the building the 29th

The 26th. Coming too soon...

 

[BFieldHusky]

This will be my first year with an office instead of a classroom. Very weird feeling.

I'm running new teacher orientation next Monday and Tuesday. And we hired my ex's sister. Everyone pray for me, please!

Please tell me you don't have to do her observations...

 

[M.S.G.]

@M.S.G. ....not sure if this will help. I have heard some crazy stories as well.

My girlfriend is a school psychologist. Top of the scale. Over 20 plus years of experience, plus it's a shortage area in CT right now. Was offered a job in early July at one of the better districts in the state after interviewing twice, and after getting glow reviews from her references. She accepted.

It took HR a week to get back to her to set up an appointment to finalize everything. The HR director was almost an hour late to her meeting, and then said the district was offering her 25 grand less than top of the scale because she had taken 2 years off total during her career (1 each for the birth of her children, which were complicated births).

The HR manager met with her on a Tuesday afternoon, and gave her a Wednesday deadline of 5 p.m to take it or leave it as he put it. He said any questions let me know.

She had one question, emailed him, left 3 voice mail messages over 2 days, and he never got back to her. Finally, on THURSDAY, at 6 p.m. he emailed her and said they were pulling the offer because they never heard from her, and he had consulted with someone in the district who wasn't even part of the interview process. She called the principal who hired her, the Super, and no one would take her call.

Beyond this being ridicilous, unprofessional, etc. she lost almost 2 weeks off time where she could have applied at other places.

Luckily, she just found another job, but it is a wacky world out there.

At my school, we can't find anyone for our psychological services team. Everyone seems to be leaving the field...

Hoooooooooooooooooooooooly moly.. Appreciate the perspective, thank you!

 

[BFieldHusky]

Hoooooooooooooooooooooooly moly.. Appreciate the perspective, thank you!

Not saying your situation doesn't suck...but there seems to be so many stories of people pulling offers, situations like yours where you think you have the job. I still think there will be openings in the fall. Not sure how much notice you would have to give...

 

[M.S.G.]

Not saying your situation doesn't suck...but there seems to be so many stories of people pulling offers, situations like yours where you think you have the job. I still think there will be openings in the fall. Not sure how much notice you would have to give...

The way my tdistrict works, they actually had us come in 2 days last week, then 2 more next week so there is no pause / hiccup in salary. Very odd. Anyway.. Before PD this week I felt terrible and would have felt like the lowest form of human life resigning a week before school starts, but after the lack of administrative policy changes (cell phones / grading policy) I won't feel bad in the least walking away at the last moment, utterly ridiculous. I wanted to stand up and say, "so what did you guys do for 2 months???????"

Instead of adjusting the grading policy, that we met about 3 different times last year... They instead just renamed Summative - Mastery Plus / Formative - Mastery. Unbelieveable.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Just got back from my beach vacation today. Still have until the 31st before I have to go in, but we just found out our new head of school was canned this week because everyone absolutely hated his guts. So it's going to be extremely weird.

 

[husky429]

Please tell me you don't have to do her observations...

I don't have my 092 yet, but I'm in the program. I'm a dean right now, so I won't be her supervisor per se, but I'm still doing the discipline for kids in her classes, and expected to coach teachers on their management... so definitely not ideal.

 

[husky429]

The way my tdistrict works, they actually had us come in 2 days last week, then 2 more next week so there is no pause / hiccup in salary. Very odd. Anyway.. Before PD this week I felt terrible and would have felt like the lowest form of human life resigning a week before school starts, but after the lack of administrative policy changes (cell phones / grading policy) I won't feel bad in the least walking away at the last moment, utterly ridiculous. I wanted to stand up and say, "so what did you guys do for 2 months???????"

Instead of adjusting the grading policy, that we met about 3 different times last year... They instead just renamed Summative - Mastery Plus / Formative - Mastery. Unbelieveable.

Don't feel bad about leaving at the last minute. You owe no one any loyalty, even in teaching.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Just got back from my beach vacation today. Still have until the 31st before I have to go in, but we just found out our new head of school was canned this week because everyone absolutely hated his guts. So it's going to be extremely weird.

Good thing that happened sooner rather than later.

We had an awful HOS hire five years ago where we had three finalists and NO ONE wanted the person the head of the board hired. No people skills and a poor administrator…lasted five months and with his buy out he was still the highest paid “employee” on the roster.

Our current HOS is an acceptable end-of-his career band aid hire who is starting his fourth year so my guess is we’ll get the gears turning for a new transition towards the end of this year.

Best of luck.

 

[QDOG5]

Year 15 teacher here in the RV production capital of the US in Indiana. Teach High School math at a public school.

Our 1st day with students was last Wednesday. We were the last district in the area to start school this year. Other districts started the 1st Friday in August.

Really need to get out!!!

Say hello to Elkhart for me.

 

[uconnfan68]

@M.S.G. ....not sure if this will help. I have heard some crazy stories as well.

My girlfriend is a school psychologist. Top of the scale. Over 20 plus years of experience, plus it's a shortage area in CT right now. Was offered a job in early July at one of the better districts in the state after interviewing twice, and after getting glow reviews from her references. She accepted.

It took HR a week to get back to her to set up an appointment to finalize everything. The HR director was almost an hour late to her meeting, and then said the district was offering her 25 grand less than top of the scale because she had taken 2 years off total during her career (1 each for the birth of her children, which were complicated births).

The HR manager met with her on a Tuesday afternoon, and gave her a Wednesday deadline of 5 p.m to take it or leave it as he put it. He said any questions let me know.

She had one question, emailed him, left 3 voice mail messages over 2 days, and he never got back to her. Finally, on THURSDAY, at 6 p.m. he emailed her and said they were pulling the offer because they never heard from her, and he had consulted with someone in the district who wasn't even part of the interview process. She called the principal who hired her, the Super, and no one would take her call.

Beyond this being ridicilous, unprofessional, etc. she lost almost 2 weeks of time where she could have applied at other places.

Luckily, she just found another job, but it is a wacky world out there.

At my school, we can't find anyone for our psychological services team. Everyone seems to be leaving the field...

Name those idiots! We need to start shaming more. Let’s let everyone know where the jerks are.

 

[Minicoop69]

Say hello to Elkhart for me.

You local? Used to do business with RV company?

 

[98Uconn]

My brother is a teacher in Philly public school district, middle school. Paid his dues for years but for last several years is at a target school for the Philly school system that the kids need to apply to,
teaching STEM. He loves it so much he said he’d teach year round.
My wife is a school counselor, my father taught high school biology for 30 years and a chemecology course he designed 30 years ago before it was a “thing”. My mother in law taught kindergarten for 40 years and my father in law was a college professor at Harrrisburg Community College for 50 years.
I have great respect for all of you in education. I strayed and became a pharamacist because I couldn’t survive teaching for a week. Best of luck to you all.

 

[husky429]

father in law was a college professor at Harrrisburg Community College for 50 years.

Community college is where it's at for PhDs these days. The tenure-track, publish or perish rate race is not good for 99% of people. My wife is making close to 100k teaching 4 classes a semester at CT comm colleges with a 3 month summer. Amazing gig.

 

[shizzle787]

This thread is just one of the reasons why US schools are behind their East Asian and Northern European counterparts.

 

[M.S.G.]

My guess is that When the recommendation to the superintendent, he's shooting it down for budget reasons. If you're not sped, math, or science that is likely the reason. I've been on 23 hiring committees in the past year and justifying hiring a 15 year English teacher vs some brand new kid from Central is tough. We had a few recommendations for hires shot down for that reason.

If you're sped, math or science it's probably something else. Are you white and straight? Right or wrong, that's a factor working against you too if you are.

@Dream Jobbed 2.0 and I have gone on and on and on about how ridiculous hiring can be via DM (including my own district shafting him pretty bad).

Good luck.

Yep, this has been what I've been thinking - and what my wife has been saying.. It's nice to see it typed out in print, what a racket it is.. There just has to be a better way, but this is what we all must suffer through. Thank you for your honesty.