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Home > I think I Didn't Handle this very well ...

I think I Didn't Handle this very well ...

February 23rd, 2012 at 11:52 pm

Like I mentioned in my post yesterday, I've been spending *a lot* of time helping the mid-school science teacher both in and out of school lately. Well today it looked like she was pretty well on track, so I told her that I needed to take care of some things (like make phone calls and try to make a small dent in the unshelved books) so I'd not be available in the a.m., but would help her after lunch. She was fine with that - just happy for any help I could give her.

So ... my last morning class left at 10:55. I went into the lab and was talking to AL for a few minutes when SrN came in and asked me to help upload some pictures she'd taken for the yearbook. While I was doing that, an 8th grader came in needing to print a color picture. No problem. After Sr N left, the 8th grader asked me to help her a bit, so I did.

While I was in the midst of helping the student, several 7th grade students trooped in (ones I knew were finished with their science fair stuff.) I assumed that their Teacher Assistant or Teacher would be right along. The teacher did come a few minutes later with a couple more kids. She asked if it was ok for them to be there ... again, I assumed she was sending her TA shortly and was distracted by helping the one student .. so I said fine.

More students arrived for a total of at least 8. Only 3 of them were actually working on Science Fair stuff, the others were working on their media project (for me.) When I realized that she'd just left them with me, I felt really used. But it wasn't the kids fault, and I was glad they could have more time to work on their projects ... but still!

I should have told the kids to go back to their room, or maybe have called her and told her that I couldn't supervise them. I didn't - mainly I think because I don't like confrontaion, but also due to thinking that maybe she felt like if I was so willing to give so much of my time to help the science teacher, I must of course be more than happy to take kids off her hands too and that she'd be offended or something if I said no I didn't want them right then.

So ... the kids go to lunch and I go to lunch. I'm feeling like carp warmed over plus very tired and frustrated from what just happened. The science teacher is there and what happened came out in the conversation. She offered to talk to the head mid-school teacher, and after some hesitation, I agreed.

Then ... this afternoon my last class left at 2:30 and I went over to the gym to help with setting up. The 5th graders were in there with their teacher and teacher assistant - it was so cute watching how eager they were to help. Smile

About 3:10 we were all finished and lining everyone up to go home. Suddenly there was an influx of 7th graders. The science teacher had no idea why they were there - she'd not asked for them to come help. No teacher or teacher assistant with them.

The fifth grade teacher called them all to line up while the science teacher went back to her classroom to dismiss her group (her TA was teaching a Navajo class while she was in the gym.) One of the 7th grade boys was *extremely* disrespectful to the 5th grade teacher.

So ... after the busses left, the science teacher and I both talked to the head mid-school teacher about the two incidents. I felt very .... unsure? about handling it that way - without first going to the 7th grade teacher ... like we were almost being first graders who whine to their teacher about a class mate.

The 7th grade teacher is a long timer (i.e. someone who's been here more than the usual 2 years) and so probably is going to be around a few+ more years. I really hate to ruin whatever relationship we may have by creating bad blood. But I also don't want to get taken advantage of ...

The biggest problem here probably is that of assumption I think ... I assumed that she wasn't just dumping the kids on me, and she assumed that it was perfectly ok since I'd been helping out the other teacher all week ..

No good deed goes unpunished??

* Oh, and I think I may have lost my phone .. in all my distractedness today I put it in my coat pocket, but it wasn't there when I got home... Sigh.

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Update: I found my phone in the library! Yay! I also talked with the head mid-school teacher and the science teacher. We realized that it was the TA who sent the 7th graders into the gym and not the teacher (she was on a bus.) So I told TG (head mid teacher) that I would talk to the 7th grade teacher myself. I think that would come across much better than having TG talk to her. If it continued to happen, then I think that would be a different story. I feel somewhat better about it now.

I just got back from the parent viewing of the projects. A fair number of families showed up. I'm going to be one of 17 judges tomorrow. It should be interesting! (I will be one of 5 people who will be SO glad when 3:30 comes tomorrow!!)

1 Responses to “I think I Didn't Handle this very well ...”

  1. Looking Forward Says:
    1330059404

    Sounds like everything is going to be fine. Enoy the judging tomorrow. Smile

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