Prologue:
I’ve already made it very clear to my department that the direction of the master schedule will be based on the data from the Spring student course selection. This is not my decision, but instructions from the admin and counseling team. Makes sense, that’s a student-centered approach. Depending on the courses applied to will determine how many sections we need. However, that’s not the same response I’m getting from my staff.
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Some teachers are too much. It shocks me how teachers can be one person during class but an entirely different person outside of that. And I don’t mean that in a cool or mysterious way. Like when a student is shocked to see their teacher at the grocery store or movie theatre. In a shockingly immature, self-serving, and conniving way.
Whether it’s preference, embezzlement, power, or even complacency.
Most of the veteran teachers I’ve met at my site are all entitled and resistant to change. It shocks me that educators are so impervious to flexibility. I get it. Teachers are asked of a lot. And a little more flexibility stretches us too thin. But I would think when that ask is coming from a student-centered approach; it wouldn’t be so far out of the question.
Buzzwords are misconstrued and getting on the nerves of my veteran staff. Specifically “student-centered”. They feel that their needs aren’t being met. Here’s a gist of the needs that I’m referring to:
- [extra] prep periods for AP teachers are being slashed. They don’t want to lose that prep period because it’s about “a quality of life”
- Therefore, those AP teachers will take on another section
- Teachers don’t want to change grade levels
- They do not want to change their prep periods
[Veteran] teachers in my department feel that in order for them to create student-centered classrooms, these needs need to be met first.
If these needs were something like finances or resources, sure. But it’s almost like unless they don’t get their way. Then it’s no to the students.
I see a fine line between striking for something like the recent SFUSD issues with teachers being underpaid or the teacher sickouts during the omicron surge versus needing more time to do nothing or resisting imminent change that’s better for the students.
I get that teachers are losing a prep period. But that’s an EXTRA prep period. I’ve never known AP teachers to have an extra prep until I started working at my school site. Even the heads of each academy at the school also get an extra prep period. I’ve learned recently that many of these ‘department’/academy heads are also pocketing more of their funding instead of sharing it equally with the other teachers who have dedicated classes to their cohorts. I get that teachers are underpaid. But that’s a different level of low or shady.
Teacher in my dept: “The admin will tell you that ‘you have an English credential, you should be able to teach any grade level’, but we all know that each teacher LOVES the content and grade level they teach. They cannot create a student-centered classroom if there’s no love”
Really? Emotional appeal? When I’m already 8 months into my position. With no guidance. Oh and you barely show up to my meetings or engage in collaborative activities?
Teacher in my dept: “Avery, if you want to build rapport with our [divided] department. You’ll want to get people’s preferences.”
Me: *nodding in agreement* “Yeah, sure. I’ll make sure to put something out and bring it to the admin in my master schedule meeting that way–“
“OH, no no no. You can’t do that Avery. You shouldn’t. You can’t let them know that you have that information. They won’t listen. You just need to have it you know. In your notes. And when they say something like ‘Oh we need this prep here’ you can just agree and *slip motion* change it per the notes!”
Teacher in my dept
Me: “Oh, okay, I just need to be transparent with them about people’s concerns”
Teacher in my dept: “They won’t understand. So you just have to do it”
I went to my predecessor for some insight. He put a rationale to why he got people’s preferences, “Really you don’t want to be the blame here. You’re in between a rock and a hard place. If the direction from admin and counseling completely changes someone’s schedule unfairly, they’ll point their fingers at you. Every year I created a mock schedule asking folks of any changes and that did two things:
- They felt like their voices were heard. And I made it clear I could not guarantee anything
- I could find out if someone was interested in actually changing grade levels or trying something new
Okay. So there is a less self-serving approach to all of this. But clearly, my predecessor understands. My staff doesn’t. Many of the people I’m supposedly managing have been teaching longer than my lifetime. And they don’t want to change.
I advocate for the change coming. As teachers, we can’t be complacent. If one of these veterans retires and teaches a flagship-class like ELD or Journalism. Then who will design and teach the next one? This department is ill-prepared.
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Epilogue:
For next year, I learned that I’m losing our ELD coordinator as they are moving to another state and job for personal reasons. The ELD coordinator helped keep the half of our department/school that works with our EL students together and left huge shoes to fill.
Our admin is doing their best to make sure there are no layoffs. But with the loss of the ELD coordinator, they may not hire a new teacher because of budget cuts. So what will happen to the ELD classes? Do we lose them? Or do we give them to our AP teachers with extra prep periods?
But people don’t want to be flexible or student-centered.
This is exactly why I am advocating for change. To prepare for the imminent retirement, pink slips, or career changes of my staff.
Balasbas Says 