Teachers are taken for granted. I don't say that because I am a teacher I say that because I have been a parent and I know all the things I have expected of my child's teacher. Unrealistic things. Things that no other professional should be held accountable to. So to help you out and to make a more caring, loving relationship between you and your child's teacher I offer this public service announcement.
1. We are at work too. Please understand that we teach. We are not sitters. As a matter of fact someone has done the math and calculated how much a teacher would receive if they were really just hourly sitters for EACH of the 30 kids we deal with for 7.55 hours each day. It's somewhere along the lines of $200,000 a year. Trust and believe that I don't make that much. So when I call you because little Le'Monjello has not done any work, ran out of class, called me a bitch and wet his pants...well I don't need to hear this: "YOU CALLING ME ON MY JOB WITH THIS?" My very first reprimand as a teacher was for responding to a parent : "Guess what, I am at work, too!"
2. Buying your baby school supplies (or uniforms, or paying for their field trip) is in my budget. Look, every blue moon I have a parent or student that I know is struggling. So I might be so kind as to cover the cost of a WELL deserving student on a field trip or pay for it until your next payday. But you telling Le'Monjello's mom that I did and telling her not to worry because "Ms. G will take care of it". Well, you have just set little LeMo to stay behind while the rest of us hit this Chuck E. Cheese right quick.
3. Use my cell number WISELY. Look...few parents get my cell number. Sharing it gets you and whomever you shared it with BLOCKED. Calling me after 5:30 gets you BLOCKED. Calling me at anytime on the weekend gets me a new number.
4. I have a family. This should help you understand numbers 2 and 3. I have stuff I need to do for them. No you cannot stop me in the parking lot. No you cannot ask me for a parent conference at 6 on Friday. NO NO NO!!! I really believe that people have it in their hearts that teachers sleep at school. We are some type of robotic creature that turns on a 8am and is hooked into a power source overnight. I almost wish I was hooked to a power source.
5. Parent teacher conferences are important....REALLY!! Look if you tell your child' teacher that you want to meet them, especially before or after school COME TO THE MEETING. Call someone and tell them you are not going to make it. My time is just as precious as yours. So this parent comes to my class and asks for a conference at 11:00 the next day. I told her that at that moment during the day I am teaching. She gave me this look like she just didn't understand (see #1). I offered to meet her during the after school program at 5:30. At 5:45 I walked to the door. She walked passed me. I stopped and asked her if she had forgotten our meeting. The response: I had something I had to do. Sorry. Can we meet another day? I walked out the door. Bitch, please!
6. You are what you wear. Look, I can't talk to you during a parent conference if you have on 1. False hair (eyelashes, weave) and it falls off or out, our meeting is officially over. 2. Foundation garments...if your titties are on the table covering your child's grade our meeting is over.
Just a few things I need you to know...as I think of more...I"ll let you know.
1. We are at work too. Please understand that we teach. We are not sitters. As a matter of fact someone has done the math and calculated how much a teacher would receive if they were really just hourly sitters for EACH of the 30 kids we deal with for 7.55 hours each day. It's somewhere along the lines of $200,000 a year. Trust and believe that I don't make that much. So when I call you because little Le'Monjello has not done any work, ran out of class, called me a bitch and wet his pants...well I don't need to hear this: "YOU CALLING ME ON MY JOB WITH THIS?" My very first reprimand as a teacher was for responding to a parent : "Guess what, I am at work, too!"
2. Buying your baby school supplies (or uniforms, or paying for their field trip) is in my budget. Look, every blue moon I have a parent or student that I know is struggling. So I might be so kind as to cover the cost of a WELL deserving student on a field trip or pay for it until your next payday. But you telling Le'Monjello's mom that I did and telling her not to worry because "Ms. G will take care of it". Well, you have just set little LeMo to stay behind while the rest of us hit this Chuck E. Cheese right quick.
3. Use my cell number WISELY. Look...few parents get my cell number. Sharing it gets you and whomever you shared it with BLOCKED. Calling me after 5:30 gets you BLOCKED. Calling me at anytime on the weekend gets me a new number.
4. I have a family. This should help you understand numbers 2 and 3. I have stuff I need to do for them. No you cannot stop me in the parking lot. No you cannot ask me for a parent conference at 6 on Friday. NO NO NO!!! I really believe that people have it in their hearts that teachers sleep at school. We are some type of robotic creature that turns on a 8am and is hooked into a power source overnight. I almost wish I was hooked to a power source.
5. Parent teacher conferences are important....REALLY!! Look if you tell your child' teacher that you want to meet them, especially before or after school COME TO THE MEETING. Call someone and tell them you are not going to make it. My time is just as precious as yours. So this parent comes to my class and asks for a conference at 11:00 the next day. I told her that at that moment during the day I am teaching. She gave me this look like she just didn't understand (see #1). I offered to meet her during the after school program at 5:30. At 5:45 I walked to the door. She walked passed me. I stopped and asked her if she had forgotten our meeting. The response: I had something I had to do. Sorry. Can we meet another day? I walked out the door. Bitch, please!
6. You are what you wear. Look, I can't talk to you during a parent conference if you have on 1. False hair (eyelashes, weave) and it falls off or out, our meeting is officially over. 2. Foundation garments...if your titties are on the table covering your child's grade our meeting is over.
Just a few things I need you to know...as I think of more...I"ll let you know.