Week 6: No One is Coming

This week at Indian Land High School was uneventful in my mobile. We watched our videos, conditioned ourselves to salivate at the sound of a bell, and learned about classical and operant conditioning. It was spirit week and we celebrated with two spirit days that included a Hawaiin day and a rock n' roll day. The football game was played and Homecoming festivities were carried out. I participated in the first Hawaiin day as best I could, but recently I have been listening to a podcast (Disgraceland, linked here, good for long trips and dog walks) about the debauchery of rock n' roll characters and I didn't have the extra headspace to contrive a costume. Either way, students choose these days and I am proud they got some plans together nonetheless. In the pandemic and with changing rules for club gatherings I am not sure how this was accomplished. Good job folks. 

No Weekend Work, Continued. Last week I posted about the need for readjusting expectations of ourselves. I reflect on this today as I opened my email to a student concern about her grade, received on a Saturday afternoon. I started to respond to the student that I would get to it on Monday. For a split second, I was writing a response in my mind. Then, I told myself to relax. This is my time. Early Sunday mornings are special to me because the house is quiet and I can devote all of my thoughts to my personal planning and educational pursuits. There's nothing on the agenda, and the time is all mine. I do not mean to distress this student, but the time is mine (clear?). Besides that, if work had been completed on time, the grade would be updated timely. 

A Day Off. I took Friday off this week. I requested the day off on Wednesday. It was approved. I walked away on Thursday with my plans in order and everything on Google Classroom. My students were aware I would be out, and I called off my Google Meet for the day. Everything on my side was ready to go for a substitute. It is not clear to me if a substitute was assigned for the day, but I did get an email from someone for my final class period about attendance. Overall I was confident that if an adult was in my classroom for the day things would be easy to follow and execute.

Sub Shortage. Friday we were informed that 19 teachers were absent. About 10 minutes later this changed to 20 teachers out. This was not good news. When that many teachers are out, the classes typically have to be filled by teachers on their free period, without compensation. The expectation is to fill in where teachers are out because we all need to chip in, be a team player, we are in this together, yada, yada, yada. Let me tell you, as a teacher that was out on Friday, I did not feel good about putting this pressure on others. But then I think, I didn't create this mess, and if I was at school I would be pitching in where needed. Besides that, I was working from home. I was WORKING. I didn't take a day off to go to the beach; I was working on a presentation. I can be trusted to work from home. Another topic for another day. 

Don't Leave Students Alone, Like, Ever! If my students had spent the day alone in my mobile there would be all kinds of reasons why we would all be in trouble (and justified, but here is some cynicism). Just think of fifteen and sixteen-year-olds alone, with the internet, in a classroom unattended. Oh the shenanigans that could erupt! Can we trust students alone, with the internet? Can we trust students alone long enough so that I can relieve myself? Another topic for another day.

Save Yourself. My message this week is that no one is coming to save educators. Administrators do not have the tools to "save" us and give us the proper help we need, and we ought to let them off the hook if we expect them to do so. It is not my administration's fault that there is a shortage of qualified substitutes. There's a shortage for a number of reasons, even without a global pandemic as a cause. The same is true for using technology. Administrators have not had the proper tools to adequately train teachers to magically become online instructors, but it is not all on them. There is much we have to do for ourselves. 

Saying it Loud For the People in the Back. Fellow educators: no one is coming to save you. There is no Prince Charming, no Superman, no Secretary of Education that is going to make sweeping changes that will make being a teacher less anxiety-producing and more enjoyable. Administrators are not equipped to handle 10 teachers that need a day off, let alone 20. Why? 

Make Your Own Salary Increase. What is being revealed is not a failure of leadership. We are seeing the failure of a system that is meant to maintain the status quo. It is this same pervasive failure in which the layers are being peeled and revealed in so many social sectors in the present moment. I believe my district wants what is best for all of us. However, the district, while I do not know all of the particulars, is being limited by the state of South Carolina by not giving us our salary step increases for the year. You have to make your own salary increases. 

Let's focus on what we control and what is good about no one coming to save us.

The take-aways:

• I am responsible for my own career, my own mental health, and my own classroom
• I do not expect my administrators to take care of me. I must do this myself
• I have no expectations of my coworkers and administrators, as they are responsible for themselves too. 
• If I want a pay-raise, it is my hustle that will make it happen. If I wait for the state of SC I will only be disappointed.
• Stop waiting for others to change public education. It is not meant to make change - it is meant to make us stay quiet. 
• No one is coming to save you - if you need saving, save your own self. You can do it!
• If anyone needs help with any of the above steps, I would love to talk to you!