A Good Meeting...

So, I got to the meeting and there were SO many different accusations they had for me...in addition to me being out for so long sick.

1) No Substitute Plans

~ Ok, that's just rediculous. Do I LOOK stupid? Why would I submit an absence and not submit sub plans? The first 2 times, the sub didn't get my plans and my students complained. So, since that time, I've emailed the secretary at the high school with a copy of my lesson plans...to cover my bahookie (thanks Andrew!). So, the principal will have to check with the secretary on that.

2) No daily work

~ Students were complaining to the principal that they don't have daily work to do. Uhhhh...again, rediculous! ASL is a visual language, not a written one, so the work we do isn't going to be written down. I explained to the principal that I have daily participation points that is a major chunk of student grades. If students come to class and participate by following directions, behaving well and doing their work, they get all the points for the day. If they're late, they get 2 points off. If they don't show, they don't get the points. They can make them up by doing outside work (like if they're gone for a field trip or other school related issues), but if after 1 week, it's not made up, they get a zero for that day. And, that has been my policy from day one!

3) I told all my students I was going to give them all failing grades despite the work they turn in and they were worried they wouldn't be able to participate in graduation.

~ No. I told the principal I would NEVER say ANYTHING like that. That would not be fair to the students who actually come to class and do the work (like the ones I can count on 2 hands!). I told the principal (and the others at the meeting) that if a student fails the class it's because they earned it.

4) I never posted any grades for students.

~ Well, this is malarkie because I spent many hours at home grading papers and entering them in the gradebook. All my students, and their parents, have been given the website to access their grades. If they have internet connection (which you can always get at the local library), they can have access to their grades. I HAVE to keep up on it...otherwise, I'll have 85 kids asking to see their grades every day!

5) I neglected to submit quarter grades for students.

~ That's because I was given incomplete information about how to submit grades. I was told by the Tech Education/Computer Teacher (who also happens to be my Department Chair at the high school) that I could enter the grades and be "good to go". So, I did. I entered them and was good to go! I even entered comments on their quarter grades because I wanted parents to know that their students' grades were lower because they hadn't completed a major (100 point) assignment by its due date. I subsequently gave them an extension because the material is valuable and I want them do have it, but they will not receive 100%. They had 6 weeks to read this book and do the report (6 pages, double-spaced, standard margins...oh, I did forget to say 12 point font...one student gave me his paper with a 21 point font...sheesh!). I even gave them multiple opportunities to read IN CLASS because we don't have enough books for all the students. They still didn't do the assignment. Well, 2 of them did. Well, 1 completed 5 of 6 pages and one gave me a 6 page paper with the 21 point font. I retyped it and it came out, at a 12 point font with standard margins, to be a 2 page paper. COME ON!

6/7) I had bad classroom management.

~ Yes, I do have bad classroom management...here. For some reason, I cannot make my kids mind. I have tried to be harsh, I have tried to be nice. I even tried bribing them with candy. NOTHING WORKS! I'm nearly bald from pulling my hair out over frustration. I spend most of my time within the classroom working on behavior modification/correction. This leads into another issue about administrative support. In my defense, the former teacher let me nearly nothing by way of instruction on what to do. So, I don't have a handbook. When I told the HR woman that, she (very snippy) said, "Well, could you have gotten one from another teacher?" When, I said yes, she said, "well, why didn't you?" I said, "Well, I asked [my department head] where I could get a handbook or if I could borrow hers. She took me to [the vice principal] who told me he'd have one for me by the end of that week." She cut me off and turned to the principal and said, "Did she ever ask you for one? Is it online?" I told her, "I didn't feel the need to ask him after I'd asked the VP for one. Then it slipped my mind and I supposed that it was up to me to make that decision on sending students to the administrators." She came across very huffy...not at all like she was trying to find out what happened at all. Fortunately, the principal said that some of the information is online, but he has a separate hard-copy handbook that is handed out to all teachers at the beginning of the year. Well, I wasn't there at the beginning of the year (DER!)

8) I show "R" rated movies without permission.

~ No, I showed 1 "R" rated movie that had already been approved (according to the curriculum of the previous teacher) and 1 move that was made-for-TV, so it didn't have a rating on the website I purchased it from. The sub this last week turned it on and discovered some suggestive language and nudity. The sub shut it off and didn't plug in the other movie (that I know was rated no more than PG-13). Instead, the sub told the principal about it. Which, I can understand. As a sub, if I was asked to do something questionable, I would probably talk to the principal, too. So, it was not the sub's fault.

So...those are pretty much the things they complained about...in addition to my extended illness. So, as of right now, I am on paid administrative leave (yay for the rest of the week off!) until they make a decision on what they're going to do. It's all in God's hands right now and I have faith that whatever happens is for a reason and I'll be OK. Moob is a little (ok, probably a lot) concerned about it financially. She won't be able to float me and the new roomie. And, that's totally understandable. It's not a complaint against Moob at all. In fact, it was she and mom-squared that convinced me to go in today. And, it was a good thing I did. The HR woman had emailed me (at my school address, to which I had no access since Thursday) saying that I had a meeting scheduled yesterday and if I didn't respond by noon on May 8th, I would be in breach of my contract and be fired on the spot. So, the prompting of the Holy Spirit was on Moob and mom-squared (my mom and Moob's mom). It was good I listened! At least now I have a chance.

I'll keep you posted.