Games Administrators Play

Its hard coming back from a three-day weekend. Even harder when its this school. I've noticed a pattern this Fall that is quite interesting. The Principal is assigning tasks to the Guidance Staff that are tedious and time-consuming and usually wants them immediately or at the end of the day. Now that means that we become pressured and rushed, all this while kids pound on our doors, and programs are STILL being corrected. More on the programming mess in my next post. Well, some of us have families, lives. Some of us are new and can stay up until 3am (as our newest counselor did) to complete the job. Those of us who can't have started receiving "Counseling Memos" to be placed in our files. Usually it is the "veteran" counselors who are subjected to this. I wonder if there is a correlation between the assigning of impossible tasks and the resulting letters to file? It seems to be all about what the administration can get on the teacher, counselor, etc. They can even make things up! Thanks to the 2005 contract, we no longer have the right to grieve such letters and that leaves us vulnerable to lies and eventual U ratings that aren't warranted. Isn't that lovely?

This Counselor sought help from the UFT, instead of getting their support I instead got a lecture about being one minute late. I had been complaining that the Principal has an aide standing by the time clock and if you are one minute late, they mark you down. Such behavior is more than ridiculous since we are supposed professionals, yet we are being humiliated and treated like children. What did the UFT have to say? Two wrongs don't make a right, a minute is a minute.

So, classes are still a mess. The program office is understaffed and yet the Principal refuses to allow the Guidance staff to have access to the programs needed to change schedules. Like 6th graders, we are relegated to having our work "checked" by the A.P. PPS, or as I like to call her, just plan P. We must have all program changes approved and signed by her. That means she can questions every change, deny, or simply find something so that a counselor can expect a letter or memo in their mailbox the next day telling them about their incompetence and how they are "not serving the children".

In the immortal words of Charlton Heston "IT'S A MAD HOUSE, A MAD HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!"