My school day pet peeves

[Karenrbw]

I just feel the need to vent a little today. I teach high school and have six classes a day so this may not sound familiar to some of you, but others of you will know just what I am talking about.

If you are keeping one of the kids in my class late to finish an assignment, clean up a mess, etc - call me and let me know. I have a phone, you have a phone - use it. We take our attendance online so when little Bill comes in 10 minutes late, I have to get on the computer, go online, log on, and change my attendance. If I don't do it right now, I might forget and then the mess will hit the fan.

I always love having a new student come walking into my class with no warning from the guidance counselor. Drop me an email, give me a call. I only make enough copies for the students I think I have and can't leave them to make another copy for the new kid.

No, I can't go into the shop during class to get you a hammer, fix your broken shelf, or supervise your students while they fix something. I can't really leave the 21 freshmen I have this period to supervise your kids.

What are your school day pet peeves?

[seastarmath]

Oh I have LOTS of pet peeves! The one about the unexpected new student is one. Closely related is the child who is withdrawing and guidance sends them to my classroom WHILE I AM TEACHING ANOTHER CLASS and wants their grades, the name of their book and if they returned it, information about fees paid, etc. right at that moment. Like they can't wait until the end of the day?

[dsmms]

I feel like I am constantly writing the daily lesson for students who are out of the class for the day due to ISS or absence. We circulate these forms around to all the teachers and it inevitably comes to me in the middle of a class - and I am the last one to get it. So guess who has to take it to the Office?

Also the redundancy! Aaaargh! We have to take attendance by sending attendance cards to the office with absentees marked on their card, then we have to go online and take attendance, then we have to take attendance in every class, online and on paper. There has to be an easier way to do this!

[SS Rocks!]

Also the redundancy! Aaaargh! We have to take attendance by sending attendance cards to the office with absentees marked on their card, then we have to go online and take attendance, then we have to take attendance in every class, online and on paper. There has to be an easier way to do this!

It'd be awesome if there were an electronic system using the kids' ID cards to check in to class and leave class (lav, nurse, etc). I student taught at a high school and they had the same type of attendance system where you needed to update it in the computer even during the middle of class. What a pain, but at least the administration utilized the system. Students would receive a detention for coming to class late too many times.

I also hate getting new students with little or no warning. A couple weeks ago a new girl showed up in my class. One of my students said, "This is Brooke". Thanks for the warning guidance department. I had one day of warning with our most recent addition.

I'm not sure if it's really avoidable but one of my pet peeves is phone calls in the middle of class. I'll be in the middle of giving directions and *ring* *ring*. There goes my train of thought.

[Karenrbw]

I also love the parent or student that approaches the principal without ever asking me about something. Happened this week and the principal had no clue what they were talking about. If you have a question about something, ask me first!

[upnorthteacher]

Oohh, the phone calls drive me crazy, too! Announcements that are made at random times throughout the day make me want to scream. Parents showing up unexpectedly is another one that I don't understand. If you know you are taking your child for an appointment, can't you send a note or call ahead of time instead of disrupting class?

[Karenrbw]

Last year, when we changed some classes at semester, some woman I had never seen before showed up in my class. She siad she was supposed to sit with a couple of students. Ok. She was a sub for the sped ed teacher and it was actually a class within a class that no one told me about.

[Spectre]

I can relate to almost everything y'all have mentioned here. But you know, one of the things I have learned this year, in particular, is that a lot of this is due to the quality of leadership you have in your school.

If no one is minding the store (or the front office) then things have a tendency to seek their own level. Little fiefdoms pop up and everyone starts defending their "territory." A lot of "dumb" things start happening because no standards or expectations are set or enforced.

I endured that for the past 7 years, at two different schools. Neither had an effective administration.

But no situation is perfect. I am in the best position I have ever been in this year. The school population, for the most part, comes from homes where they have raising, where parents have expectations of them. Our administration supports us and looks out for our welfare, rather than advocating solely for themselves or playing political games. Still, I find some of the decision making policies a bit strange, our grade level leader is a bit scatter brained and disorganized. I believe she is simply overwhelmed with the task. I don't like the interruptions either. Just about every day my last class is interrupted by students being checked out early.

But another side of this is that so much of this is small stuff compared to what could be happening. Small, but aggravating, yes.

Leadership is the key. :)

[bella mundi]

I get peeved when they constantly pull my paras from my room (two weeks straight, every day) and either give me NO sub, or a sub who just started and I have to start from scratch. Meanwhile, I'm trying to figure out if my para has a new placement or if I will ever get him back.

For two weeks this happened. But I have the word now, finally. He's getting moved, and I'm getting a new one. Oh well, at least I know what to expect.

But, yes, it does all start with the leadership. I think communication is key. I really like my boss in many, many ways, but communication is not his forte.