First of all, while people always talk about the teachers' "Union" we are actually a "professional association" NOT a labor union. And although you'd never know it by the way some teacher's gripe about it, we are professionals and, if we expect to be treated that way, should ACT that way.
That being said:
In my first job as an amusement park ride operator and later as a "lead" ride operator I received performance reviews at least once a season. Although my job only consisted of pressing buttons on a roller coaster control panel, and later as lead, giving employees their lunch breaks at the correct time, my performance evaluation had a grading scale like this: Exemplary, Superior, Good, Fair, Satisfactory, Poor. I always received exemplary job reviews. Later one I moved to a different position at a desk in the same park and continued to receive exemplary performance reviews.
When I took my first teaching job, I was crushed when I got my first evaluation. My shock was not because I did not perform well enough, but because so little seemed to be expected of me. If a guy who doesn't even need a high school diploma can get "exemplary" for pushing a button when the light flashes, shouldn't a professional who has a college degree and a teaching certificate be expected to be evaluated as critically? My first evaluation came back with a "Satisfactory" rating checked at the top. "But you were extremely satisfactory," said my assistant principal. As I am sure is the case in many places the only options on the top of the form were "Satisfactory" and "Unsatisfactory." In my amusement part days, a satisfactory job review wouldn't have been very good at all, in my professional life its as good as it gets.
Why do we as professional expect so little of ourselves? Why do we aim for mediocrity and so often manage to hit the mark?
Because our union demands it! If we had "real" job reviews that differentiated the truly outstanding educator from the merely satisfactory educator my current situation might not exist. Perhaps they would see that my colleague, band director number 2, while she does have the appropriate certification to do my job, and she does have more years on the job than I do, just doesn't do the job as well as I do.
I student of mine sent me an e-mail recently after he heard that I was being let go. He wrote, "I hope you get a job close by and do so well that you make Anytown School District look stupid for letting you go!" I hope so too.
Showing posts with label laid off. Show all posts
Showing posts with label laid off. Show all posts
Friday, June 13, 2008
Publicity is ALWAYS a Good Thing
Shortly after I was told by my principal that the pink slip was imminent, a story ran in the paper about Anytown School District's budget woes that mentioned "one band director at HHOTRMS has already been let go." I sent an e-mail to the reporter asking why I hadn't been identified by name, after all there are only 2 band directors at our school (I guess 2 is a lot). His reply was that he wasn't sure if I would want my name in the paper identifying that I had lost my job, especially since he hadn't had an opportunity to talk to me yet.
"A lot of people at the meeting said some very nice things about you, I think there might be a story in this." the reporter replied in his e-mail. A few weeks later we sat down and had an interview in my living room about the whole situation and the story ran shortly thereafter.
Two days after the story ran, I ran into a friend of mine who had seen the story in the paper. "It wasn't very nice of them to print something like that in the paper," he said. "I sure wouldn't want the whole world to know about it if I had lost my job."
"I wanted it in the paper!" was my reply. I have over 1500 graduates of my middle school band program that now know about the situation and can join the parents of my current 200 kids to let Dr. Jekyl know what a horrible mistake she made by letter me go.
Since the story ran I have received job leads (one of which is very promising) from 3 different sources, none of which would have known about me if the story hadn't run.
In the mean time I'll keep chugging along looking for openings that fit what I do. If I can find another group of band geeks that will let me be their king, then great. Maybe life will take me elsewhere.
"A lot of people at the meeting said some very nice things about you, I think there might be a story in this." the reporter replied in his e-mail. A few weeks later we sat down and had an interview in my living room about the whole situation and the story ran shortly thereafter.
Two days after the story ran, I ran into a friend of mine who had seen the story in the paper. "It wasn't very nice of them to print something like that in the paper," he said. "I sure wouldn't want the whole world to know about it if I had lost my job."
"I wanted it in the paper!" was my reply. I have over 1500 graduates of my middle school band program that now know about the situation and can join the parents of my current 200 kids to let Dr. Jekyl know what a horrible mistake she made by letter me go.
Since the story ran I have received job leads (one of which is very promising) from 3 different sources, none of which would have known about me if the story hadn't run.
In the mean time I'll keep chugging along looking for openings that fit what I do. If I can find another group of band geeks that will let me be their king, then great. Maybe life will take me elsewhere.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
My mom always told me life wasn't fair...
As you can surmise by my previous post, my reign as king of the band geeks (at least as the monarch of the band geeks at my current school) has come to an unexpected end.
I've been the director here for 12 years (actually 11.6 if you count that the first year I was only part time. In the end it doesn't matter that I did a fabulous job, that I imparted musical wisdom, that I fostered a love of music making, or that I built the program in a matter of 2 years from a part time job to overflowing. When the bean-counters at the district office looked at declining enrollment at the high school in my district, they decided we had 1 too many music teachers and had to RIF the junior guy. Even after 11.6 years, that would be me.
I saw trouble brewing 2 or 3 years ago when our district passed a bond that would result in expanding my school while closing another building. I realized then that we would have 1 too many band directors in the district. I asked the union president (who was the other band director) about impending doom and she told me "don't worry about it." So I didn't.
To complicate matters more, there are other music teachers who have certification outside of music. Those people could either step aside and teach those other subjects full time, or part-time in addition to part-time music, or the district could involuntarily transfer them to those positions and save my job, but for some reason no one is willing to do that.
It seems that unions will fight to the death to save an incompetent teacher who is about to be let go. There was one such teacher at my spouses school. The administration tried for years until he finally resigned on his own. Why then, when (and I don't mean to toot my own horn too much here) they have a competent, popular, successful band director all the union can do is step aside and say "well, it looks like the district followed procedure."
Honestly, it's frustrating enough to make me consider whether I should stay in education at all. But then, my mother always told me "life's not fair."
I've been the director here for 12 years (actually 11.6 if you count that the first year I was only part time. In the end it doesn't matter that I did a fabulous job, that I imparted musical wisdom, that I fostered a love of music making, or that I built the program in a matter of 2 years from a part time job to overflowing. When the bean-counters at the district office looked at declining enrollment at the high school in my district, they decided we had 1 too many music teachers and had to RIF the junior guy. Even after 11.6 years, that would be me.
I saw trouble brewing 2 or 3 years ago when our district passed a bond that would result in expanding my school while closing another building. I realized then that we would have 1 too many band directors in the district. I asked the union president (who was the other band director) about impending doom and she told me "don't worry about it." So I didn't.
To complicate matters more, there are other music teachers who have certification outside of music. Those people could either step aside and teach those other subjects full time, or part-time in addition to part-time music, or the district could involuntarily transfer them to those positions and save my job, but for some reason no one is willing to do that.
It seems that unions will fight to the death to save an incompetent teacher who is about to be let go. There was one such teacher at my spouses school. The administration tried for years until he finally resigned on his own. Why then, when (and I don't mean to toot my own horn too much here) they have a competent, popular, successful band director all the union can do is step aside and say "well, it looks like the district followed procedure."
Honestly, it's frustrating enough to make me consider whether I should stay in education at all. But then, my mother always told me "life's not fair."
Detrhoned!
Anytown School District
B. Jekyll, PhD, Superintendent
Anytown, USA
Dear Maestro:
As you are aware, the Anytown School District is implementing a Reduction-in-Force. As part of this reduction, you are hereby given notice that probable cause exists that your contract for the 2008-2009 school year should not be renewed. This determination as based on the declining secondary music enrollment.
In addition, the District is anticipating an approximately $1.3 million shortfall for the 2008-2009 school year. As a result, there are insufficient funds available to support additional electives in the music program.
The Board of Directors has reviewed the recommendation of the Superintendent and determined the necessity for this reduction. Please understand that you general competency in your position was not a factor in determining probable cause.
In the event of a future vacancy, you will be considered for it under the terms of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Anytown Education Association. Please be sure to provide the Personnel Office with the address to which communications may be sent.
You have the right to request a hearing to determine whether there is sufficient cause for non-renewal of your contract by filing a request for hearing in writing with the President of Secretary of the Board of Directors within ten (10) calendar days after receiving this notice. (The District Superintendent is the Secretary of the Board.) A copy of State Law 28A.405.310, which outlines your hearing rights, is enclosed for your information. You also have a right to a direct judicial appeal pursuant to State Law 28A.405.380.
We are truly sorry that your position has been reduced, Maestro. It is out hope that another option may present itself. If so, the Personnel Office will be in touch with you immediately. If there is anything else we can do to help, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
B. Jekyll, Ph.D.
B. Jekyll, PhD, Superintendent
Anytown, USA
Dear Maestro:
As you are aware, the Anytown School District is implementing a Reduction-in-Force. As part of this reduction, you are hereby given notice that probable cause exists that your contract for the 2008-2009 school year should not be renewed. This determination as based on the declining secondary music enrollment.
In addition, the District is anticipating an approximately $1.3 million shortfall for the 2008-2009 school year. As a result, there are insufficient funds available to support additional electives in the music program.
The Board of Directors has reviewed the recommendation of the Superintendent and determined the necessity for this reduction. Please understand that you general competency in your position was not a factor in determining probable cause.
In the event of a future vacancy, you will be considered for it under the terms of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Anytown Education Association. Please be sure to provide the Personnel Office with the address to which communications may be sent.
You have the right to request a hearing to determine whether there is sufficient cause for non-renewal of your contract by filing a request for hearing in writing with the President of Secretary of the Board of Directors within ten (10) calendar days after receiving this notice. (The District Superintendent is the Secretary of the Board.) A copy of State Law 28A.405.310, which outlines your hearing rights, is enclosed for your information. You also have a right to a direct judicial appeal pursuant to State Law 28A.405.380.
We are truly sorry that your position has been reduced, Maestro. It is out hope that another option may present itself. If so, the Personnel Office will be in touch with you immediately. If there is anything else we can do to help, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
B. Jekyll, Ph.D.
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