How about "no?" [short answer--long answer below...]
***
Showing posts with label starve the beast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label starve the beast. Show all posts
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Don't read your e-mail
What did we do before e-mail? Somehow we--as species--landed on the moon; created a vaccine for polio; authored Hamlet, the 9th Symphony, and Blue Suede Shoes; scaled Everest; performed the first heart transplant....
All before the advent of e-mail.
We were told, check your [work] e-mail over the summer, at least to keep it cleared out.
In my mind, I whispered a steely, resolute, "No."
Yes, occasionally I checked it to clear out the spam...and I'll admit to peeking at a few messages just to see what I already knew--there were idiotic pleas to think about, do, ponder, plan, make ready, consider, answer, file, fax....
And then I stopped; we stopped; my colleagues and I stopped.
And, when I received an e-mail at my home e-mail address, that's when I recommitted myself to this principle:
"When you PAY me for working over the summer, I will gladly WORK over the SUMMER. Answering e-mail is work. Therefore, no.
If there is SO MUCH work to be done, whether that be planning revisions to the chemistry curriculum, planning a reshuffling of world language teaching assignments, deciding how to divide up special needs students among the 4th grade teachers, deciding who will run the lights for the fall play, meeting (!!) to iron out the AP Calculus curriculum, fundraising (!!!)....
...planning,
...thinking,
...doing,
...deciding,
...cleaning,
...painting,
...moving furniture,
...buying (!),
In ANY OTHER space, discipline, field, the aforementioned tasks, "duties," or "favors" are otherwise known as "work."
And I get paid to do work.
***
E-mail –don’t do it – you’re on unpaid leave of absence.
If you are tempted, figure out how long it will take you to clear out the spam, answer messages, and mentally digest all that just got dumped on your head...Would it take an hour? 30 minutes? How much is that worth? 50 bucks? 100 bucks? 20 bucks? Take that money and take your child shopping, or put it in your child's college fund. Or go out and have fun.
Because during the school year, are they going to let you come 30 minutes late, or leave 30 minutes early, to make up for the time you DONATED over the summer?
No, I didn't think so.
All before the advent of e-mail.
We were told, check your [work] e-mail over the summer, at least to keep it cleared out.
In my mind, I whispered a steely, resolute, "No."
Yes, occasionally I checked it to clear out the spam...and I'll admit to peeking at a few messages just to see what I already knew--there were idiotic pleas to think about, do, ponder, plan, make ready, consider, answer, file, fax....
And then I stopped; we stopped; my colleagues and I stopped.
And, when I received an e-mail at my home e-mail address, that's when I recommitted myself to this principle:
"When you PAY me for working over the summer, I will gladly WORK over the SUMMER. Answering e-mail is work. Therefore, no.
If there is SO MUCH work to be done, whether that be planning revisions to the chemistry curriculum, planning a reshuffling of world language teaching assignments, deciding how to divide up special needs students among the 4th grade teachers, deciding who will run the lights for the fall play, meeting (!!) to iron out the AP Calculus curriculum, fundraising (!!!)....
...planning,
...thinking,
...doing,
...deciding,
...cleaning,
...painting,
...moving furniture,
...buying (!),
In ANY OTHER space, discipline, field, the aforementioned tasks, "duties," or "favors" are otherwise known as "work."
And I get paid to do work.
***
E-mail –don’t do it – you’re on unpaid leave of absence.
If you are tempted, figure out how long it will take you to clear out the spam, answer messages, and mentally digest all that just got dumped on your head...Would it take an hour? 30 minutes? How much is that worth? 50 bucks? 100 bucks? 20 bucks? Take that money and take your child shopping, or put it in your child's college fund. Or go out and have fun.
Because during the school year, are they going to let you come 30 minutes late, or leave 30 minutes early, to make up for the time you DONATED over the summer?
No, I didn't think so.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Alternatives
You are not trapped.
You have plenty of other skills and qualities that make you desirable to employers.
Do you want to know one?
You are compliant. The very fact that you are so loyal as to think you should not leave this crazy job means you are very loyal, and very compliant.
You want to hear some more (qualities any employer wants)?
You have plenty of other skills and qualities that make you desirable to employers.
Do you want to know one?
You are compliant. The very fact that you are so loyal as to think you should not leave this crazy job means you are very loyal, and very compliant.
You want to hear some more (qualities any employer wants)?
- You have nerves of steel
- You have a heart of gold
- You can work under severe stress
There are many many more. I will be detailing them as days pass, and providing links to help you make the leap, if you want.
The thing I want you to remember is:
They will never change things unless they have to.
If there are not enough teachers, they will raise salaries or lower standards. We'll see what happens.
People moan about a teacher shortage, but clearly that is not the case, because we accept these depressed salaries. There must be plenty o' teachers, plenty of people to work in factory-like conditions for less than their peers make.
I know everything is not about money. If you don't care at all about money--you are on the wrong blog right now...and you probably have some. Maybe grandad left it to you, or you are Well-Married. More on that later....
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)