The Vent and Rant Thread - Page 1279

mrscoach · 08-21-2011, 07:19 PM

Evidently I have an assistant principal that doesn't like paraprofessionals. She feels we shouldn't have any breaks, but be at her beck and call every second of the 8 hour day. She actually had the nerve to say we couldn't take a short bathroom break after one meeting we had this week (we are in inservice classes before school starts this Monday) when we were going BACK into another meeting in about 5 minutes. In fact, I had to go to the head principal so we could attend the mandatory meeting that came next. She wanted us to do piddly little jobs, like taking paper off of bulletin boards.

I got there one morning, before her, and told the secretary that, if they didn't have anything for me to do at that moment I was going to go help my husband (one of the teachers) get his room ready. I gave her my phone number to call my cell if she needed me. About an hour later all paras were called to the office and she dressed us down saying, "on days like this you need to report to the office to find out what to do for the day", while staring at me. I politely said I had been in the office and given my number to contact me if they needed me and told them where I was. I felt like a 5 year old being dressed down. She snapped at me that the secretary wasn't in charge and didn't know what we should do. I explained, still politely, that SHE hadn't been there, so I decided to help out somewhere. That witch went to the principal and said I was rude and insubordinate. He called me in and got my side and just told me we ALL need to watch our tone.

I know he was talking more about her than me, because I asked the others that were there if I was rude and they told me they couldn't believe how professional I was, because they also felt like little kids when she spoke to us. Our principal is new, and the last guy let her run everything her way, and would never ask for both sides of any story, just jump the paras if she complained about them. I can't wait until she gets fired, but I'll be so nice to her until then it will rot her teeth.

I think the reason she is after me is that I stood up to her over copy paper. Yeah, copy paper. We have the new school, that hopefully we'll move into in two weeks, so she wanted us to put out ONE (1) box of paper. For ALL teachers. ONE! And this is the start of school, when tons and tons of papers get run off. And that is just for course outlines and/or supply lists. Some classes have web based lesson plans, and no textbooks. Those classes rely heavily on run off papers, of course.

She argued with me that the teachers should be using the laptops to teach from (my husband doesn't have one in his room) and he shouldn't be running off much at all. I asked her how the kids were supposed to do homework if they didn't have the problems to work. My exact first words to her to start this conversation were "They're using CScope in math and have to run off everything". She took that to mean the teacher instructions, evidently. Guess what, they run off the teacher portion too, because they use Elmo document cameras to project onto their whiteboards, so a laptop screen would be useless.

BTW, the bathroom break she wouldn't let us take at the start of my rant? I took it anyway.

SneakySnake · 08-21-2011, 07:50 PM

When you gotta go, you gotta go!

Stitchawl · 08-21-2011, 08:20 PM

I would have peed on her leg...

Stitchawl

SameOldStory · 08-21-2011, 08:56 PM

It seems to me that a number of you should report her for unprofessional conduct/attitude.

Stitchawl · 08-21-2011, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SameOldStory

It seems to me that a number of you should report her for unprofessional conduct/attitude.

That often backfires. If the Principal like the results she's getting, then only the teachers will be seen as being at fault. All too often senior management is only concerned with results, not methodology.

However, were the teachers to stand together and see to it that her results were glaringly bad... From a senior management point of view, that can only be the result of poor middle management, not the workers.

Stitchawl

maianhvk · 08-21-2011, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phenomshel

Did you remind her of her earlier comment about how good it was???

We did. She didn't even listen for 10s straight, always cut in. Hate that attitude.

Anyway... one lesson, stop complaining and deal with it.

badgoodDeb · 08-22-2011, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maianhvk

We did. She didn't even listen for 10s straight, always cut in. Hate that attitude.

Anyway... one lesson, stop complaining and deal with it.

I guess life is sometimes like that (see the other thread which is interspersed with yours today). So your class is teaching you how to handle it when life isn't fair. Bummer. But true to life.

wodin · 08-22-2011, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Yes! A squirt bottle filled with water. Works wonders on Norton, and I imagine your cats would be even more responsive, knowing how well cats and water get along.

Pet stores sell a bitter apple spray that animals find particularly repulsive, but I don't know how safe it is, despite the claims. Plain water works just fine.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...l_958jq9mpy2_e

poohbear_nc · 08-22-2011, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wodin

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...l_958jq9mpy2_e

On a similar note, I've found that using the can of compressed air (the kind you blow off your computer keyboard with) is highly effective - and leaves no watery residue on your furniture!

wodin · 08-22-2011, 08:41 PM

Most kitties are smart enough to recognize the can after a while. After they’ve been spurted a few times, just setting it in an area you want to keep them away from is usually enough.

poohbear_nc · 08-22-2011, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wodin

Most kitties are smart enough to recognize the can after a while. After they’ve been spurted a few times, just setting it in an area you want to keep them away from is usually enough.

True - holding up the squirt bottle usually causes Stella to lie down & play "innocent."

bjones6416 · 08-23-2011, 05:05 AM

In the summertime my 2 cats usually sleep on a bolster that's at the head of my bed. At 3:00 this morning I was awakened by one or both of the cats thrashing about. I reached my hand up there in the dark and felt Gus rolling around, but couldn't tell what the problem was. When I turned the light on I saw that one of his claws was hung in a pulled-out thread on the bolster cover. He couldn't get it loose and was really about to hurt himself trying to get loose. Usually I can back the claw out of the loop if one of the cats is hung in something like that, but I couldn't this time and he was panicking. I couldn't let go of him to go get some scissors because I was afraid he would break a leg or jerk the whole claw out or something. I finally managed to break the thread, and when I checked him over he seemed to be okay. I got up and got the clippers and trimmed his claws, but that one seems to have a little "notch" in it on the underside which explains why I couldn't pull it out smoothly. Not sure what to do about that right now. Then I had a terrible sneezing (allergy) attack so I had to find an antihistimine. I made coffee and got my Kindle and finished a book, then went ahead and changed the cat litter in their boxes since I was up anyway. It's 5:00 a.m. now so I may as well stay up and go for my walk at 6:30. Then I've got to get ready to take my mom to an early doctor's appt. I definitely see a nap in my future this afternoon.

poohbear_nc · 08-23-2011, 08:23 AM

Yeah - cats panic when a paw or claw gets hung up - they just keep jerking it back - and can injure themselves. If you can think clearly [who can?], wrap the cat in whatever is close - bed spread, sheet, etc. - this will usually stop the struggling long enough for you to figure out what is going on, and let you get some scissors, etc. without getting slashed up yourself.

bjones6416 · 08-23-2011, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Yeah - cats panic when a paw or claw gets hung up - they just keep jerking it back - and can injure themselves. If you can think clearly [who can?], wrap the cat in whatever is close - bed spread, sheet, etc. - this will usually stop the struggling long enough for you to figure out what is going on, and let you get some scissors, etc. without getting slashed up yourself.

Gus is very different from his (smaller) sister in that he virtually never scratches me even in panic situations. He's pretty muscular, though, in spite of his advanced years, and can usually escape me if he sets his mind to it. (Without bloodshed, though.

)

He seems fine now. Someone that I used to work with came home one time and found his indoor cat with a broken leg. Of course they never knew exactly what happened, but I know that things CAN happen like that. I try to keep their nails clipped but they can still manage to get hung up like that every now and then.

poohbear_nc · 08-23-2011, 08:47 AM

Those looped loose threads on blankets, pillows, etc. are the main culprits. Once the cat gets snagged, they panic. And they can break a leg or even damage nerves. It's that cat instinct to run away from a threat, no matter what.

I'm glad Gus is OK. If he will tolerate it, you can use an emery board or a small piece of very fine sandpaper to smooth off his rough claw.

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08-21-2011, 07:19 PM	#19171
mrscoach Guru Posts: 767 Karma: 4837659 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: San Angelo Texas Device: Samsung Galaxy tab	Evidently I have an assistant principal that doesn't like paraprofessionals. She feels we shouldn't have any breaks, but be at her beck and call every second of the 8 hour day. She actually had the nerve to say we couldn't take a short bathroom break after one meeting we had this week (we are in inservice classes before school starts this Monday) when we were going BACK into another meeting in about 5 minutes. In fact, I had to go to the head principal so we could attend the mandatory meeting that came next. She wanted us to do piddly little jobs, like taking paper off of bulletin boards. I got there one morning, before her, and told the secretary that, if they didn't have anything for me to do at that moment I was going to go help my husband (one of the teachers) get his room ready. I gave her my phone number to call my cell if she needed me. About an hour later all paras were called to the office and she dressed us down saying, "on days like this you need to report to the office to find out what to do for the day", while staring at me. I politely said I had been in the office and given my number to contact me if they needed me and told them where I was. I felt like a 5 year old being dressed down. She snapped at me that the secretary wasn't in charge and didn't know what we should do. I explained, still politely, that SHE hadn't been there, so I decided to help out somewhere. That witch went to the principal and said I was rude and insubordinate. He called me in and got my side and just told me we ALL need to watch our tone. I know he was talking more about her than me, because I asked the others that were there if I was rude and they told me they couldn't believe how professional I was, because they also felt like little kids when she spoke to us. Our principal is new, and the last guy let her run everything her way, and would never ask for both sides of any story, just jump the paras if she complained about them. I can't wait until she gets fired, but I'll be so nice to her until then it will rot her teeth. I think the reason she is after me is that I stood up to her over copy paper. Yeah, copy paper. We have the new school, that hopefully we'll move into in two weeks, so she wanted us to put out ONE (1) box of paper. For ALL teachers. ONE! And this is the start of school, when tons and tons of papers get run off. And that is just for course outlines and/or supply lists. Some classes have web based lesson plans, and no textbooks. Those classes rely heavily on run off papers, of course. She argued with me that the teachers should be using the laptops to teach from (my husband doesn't have one in his room) and he shouldn't be running off much at all. I asked her how the kids were supposed to do homework if they didn't have the problems to work. My exact first words to her to start this conversation were "They're using CScope in math and have to run off everything". She took that to mean the teacher instructions, evidently. Guess what, they run off the teacher portion too, because they use Elmo document cameras to project onto their whiteboards, so a laptop screen would be useless. BTW, the bathroom break she wouldn't let us take at the start of my rant? I took it anyway.

08-21-2011, 07:50 PM	#19172
SneakySnake I'm watching you! Posts: 6,113 Karma: 22344652 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Sunny Coast Qld, OZ Device: Sony PRS-900(unused lately) iPadAir2, want me Kindle Oasis	When you gotta go, you gotta go!

08-21-2011, 08:20 PM	#19173
Stitchawl Opsimath Posts: 12,344 Karma: 187123287 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand Device: Sony PRS-650, iPhone 5, Kobo Glo, Sony PRS-350, iPad, Samsung Galaxy	I would have peed on her leg... Stitchawl

08-21-2011, 08:56 PM	#19174
SameOldStory My True Self Posts: 3,126 Karma: 66242098 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Trantor, Galactic Center Device: Galaxy Tab 2 7.0	It seems to me that a number of you should report her for unprofessional conduct/attitude.

08-22-2011, 08:41 PM	#19180
wodin Illiterate Posts: 10,279 Karma: 37848716 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: The Sandwich Isles Device: Samsung Galaxy S10+, Microsoft Surface Pro	Most kitties are smart enough to recognize the can after a while. After they’ve been spurted a few times, just setting it in an area you want to keep them away from is usually enough.

08-23-2011, 05:05 AM	#19182
bjones6416 ↓↓ Skirt!! Earrings!! Posts: 3,394 Karma: 17432172 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Georgia, USA Device: Acer netbook, JetBook Lite, Sony PRS-300, Kindle 2, Kindle Fire	In the summertime my 2 cats usually sleep on a bolster that's at the head of my bed. At 3:00 this morning I was awakened by one or both of the cats thrashing about. I reached my hand up there in the dark and felt Gus rolling around, but couldn't tell what the problem was. When I turned the light on I saw that one of his claws was hung in a pulled-out thread on the bolster cover. He couldn't get it loose and was really about to hurt himself trying to get loose. Usually I can back the claw out of the loop if one of the cats is hung in something like that, but I couldn't this time and he was panicking. I couldn't let go of him to go get some scissors because I was afraid he would break a leg or jerk the whole claw out or something. I finally managed to break the thread, and when I checked him over he seemed to be okay. I got up and got the clippers and trimmed his claws, but that one seems to have a little "notch" in it on the underside which explains why I couldn't pull it out smoothly. Not sure what to do about that right now. Then I had a terrible sneezing (allergy) attack so I had to find an antihistimine. I made coffee and got my Kindle and finished a book, then went ahead and changed the cat litter in their boxes since I was up anyway. It's 5:00 a.m. now so I may as well stay up and go for my walk at 6:30. Then I've got to get ready to take my mom to an early doctor's appt. I definitely see a nap in my future this afternoon.

08-23-2011, 08:23 AM	#19183
poohbear_nc Bah! Humbug! Posts: 63,593 Karma: 135239851 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	Yeah - cats panic when a paw or claw gets hung up - they just keep jerking it back - and can injure themselves. If you can think clearly [who can?], wrap the cat in whatever is close - bed spread, sheet, etc. - this will usually stop the struggling long enough for you to figure out what is going on, and let you get some scissors, etc. without getting slashed up yourself.

08-23-2011, 08:47 AM	#19185
poohbear_nc Bah! Humbug! Posts: 63,593 Karma: 135239851 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	Those looped loose threads on blankets, pillows, etc. are the main culprits. Once the cat gets snagged, they panic. And they can break a leg or even damage nerves. It's that cat instinct to run away from a threat, no matter what. I'm glad Gus is OK. If he will tolerate it, you can use an emery board or a small piece of very fine sandpaper to smooth off his rough claw.

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