"Professional" Development Part Deux (i.e. PD, PD)
AN INTERESTING MORNING...
The day dawned clammy and gross, and so did our exciting day of enrichment at my mammoth Bronx high school. Sans students, the atmosphere is usually relaxed, but not so this morn.
The principal began the day with a forty-five minute tirade about:
*our students' poor attendance (it's OUR fault because we do not call homes with enough aggression)
*how sick she was of being a "security agent" and how vigilant we had to be in the hallways. Then she announced that the "hall-walkers" at our high school were going to be locked in a classroom together all day and taught by the deans, to thunderous applause from the faculty who love their students so much and think they all deserve a chance.
*high demands about contacting guidance officers for more than two absences, headgear, cellphones, and so on.
...THAT GOT MORE INTERESTING...
At some point, between the principal's thinly concealed dictatorial rage and the lovable sarcasm of the new AP Security, a few female teachers, young and naive, got frustrated and started speaking out. WHAT procedure, exactly, were we supposed to follow for do-rags in our classroom? Whom did we call? Why was it our onus to make sure that students had no hats and electronic devices visible? This was perhaps said in a less-than-diplomatic (read: obnoxious) way.
*The AP security's comment that "no kid is supposed to get in the building with those devices" prompted hysterical laughter from most of the faculty. You could almost see steam rising from the principal's head.
*The continuation of complaints from the young female faction (YFFs) prompted a shout from the principal that she was getting "really pissed, we will not be an impact school, that i used to be in the classrooms and NOW I'M A SECURITY AGENT and that IF YOU DON'T FOLLOW THE RULES, GET OUT OF MY SCHOOL!"
Of course, such a magnanimous display of professionalism made the first year teacher feel great about herself and all of the senior teachers who have learned to put up or shut up and never speak truth to power feel guilty about their lack of rebellious spirit. Not.
In my corner of the auditorium, I cringed, shuddered, supressed (saving it all for Altruism Gone Wild!).
...AND MATURED INTO AN INTERESTING ELEVENSES...
Following this calm morning, our bglt awareness seminar was not attended by a significant portion of the faculty who were offended by the subject matter. Nor was it attended by the principal, who was busy sticking pins into a voodoo doll that was labeled "insubordinate teachers who don't like the rules."
While we in the sophisticated , bougie English department groaned at the simplicity of such ideas as "gender is a social construct" and "gender identity vs. gender expression" (not to mention "intersex") there were several faculty members who
*complained about the PDA displayed by "certain segments of the population"
*Asked whether the group presenting to us thought people were "born" gay and whether the presentation was "supporting/advocating a lifestyle that brings so much pain--aren't there alternatives?"
Fellow-ette and friends almost retched on the steps of the auditorium.
...THEN THINGS GOT BORING. WE HAD SOME TRAINING AND THAT WAS ABOUT IT.
*except for this final story. I will post it verbatim from an email i sent several hip, urbane friends o'mine:
"I was just sitting in my classroom writing up an agenda for the second semester, when I saw, not a foot away from my hand, a long, flicking tail, making a beeline for the trail mix my grandmother so kindly baggie-d up for me. I SCREAMEd and chased the f*cking mouse back from whence it came."
FINIS.
(Fellow-ette's typing fingers are tired)
The day dawned clammy and gross, and so did our exciting day of enrichment at my mammoth Bronx high school. Sans students, the atmosphere is usually relaxed, but not so this morn.
The principal began the day with a forty-five minute tirade about:
*our students' poor attendance (it's OUR fault because we do not call homes with enough aggression)
*how sick she was of being a "security agent" and how vigilant we had to be in the hallways. Then she announced that the "hall-walkers" at our high school were going to be locked in a classroom together all day and taught by the deans, to thunderous applause from the faculty who love their students so much and think they all deserve a chance.
*high demands about contacting guidance officers for more than two absences, headgear, cellphones, and so on.
...THAT GOT MORE INTERESTING...
At some point, between the principal's thinly concealed dictatorial rage and the lovable sarcasm of the new AP Security, a few female teachers, young and naive, got frustrated and started speaking out. WHAT procedure, exactly, were we supposed to follow for do-rags in our classroom? Whom did we call? Why was it our onus to make sure that students had no hats and electronic devices visible? This was perhaps said in a less-than-diplomatic (read: obnoxious) way.
*The AP security's comment that "no kid is supposed to get in the building with those devices" prompted hysterical laughter from most of the faculty. You could almost see steam rising from the principal's head.
*The continuation of complaints from the young female faction (YFFs) prompted a shout from the principal that she was getting "really pissed, we will not be an impact school, that i used to be in the classrooms and NOW I'M A SECURITY AGENT and that IF YOU DON'T FOLLOW THE RULES, GET OUT OF MY SCHOOL!"
Of course, such a magnanimous display of professionalism made the first year teacher feel great about herself and all of the senior teachers who have learned to put up or shut up and never speak truth to power feel guilty about their lack of rebellious spirit. Not.
In my corner of the auditorium, I cringed, shuddered, supressed (saving it all for Altruism Gone Wild!).
...AND MATURED INTO AN INTERESTING ELEVENSES...
Following this calm morning, our bglt awareness seminar was not attended by a significant portion of the faculty who were offended by the subject matter. Nor was it attended by the principal, who was busy sticking pins into a voodoo doll that was labeled "insubordinate teachers who don't like the rules."
While we in the sophisticated , bougie English department groaned at the simplicity of such ideas as "gender is a social construct" and "gender identity vs. gender expression" (not to mention "intersex") there were several faculty members who
*complained about the PDA displayed by "certain segments of the population"
*Asked whether the group presenting to us thought people were "born" gay and whether the presentation was "supporting/advocating a lifestyle that brings so much pain--aren't there alternatives?"
Fellow-ette and friends almost retched on the steps of the auditorium.
...THEN THINGS GOT BORING. WE HAD SOME TRAINING AND THAT WAS ABOUT IT.
*except for this final story. I will post it verbatim from an email i sent several hip, urbane friends o'mine:
"I was just sitting in my classroom writing up an agenda for the second semester, when I saw, not a foot away from my hand, a long, flicking tail, making a beeline for the trail mix my grandmother so kindly baggie-d up for me. I SCREAMEd and chased the f*cking mouse back from whence it came."
FINIS.
(Fellow-ette's typing fingers are tired)
posted by SarahMarian at 5:40 PM
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