I was at an in service today. There were a bunch of classroom teachers from my school. I'm on the specials team teaching/reinforcing math and science through technology projects.
We have this thing called Vertical Teams/PEP
Vertical Teams is on Mondays. There are 4 vertical teams Writing, Reading, Math, Science. Each team meets once every 4 weeks from 2:00 - 3:30. At 2 pm their students are sent to an assigned specials teacher (PE, Music, Art, TECH). That specials teacher is suppose to do an enrichment activity from 2:00 - 2:30 Then cover the classroom teachers' dismissal duty. We also have dismissal duties - but there are other people with the same duty.
I've been doing my duties (Actually I'm getting pretty good at bi-locating and trilocating. In the Mornings, I'm assigned duty in the Computer Lab, a hallway, and a teacher's room all at 7:35). Most of the duties I cover are bus, or pick up. I just have to escort the buses to the gym, and Pick-ups to the front of the school. There are plenty of other teachers to handle it from there, and I can go do daycare duty. The classroom teachers (all lower grades) were saying that the other teachers were not covering the duties they at best were dumping them off in their pods, at worse just releasing them from the special's room.
The team leaders have a Team leader's meeting with the principal Wednesday, and this issue is going to be brought up. I feel like I should give our team leader a heads up. (she is suppose to be covering someone's duty on Mondays also).
Should I give our Team Leader a heads up - so she can also explain that Coach can not cover 3 duties in three pods. His assistant can't help because someone has to stay in the gym with the busriders, til the other teachers arrive. I don't know what Art is doing, because she arrives at day care duty after me each Monday. And Music - I don't know where she is. I know coach is trying to run in 3 differnet directions.
The other problem is PEP a tutoring program. It is from 2:00 - 2:30 Tues - Friday. 2, 3, 4, and 5 grades are each assigned a day. They keep students needing extra help in their rooms, and the other students get enrichment in specials. The teachers were saying that Music often doesn't show up til 2:15. Which defeats the purpose. They want the other teachers to do what I do - go pick up the kids.
I have this sinking feeling it is going to turn into computer teacher is doing everything right and other specials teachers everything wrong. I tend to get pegged as pet of the administration - because I can get the computer fixed. Also my lab has been taken down twice this year because of construction, and other specials had to absorb my kids for most of the time. I was out sick and the sub had no room to do anything in - and couldn't do what I had planned because admin didn't want the kids out in the garden handling digital cameras with a sub. (5Th grade boys, unknown sub, digital cameras = potential disaster.)
Suggestions? How can I politely deal with the fact (if accurate) that I'm doing my job and they are not? Oh the fact the music teacher never gives them grades before report cards go out so everyone gets an S is going to come up also. (I know that is true, it has been for the last 5 years and really messes you up when trying to get a behavior plan from the powere that be. Well he has straight S's in conduct in Music what is she doing right?
