I still don't understand why some people - in particular, people a generation older than me - post personal information on Facebook such that EVERYONE can see it.
The WFU Psychology Department has an administrative coordinator named Teresa who is responsible for lots of things: printing and copying bills, colloquia and receptions, proofing theses, etc. She is basically the equivalent of Robin Hawkins. And during the first week of our program, she added all the graduate students as Facebook friends (her request, not ours). She also appears to be Facebook friends with the majority of faculty members.
So here's the thing. Apparently Teresa is going through a separation/possible divorce with her husband, and she has made ALL THE DETAILS public for EVERYONE TO SEE.
So it starts like this on Wednesday, 9:55pm:
--(Teresa) is happy her husband is back home!
But less than 24 hours later:
--(Teresa) is sitting here in shock. How can one man be so fickle?! Who knows whether my husband is back or not!
A couple of people comment that they are praying for her, and that God will make everything okay. They ask what happened. She replies, again, FOR EVERYONE TO SEE:
--He's been home Monday and Tuesday night. Had someone break into his home where he's been the last 3 months last night. So he went back there for the night. Tonight he suddenly comes in and says it's not working. How can you decide it's not working when you haven't given it a chance? I've had it!
Someone named Marvin offers some support. She replies yet again:
--Thanks Marvin! The last 3 months I learned that Teresa is an okay person without her better (or worse) half. And I'm definitely not going to put up with being jerked around. I'm so angry right now I don't know what to do! But I really am relying on God to get me through whatever happens.
Some "supportive" comments offered by Teresa's various Facebook friends include:
--Tee - stand your ground. I am all about reconciliation but earned. He cannot come back unless he earns his way back. At this point, you are stronger on your own. Call if you need me.
Yes, a strong woman deals with her marriage issues by telling 657 Facebook friends about them.
--If you need anything feel free to call. I'll be out and about tomorrow if you need lunch or something just call and let me know. I'm just glad to hear you have grown thru all this and standing firm on God's word and not letting the mess shake you.
NOT LETTING THE MESS SHAKE YOU? SHE IS WRITING PARAGRAPHS ABOUT IT ON FACEBOOK!
My favorite part is that she has gone back and commented on old profile pictures that include her (ex-?)husband:
--Well, that was in the days when he actually loved me. Definitely not the case any more! But I'm getting used to it.
I don't understand why this man wouldn't want to be with her!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Let's work together, or not...
At my school, there is an extra period at the end of the day. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, students go to some non-academic activity (which they choose every 6 weeks based on what teachers offer to teach). On Tuesdays and Thursdays, students either have tutoring or a semi-academic class, depending on their test scores on standardized tests. I am assigned to teach 8th grade during this special 7th period. Right now, it really isn't working that well. Students know they do not receive a grade, so many do nothing, or are so disruptive that little can be accomplished.
There have been efforts to try to revamp and fix it. I heard through the grapevine that it had been decided by the core subject teachers in my grade (I am an elective, non-core teacher) that certain things were going to happen. This seemed odd to me, that not all the 8th grade 7th period teachers would be included in this decision making, much less communicating what was 'decided.' I thought, 'I'll just clear this up at the next staff meeting.' So, I asked all the 8th grade 7th period teachers to meet after the staff meeting to figure this out. About half of us showed up. We talked about the problems, tossed around possible solutions. I thought it was useful to brainstorm, but I didn't think much of it since not everyone was there, nor had we spoken to the curriculum coordinator or anyone in the administration about possible changes.
Imagine my surprise this morning when I checked my email from one of 8th grade core teachers TELLING us all how it would be, including being assigned/told to teach a certain class based on student surveys. That caused an immediate impassioned reply from an elective teacher saying that that was not going to fly, which then caused another negative reply from a different core teacher. Finally, the curriculum coordinator emailed us all saying that nothing was changing yet and that we would ALL have to meet after Christmas to figure this out.
I just don't understand how, if we are trying to create an environment of cooperation between licensed professionals, someone (or someones) would think it useful to unilaterally decide what their peers would do. Keep in mind, this is not our supervisor, nor someone designated as the 'leader' of the group of 8th grade 7th period teachers. This was, instead, one or several teachers, believing they could tell other teachers what to do without their input or a vote. In the end, all that was accomplished was pissing people off and 7th period is still a mess.
Two important things we can learn here:
1) Communication is key.
2) This is not Animal Farm: Some of us are not more equal than others.
There have been efforts to try to revamp and fix it. I heard through the grapevine that it had been decided by the core subject teachers in my grade (I am an elective, non-core teacher) that certain things were going to happen. This seemed odd to me, that not all the 8th grade 7th period teachers would be included in this decision making, much less communicating what was 'decided.' I thought, 'I'll just clear this up at the next staff meeting.' So, I asked all the 8th grade 7th period teachers to meet after the staff meeting to figure this out. About half of us showed up. We talked about the problems, tossed around possible solutions. I thought it was useful to brainstorm, but I didn't think much of it since not everyone was there, nor had we spoken to the curriculum coordinator or anyone in the administration about possible changes.
Imagine my surprise this morning when I checked my email from one of 8th grade core teachers TELLING us all how it would be, including being assigned/told to teach a certain class based on student surveys. That caused an immediate impassioned reply from an elective teacher saying that that was not going to fly, which then caused another negative reply from a different core teacher. Finally, the curriculum coordinator emailed us all saying that nothing was changing yet and that we would ALL have to meet after Christmas to figure this out.
I just don't understand how, if we are trying to create an environment of cooperation between licensed professionals, someone (or someones) would think it useful to unilaterally decide what their peers would do. Keep in mind, this is not our supervisor, nor someone designated as the 'leader' of the group of 8th grade 7th period teachers. This was, instead, one or several teachers, believing they could tell other teachers what to do without their input or a vote. In the end, all that was accomplished was pissing people off and 7th period is still a mess.
Two important things we can learn here:
1) Communication is key.
2) This is not Animal Farm: Some of us are not more equal than others.
So you're not coming to the meeting?
At 10:07 this morning, after a solid hour of working on my take-home final exam (which I was doing, appropriately, at home), I received a phone call from one of my classmates asking why I wasn't at some TA meeting I didn't know about.
He then explained that the professor in charge forgot (oops!) to include me on the email telling everyone about the meeting and asked when I could be there. I explained that I was at home working on my exam and wasn't planning on coming to campus today. "Oh, okay," he said, "So when can you be here?" Apparently he hadn't listened at all to what I had just said.
I politely explained that it would take me 30-45 minutes to get there, but I still wasn't going to come in because I was in the middle of working on my exam (now 1 question away from being finished!) This seemed to annoy him greatly. This was also the moment when I learned that I had been on speaker phone the entire time, with everyone at the meeting (the one I didn't know about) listening in.
"So you can't come to the meeting?" the professor in charge asked. This question seemed odd, and idiotic, to me for a number of reasons. First, I had already explained that it would take me 30-45 minutes to get there, and the meeting presumably started at 10 (though no one ever confirmed this for me or told me what the meeting was about - but we'll get to that later). Second, I had also explained that I was in the middle of working on my exam - the exam I had planned to work on today because I did not have any other meetings or commitments. Third, were they just going to sit around for 30-45 minutes waiting for me to get there and then have a 5 minute discussion about an issue that could probably be addressed in, I don't know, an email?
Though everyone was evidently very disappointed/annoyed that I was not at the meeting I didn't know about and wasn't planning on showing up, they decided to carry on with the meeting - with me on speaker phone, like some sort of conference call. They then proceeded to ask me various questions (I still didn't know exactly what the meeting was about) and would then presumably discuss whatever I had just said for two or three minutes, even though I couldn't hear what anyone was saying. "So does that sound good to you, Robbie?" someone asked. "Does what sound good?" I asked, since I had heard nothing. Again, sighs of disappointment and annoyance.
So I'm still not sure what I was supposed to do, what the meeting was supposed to be about, or where I am supposed to go from here. All I know is that none of this was my fault - and that I would be finished with my exam right now if it weren't for all those idiots.
He then explained that the professor in charge forgot (oops!) to include me on the email telling everyone about the meeting and asked when I could be there. I explained that I was at home working on my exam and wasn't planning on coming to campus today. "Oh, okay," he said, "So when can you be here?" Apparently he hadn't listened at all to what I had just said.
I politely explained that it would take me 30-45 minutes to get there, but I still wasn't going to come in because I was in the middle of working on my exam (now 1 question away from being finished!) This seemed to annoy him greatly. This was also the moment when I learned that I had been on speaker phone the entire time, with everyone at the meeting (the one I didn't know about) listening in.
"So you can't come to the meeting?" the professor in charge asked. This question seemed odd, and idiotic, to me for a number of reasons. First, I had already explained that it would take me 30-45 minutes to get there, and the meeting presumably started at 10 (though no one ever confirmed this for me or told me what the meeting was about - but we'll get to that later). Second, I had also explained that I was in the middle of working on my exam - the exam I had planned to work on today because I did not have any other meetings or commitments. Third, were they just going to sit around for 30-45 minutes waiting for me to get there and then have a 5 minute discussion about an issue that could probably be addressed in, I don't know, an email?
Though everyone was evidently very disappointed/annoyed that I was not at the meeting I didn't know about and wasn't planning on showing up, they decided to carry on with the meeting - with me on speaker phone, like some sort of conference call. They then proceeded to ask me various questions (I still didn't know exactly what the meeting was about) and would then presumably discuss whatever I had just said for two or three minutes, even though I couldn't hear what anyone was saying. "So does that sound good to you, Robbie?" someone asked. "Does what sound good?" I asked, since I had heard nothing. Again, sighs of disappointment and annoyance.
So I'm still not sure what I was supposed to do, what the meeting was supposed to be about, or where I am supposed to go from here. All I know is that none of this was my fault - and that I would be finished with my exam right now if it weren't for all those idiots.
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