manic monday

Today was plum terrible.  It’s one of those awful Monday’s that make a person HATE a Monday.  I felt like Cyndi Lauper singing her song. 

I woke up kinda crabby from the ‘discussion’ DH and I had.  It was silly really, I was my usual self: defensive and taking things the wrong way and he was his usual self: saying things that could have said a bit different.  Looking back on it I know in my head that I shouldn’t have felt the way I did, but man, sometimes I just FEEL angry, as in my whole body gets riled up.  My granny told me this is literally ‘your blood pressure rising’.  And if that’s the case, I should probably be a little bit more careful about it; I’ve always teased that I’ve had the temper of a red head. 

Well to add to my disgruntled state my lemon flavored yogurt wasn’t good at all.  *note to self: do not buy lemon flavored lite Kroger brand yogurt EVER AGAIN!*

I’m calm about the time I head to work.  Get to work and start updating my back logged contact entries when DR comes in, ten minutes after I clock in, and says when I get a minute she needs to talk to me before the kids arrive at nine.  Well I close the TEIDS site and go have a talk with her.  Boy do I get riled up.  She informs me that the AD has sent an email basically stating ‘Renee did not stick to her schedule on Friday and needs more time, blah, blah, blah (I’m going to post the email a bit down, all the way at the bottom) if you’re interested).  Well of course, my defensive self kicks in again, and I proceed to tell her what I did on Friday and how I thought I was on task considering I got 90% of my necessary work done.  After having our discussion I go to check said email and boy are my panties in the biggest wad you could possibly imagine, but of course I can’t do anything about it other than complain and be fuming.  So I have to go about my day. 

Well now that I’m good and riled up I get to go play with kids.  So I play with the little ones till two while thinking negative thoughts off and on through out the day.  At two, when the kids are gone, I go talk to the DR.  At the end of the conversation I feel a little better.  It all boils down to the AD likes to micromanage, wants to be the DR, and it’s her way or no way.  If she creates a schedule she expects everyone to stick to it to the letter and not even attempt to veer from it.  So b/c I was out during nap time (which has always been okay and when teachers can get their work done for the last five years) I was being disrespectful and not following my ‘orders’.  Of course I’m at fault too, b/c I’m a busy person and I like to get things done fast, I don’t like to wait around or have to explain what I’m doing, when I’m doing, how I’m doing, or why I’m doing it.  I think “I need to do it and I’m getting it done in a timely manner” and the kids are supervised by their real teacher (which is okay btw with me walking out of the room three times in an hour and half).  Also this email aggravates me b/c she didn’t have the decency or respect to come to me and talk to me (this isn’t the first time she’s jumped the gun and assumed the incorrect thing), instead she just slaps it into an email (which I HATE b/c everybody reads things a bit differently, it’s always better to talk in person to read body and faces).  To sum things up, I have to tell them everything I do, when I do it, and why.  If I have to do something ‘off schedule’ I have to let AD know before doing it (this is aggravating too b/c it slows me down which takes away from the precious time I do have). 

Now onto the complaining about paragraph number 2.  She saw me looking at recipes one time on the clock, under extreme circumstances (Izzie ran away and I was trying to find ideas to make dinner for the in-laws).  I had also literally just hung up the phone, closed the TIEDs website, and the recipe site within moments of one another and was getting ready to go to my designated classroom for the day (it’s technically called multitasking IMO).  Every other time she’s seen me on the net is b/c I’m on lunch, there’s food in front of me, not paperwork.  The DR said that’s okay by her b/c everyone does it.  So now I have to follow the rule stated in the end, which really really really bites b/c when it is time to do paperwork I HATE working in the supplied ‘workroom’.  There are three desktops in a tiny space where I can’t spread out.  Not to mention the back room has speakers and I’m way more productive when I listen to music.  Also when I’m in the workroom there are way too many distractions and interruptions: potty breaks, assistant, phone calls, conversations, you name it and it happens during paperwork time.  So in other words, if I have 30 minutes of time to work I only get 20 minutes done b/c of interruptions vs. the whole 30 minutes in the back!

There were also lots of other things said during the meeting, that was an hour, which might I mention ate my precious paperwork time, but these are the most important notes without it sounding like I’m complaining too much. 

Then 5:00 rolls around I’m getting ready to head out the door after changing clothes and finding an umbrella to borrow to walk to my car when low and behold mother nature says ‘nope you can’t leave’ and our area goes under a tornado warning for 30 plus minutes.  Now at the same time our couples date gets canceled, which is totally understandable being a tornado and all, but none the less makes me sad b/c I was so looking forward to it. 

Now that are dinner plans are canceled we decided to call in Pizza Hut and try their new meat stuffed crust pizza only to discover that they don’t answer their phone/too busy during my twenty plus minutes car ride home.  So instead we head over to Kroger and get a six cheese take and bake.  When we get home we added pepperoni, ham, b. olives, mushrooms, onions, and red peppers (my portion didn’t have pepperoni b/c of fat) and called it dinner.  The pizza was tasty, but a bit high on the WW scale.  The one that we’ve been getting from Aldi’s is a 16 inch and has the same PP value as Kroger’s 12 inch.  I’ll admit it was a bit yummier in ways: the crust didn’t turn brown and the sauce had a bit of sweetness to it.  I also had a glass of Carmene and it was tasty.  I dozed off during our episode of CSI. 

Now since I said I’d post the actual email:

I would like to once again communicate the necessity of remaining in the classroom that you are scheduled to be covering. You were observed on several occasions today not in the classroom you were scheduled to be covering and leaving the other teacher to care for the students alone so that you could run errands all over the building. I would once again like to instill the fact that when you are scheduled to be in a classroom and providing support to another teacher you may not take liberty to leave that classroom unless Stephanie or I am aware. You should not consider it a personal "pass" to leave the classroom when the room becomes within ratio. This time should be used for individual instruction, classroom maintenance (cleaning), or to relieve the other teacher to work on paperwork as needed unless Stephanie or I directly give you permission to leave the classroom to work on other duties. 

In addition, you were also observed viewing personal websites when you were scheduled to be completing monthly summaries, calling Sam's mother, and entering TEIS. This is not the first time you have been observed viewing personal websites during scheduled working hours. You have been observed searching recipe sites, and Tupperware. And using the Center printer/supplies to print recipes and your Tupperware business information. A copy of First Steps computer usage policy is in your mailbox. In an effort to better manage Center resources (time & supplies) you are now required to use the computers in the teacher workroom to complete all your paperwork and you are not authorized to use the Woodland Whispers office under any circumstances. I received your message requesting additional paperwork time. At this time I am afraid that I will have to decline this request. You will need to manage the ample paperwork time that you are scheduled each week to complete these tasks.

Err now that I’m reading this again it just makes me bubble.  There are so many errors in this that she just isn’t aware that she’s made.  First: there’s no copy in my mail box.  I don’t really need one.  I’ve already read it and signed off on it when it was put into action.  Second if she’s going to enforce it with me she needs to do it with the whole school.  Third if the DR doesn’t mind, why does she have to be such a Nazi?  Fourth I think it’s funny that as soon as the DR and I finished our chat she went to relieve a set of teachers (and then sent me in there after I got my stuff) in order for them to have additional paperwork outside of their scheduled time.  This is only irritating b/c they get time tomorrow, why can’t they wait one day?  I’m sure I could ramble forever, but would love for you to read all this and post your opinion.

Seriously, thanks for taking the time to read me…