That is SO TRICKY. I know of a someone like that. I feel so bad for the kids she teaches. I've tried encouraging her in the right way, but I think it goes in one ear and out the other. It's hard to approach people without just saying, "You don't do a single thing all day!!!" I know people are aware of what she's doing, so maybe this will get straightened out soon.
Thanks for your responses! It's not good that others are dealing with the same thing, but it does make me feel better that others understand.
I know someone who is on the admin team and they are aware of the issues, but don't want to deal with the confrontation. After the parking and signing in issues-they don't want to feel like they are picking on her-so the rest of it just slides, I guess. The other thing is our admin, I love them-but they don't understand Early Childhood Education. They go in her room and her kids are busy so all is well. They don't look at the fact that they are just doing worksheets and coloring all day. The whole last hour of her schedule is nap and snack (we don't nap at our school). But in meetings she makes it sound like she's doing much more.
No one has ever not had a contract renewed at our school-it's just never happened, even with documented shortfalls-so we're going to be stuck with her.
Unfortunately, I did try to help her by making some suggestions and sharing some activities for the GT kids. She got very defensive and hasn't really spoken to me since-so I don't think I'll be much help to her. It does affect me in that I am stuck watching her kids for 15 minutes during arrival in morning when, believe me, my kids have things they need to ask or tell me. I do have to pick up the slack where she is not helping with things like planning field trips, creating the common assessments and ideas for our grade level bulletin board-so it's not like I'm just whining. I might talk to her mentor and see if she can make some suggestions for activities to do with her class.
There is no reason you should be watching her class daily for 15 minutes b/c she cannot arrive on time. Send them to the office - all of them! That will get your P's attention!
As for assessment and standards, does your P have you turn in documentation of how you assess the standards AND which standards are assessed in which quarter or grading period? That might help - but it has to come from your administration.
Talk to her mentor - document your concerns in a way that puts the students' needs first.
Taking the kids to the office is a great idea! Walk them down each morning and state that the teacher is not there yet, and you're so sorry, but you have your own class to start. After three days in a row of that, people will TALK!
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I wouldn't be watching her class either, since she is consistently late. Either walk her class down to the office or phone the secretary to ask for someone to watch her class. I find that things get down faster at my school if the secretary is upset about being inconvenienced...
Don't you just hate it when administrators (who are paid a lot more than we are) are too chicken, nonconfrontational, lazy or whatever to do the job they are hired for? It is up to them to step up to the plate and make her accountable. Unfortunately, there is little you can do except talk to the principal, document the things you see, etc. Doesn't it throw your ratios off in the morning if she is late - can you approach it from that standpoint?
Good luck - mostly just make the best of your class since it is out of your control - frustrating - but not much you can do.
I would most definitely talk to the P and tell him the children are being left unsupervised! Then call the office or send the class down every time she is late - too bad if it makes her mad, they are not safe if they are unsupervised and if you keep doing it she will never change. I mean, all of us need some help with things like this from time to time, but not everyday! And not when kids are left unsupervised - that is where you have to draw the line and report it.
What they do is dismiss all of Kinder to the hallway from the cafeteria in the morning. Her kids are sitting against the wall until she gets there, but it's right outside my classroom-so if I don't walk out there and supervise, they are running around, hitting each other, etc. The P is actually the one who usually asks me to keep an eye on them until she gets there! Everyone knows she's late, but she signs in like she's on time-unless someone is standing at the sign-in book to bust her-she'll just keep getting away with it. I always want to cross out her time and write in the correct one. She should be docked for that time.
The assessment stuff is part of what really makes me mad. The admin requires the data, so the rest of us create the test, administer the test, type up a matrix of data (I know, in Kinder!) and turn it in. Is it a pain, yes, but we do it because it's required. The problem is the admin doesn't follow up and say where is it if we don't turn it in. It just feels like those who follow the rules are stuck with so much more work and people who don't can just get away with the minimum (less than, actually). I guarantee you if she ever got there early she would be highly praised for it, meanwhile the rest of us who do it every day-it's just taken for granted.
I would not send them all to the office... it will create chaos down there and that's not what you want for those kids.
But I WOULD send down a note requesting a sub, since apparently the adult:child ratio is over the safe limit that the school brags about during the school day. You accomplish the same thing, but with an attitude of helping, not being vindictive.
Or.. one day, call in late with car trouble. Ask the office if she can cover for you for 20 minutes. They'll see that YOU'VE called in, but there's no one there.
The assessment stuff is part of what really makes me mad. The admin requires the data, so the rest of us create the test, administer the test, type up a matrix of data (I know, in Kinder!) and turn it in. Is it a pain, yes, but we do it because it's required. The problem is the admin doesn't follow up and say where is it if we don't turn it in.
Hmmmm....why don't you suggest that the admin. come to one of your team meetings to discuss assessment results. You can request that each teacher bring in their results so that it could be discussed.
Everyone knows she's late, but she signs in like she's on time-unless someone is standing at the sign-in book to bust her-she'll just keep getting away with it. I always want to cross out her time and write in the correct one
. She should be docked for that time.
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