Rant/Cry For Help: When is enough, enough?

It has charter written all over it, doesn't it? Ding ding ding! I don't know why I have all of these extra responsibilities. My second year I was handed the website, last year I was handed testing and yearbook, etc, etc....

 

To update: This week has been largely horrendous. We started testing which is up to the teachers to proctor this year (previously, I proctored one class at a time in the lab, but we've switched platforms). I put this nice little document together for everyone to work from with the testing schedule, links to short (less than 5 minute) webinars, trouble shooting tips... Did anyone bother to look at it? Of course not. Long story short, the entire ordeal has been a monster... a big, ugly, hairy, snaggle-toothed monster. Day 1, it took us 2 hours to get 3 classes online to test... needless to say the day was pretty much shot after that. I lost my planning time to help other teachers run their assessments. I spent all morning running between classes trying to help other teachers get set up while my own kids sat in my room unattended. Yes, I know, big problem, but what choice did I have? That was Tuesday. Wednesday was far worse. I did not stop ALL day. I received multiple phone calls during every single one of my lessons, had no planning, ran between multiple classrooms for the better part of the afternoon, didn't get to eat lunch until over an hour after normal, and then to add insult to injury (after staying until 6pm trying to get everything set up for testing today), I had to stop at Staples on the way home to make copies for a quiz I was giving today. I reached my copy limit and had no choice but to PAY for them. By 8:15 this morning, I literally needed to be in 3 places at once: helping a teacher on one side of the school, teaching my own class, and helping a teacher on the opposite side of the school. Several teachers trying to advocate for me (God bless 'em) told our P that this simply was not working. It is impossible for one to be responsible for their own classes on top of coordinating/coaching the testing madness. Today I get an email asking if I would like a sub... now that I don't really need one. The icing on the cake... my teaching license is MIA. I'm supposed to be on my level two (should have gotten it over the summer) and the person on staff who is supposed to handle licensure (and testing, HA!) had the nerve to tell me that she has been so busy that she flat out forgot all about it. Well, thanks for nothing! What is it that you ACTUALLY do on staff? My spirit is crushed, I'm wiped out, and I've confided in a close colleague that I'm ready to walk. Before going in this morning, I had almost put in 40 hours (counting all the prep work I did Sunday) and now I'll be up until Lord knows when preparing progress reports. I love my students, and I know I would be letting them down by leaving, but I can't do this anymore.

 

My school has 2 tech facilitators for tech issues, and 1 counselor responsible for test coordination.

You are literally doing the job of 4 people (tech, testing, teaching).

I know my earlier suggestion wasn't popular, but I still think it is time to tell admin: takes X, Y, and Z off my plate or I'm outta here.

My situation isn't NEARLY as bad as yours, but I am the go-to person for a lot of colleagues and my admin. They know I will get the job done, and it will be done well. Last week, when talk was starting of planning a 5K benefit race and I *knew* the next step was going to be, "here, KU, make this happen," I emailed my admin and wrote, "I will NOT be the faculty member responsible for the 5K." The message was received. Granted, I've worked for this admin for 10 years and we have a good working relationship. But, saying, "no" had its own special good feeling.

Again, not trying to equate my situation to yours, ... yours is definitely out of control. Your situation needs resolved before your health starts to suffer.

 

I'd say talk to admin, lay out your responsibilities -- and then if you don't want to take the "delegate some of these or I walk" approach (which I agree is a bit threatening), then take the "Look, I can do some of these well, more of them not well, but not all of them at all". If you have hours of time devoted to each one, that certainly helps, though it should be pretty clear from just the list. And then don't phrase it as "I'll walk" but more as "I'll burn myself out" (which should be clear enough, but less threatening).

And failing that, lay them out to anyone who will listen, anyone who might be willing to take one of them on for you.

Also, since you ARE doing these things, you get to set the rules. I think you should immediately set a rule of no one bothering you when you're teaching, and post it. Maybe you don't enforce that if your principal walks in, but otherwise you do. And even the principal sees that you're setting it as a rule.

 

Your mental health needs to be your #1 priority, T4M...
Please take some sick time and see a mental-health counselor. There is nothing more important than your mental health........ nothing.

Steve