On Friday I left work with my classroom floor a little messy. I admit it, it was not totally clean. I had the kids pick up trash before I left, but there were still a few things on the floor. When I came into work this morning my P had written on my white board, "This classroom is a mess! Clean it up NOW!" She didn't sign it so I had no idea who wrote it. Then at lunch I saw a paper in my box. She gave me a nasty letter saying my room was the messiest in the school and I needed to have students help clean up at the end of the day. I admit I am at fault, but I didnt deserve to be treated like a child!
The principal definitely went about addressing it the wrong way! But, it's possible she did not write the message on your board-it could have been the person who complained to her about the room. However, I'm a big believer in the kids cleaning up after themselves. (I'm sure you are, too!) Our custodian's job is not to pick up stuff that the kids have left on the floor - in the classroom, cafeteria (within reason), hallways, bathrooms. They are there to do daily maintenance and follow a cleaning schedule. It's time to have a talk with your students. Maybe they could pick up twice per day - once before recess, and once before packing up to go home?
One of my grade level teammates was reprimanded yesterday because her room wasn't "decorated enough" which apparently correlates to it "looking like she doesn't want to be there." Seriously, do people not have better things to do with their time? Anyway, I would stop 5 minutes before the end of the day and have them clean up. My kids love cleaning so I've never had a problem, but I know my friend does the "magic piece of trash" thing where she'll give some sort of prize to the person that picks up the piece of trash she's thinking of (of course the kids don't know which one it is) to get her kids to clean well.
Ouch! While I do try to ensure that my classroom is relatively clean before leaving, I think your P's reaction was a bit... much. I have a problem right now. My back is out, and has been for 2 weeks now. (I'm going tomorrow for a nerve block, which should help.) Anyway, we're not supposed to sit much at all (except during small group rotations). It's all I can do to stand to move my students to the cafeteria & enrichment, and then I have one hand on the wall, and I'm bent over like one of the Grimm fairy tale witches. That being said, my kids are engaged, active, and learning. If one of the district admins enters my classroom, I really hope they don't say anything about me sitting, lol! Actually, I'm more worried about the fact that back to school night is Thursday, and I can't lift and move the stuff I need to get "put out of sight" to make the room look better!
You should probably address this with the P. Go in, tell them they were right (that the room wasn't left in a way that you yourself like), and then tell them that you don't appreciate the way they chose to address it. Cause that is some disrespect right there. Letting them think it's OK to deal with things in this way sets up a bad working environment.
Apparently this is the norm with her. 2 of the teachers told me she has done the same kind of thing to them. She treats us all like children.
I know if my P ever made a comment like that, i sure as hell would have a sarcastic comment right back.
What an unprofessional way for your p to act. That would make me so mad. I try to leave my room clean but some days it doesn't work out. This thread reminds me of the ecard I saw the other day. It said something like: "Glitter: it's all fun and games... Until the custodian walks in." I also have a sign in my room now that says " sorry for the mess, but we are learning here."
Wow, that would really bother me. I would be upset if someone talked like that to my face but to write it on the board where others could see it would be humiliating. I guess just keep your room clean and avoid her. I would find it hard to deal with someone like that.
My bulletin board is still not up- waiting for 3rd graders hw assignment to be turned in tomorrow and I need to laminate some stuff. I put up 4 posters, but nothing specific to what we're studying right now in science YET (I did have to unpack my whole room because it's brand new). And I left my teacher area in my room a HUGE mess- papers every where. Know what... I know exactly what I'm going to teach tomorrow, my web-sites are almost completely ready to go for the school year, I have plans for back-to-school night in the work, my professional development for the year is planned, and it seems like I'm the only teacher who knows how to properly use our class web-site. I'm sure YOU are just as awesome so your P needs to look past the "messy room"- that proves nothing.
Our janitor only comes twice a week. Wednesday Evenings & Sundays. I never see them. That is why it is our responsibility to make sure the floors are immaculate! I just found this out!
I agree with the ecard about the glitter. I'm very sympathetic to the amount of work our custodians do already, so they certainly don't need me or the kids leaving more of a mess. As for your sign, I would leave a note of my own saying "Cleaning up after themselves should be part of the learning" One of the middle schools in my home district requires teachers to sweep their own room at the end of each day. The custodian is also a bus driver, so she isn't there after school. When I subbed there, I also had to sweep the room before leaving. Still, the P could have been MUCH more professional about the issue. A note in your box should have been sufficient, but it should have explained the custodian schedule instead of just being nasty and childish.
I feel that P's sometimes forget to treat teachers like adults, since they've been dealing with kids all day. I'm in luck that I seem to be the most organized and clean person in my school. Everyone else's room is horribly messy for some reason, and I'm in a science classroom where things consistently get everywhere.
Terri, after reading many of your posts on here, it sounds like you're at a school that's lacking good leadership. I'm truly baffled by some of the info you've shared regarding things that go on at your site. Even something as simple as your lack of testing materials (which you posted about a few days ago) still leaves me shaking my head. It's unfortunate that you're not in a union.
My classroom often gets dirty during the day. Teaching 2nd grade, it'd be strange if it didn't get messy by the end of the day. By the time students are dismissed, though, it's back to the way it looked in the morning: clean and neat. I do not dismiss my kids until all trash is picked up off the floor, desks are tidy (the leader of each group is responsible for doing a desk check for their teammates), and the entire classroom is organized (tabletops, counters, etc.)! This helps teach the kids responsibility. I tell the kids, "This is our home for the year. Let's keep it beautiful!" They really take great pride in the way our classroom looks!
I think that the way the principal went about addressing this issue was inappropriate. Having said that, I don't believe that it would be a good idea to talk to the principal about feeling disrespected (however politely you phrase that). A principal who would handle an issue like this in this way isn't someone who is going to be open to that sort of feedback. The solution: Find a way to keep your room clean (no excuses) and steer clear of the principal in the future.
This is what I try to teach in my classroom, also. Our custodians are tremendously overworked, as we are, and we try to help them out. I agree with the others that your admin is out of line.
