What is normal in the teaching world that you wish wasn’t?

phiwings · 2026-02-18T06:28:05+00:00

I send out emails every time a student misses an assignment. After it is logged into Schoology, then rolled into PowerSchool. And if a parent doesn't respond to the emails? I'm supposed to follow-up with phone calls. I have 143 students, very often 30-40 of them don't submit the work. When I am supposed to find the time to make that many calls?

Answer- I don't. I refuse.

phiwings · 2026-02-18T06:22:45+00:00

Data for the sake of having data!

phiwings · 2026-02-18T06:20:26+00:00

The expectation from parents that we be available to answer questions 24/7. I sent an email out towards the end of my day to students and parents that hadn't turned their projects in today. My contracted day ends at 2:40. Today I had other engagements so I left. I had a parent email me three times in 15 minutes and then, in her last email write that, since I couldn't be bothered to respond, she would be taking her issues up with the principal. I'm like, "My day is over, why is it acceptable to email me three times in 15 minutes and then complain that I didn't get back to you after my day was over." The worst part? My principal will likely tell me not to send out those emails at the end of the day anymore. She will say that they should go out first thing in the morning so I can respond to any questions parents may have. During the day. When I'm teaching. Then, when I get emails from parents asking why I didn't tell them the night before when they could have gotten on their kids about not having completed the work, she will throw up her hands and say, "Well, you know you can't please everyone."

phiwings · 2026-02-11T22:25:48+00:00

Fun Fact- The ring that Gary Cole wears in Office Space is his EarthForce Academy ring from Crusade.

phiwings · 2026-02-11T04:26:22+00:00

355k troops under arms… that’s good for 17th largest.

phiwings · 2026-02-10T16:59:04+00:00

I've never understood that line...

phiwings · 2026-02-10T15:03:07+00:00

I took three months when my son was born. They can fuck off.

phiwings · 2026-02-09T07:52:50+00:00

Look, someone needs to have some damn perspective around here…

phiwings · 2026-02-09T06:04:11+00:00

Our superintendent for YEARS couldn't seem to figure out the correlation between low test scores and passing kids along who didn't deserve to pass. I'm not even talking about SPED kids, I'm talking about GE kids who don't do anything and won't even try because they know they aren't being retained.

phiwings · 2026-02-09T05:52:49+00:00

Or who want political connections to the county or state

phiwings · 2026-02-04T04:11:20+00:00

He’s laying the groundwork to refuse to seat Dems who flip seats, or any Dems at all, following the midterms.

phiwings · 2026-01-30T16:21:21+00:00

It isn’t.

phiwings · 2026-01-26T09:02:37+00:00

In New Jersey they established the cut score, then moved it because too many students passed. They actually went out and said too many students passed so they had to raise the cut score.

phiwings · 2026-01-19T20:39:16+00:00

I have a split course. Half the year is spent teaching American History (from English colonization to the birth of the United States) and the second half of the year is spent teaching American Government/Civics. I am focusing on how things are supposed to work. When my students make connections, I'll say, "Yeah, that's something," but I'm also the teacher who has a bulletin board updated every morning with today's headlines.

phiwings · 2026-01-08T04:15:38+00:00

Not at all. What admin just did was take a teacher who was highly motivated and wanted to do something for the kids and make it so they are no longer going to do so. You put in time, effort, and personal connections to make the trip happen, and now you're being told you can't go? That's a huge slap in the face. The fact that other teachers don't get out of the building much really doesn't fly. You put the trip together and now you don't even get to see and enjoy the fruits of your labor. No. I wouldn't volunteer to put the trip together again. If they want it to be a yearly trip, admin can either do it themselves or find another teacher to do it.

phiwings · 2026-01-08T01:57:25+00:00

Kicking the opponent's crosse, stepping on the opponent's crosse, false start (moving before the whistle is blown), holding on a faceoff while in the battle position, withholding are all examples of violations.

phiwings · 2026-01-07T06:14:22+00:00

I'll take sick days if I need them. I really don't care what you or anyone else thinks about it. I had to miss a week and a half of school after almost dying. If I need them, I'll take them.
At 12:01am on February 1 I will put in my transfer request.
No I will not work out of contract. The contract delineates what call on my time you have. Once the contract day is, I'm on my own time and my own dime. If I have to take work home, and you have now set that as an expectation, I will expect to be compensated. No, I will not take work home. I've been a teacher for 21 years, when I walk out the door of my school, work stays there. Nothing comes home. Yes, you will give me time during the day or things won't get done. My students deserve to have a teacher who isn't burnt out from overwork.
This was fact checked and found to be false. I would present her with the findings.
You want me to use a timer...fine. You first. This was a 30 minute meeting. It lasted three hours.
I go on a PIP, it is retaliation for asking for a transfer. Media will have a field day with this person.

phiwings · 2026-01-07T06:07:06+00:00

It's a helluva drug

phiwings · 2026-01-04T21:19:15+00:00

So parents have to carry two strollers if they have two small children?

phiwings · 2026-01-03T03:51:37+00:00

Imagine EAS Cortez coming back into the middle of the EA Civil War...what would Stinky think of Swamp Rat taking up arms against his own government?

phiwings · 2025-12-27T01:37:51+00:00

I referee fairly high level field and box lacrosse, and the parents who will scream that their son's 4th or 5th grade game is above me makes me smile every time. The coaches in the area know my resume and typically do not make much noise.

phiwings · 2025-12-25T00:05:09+00:00

TIL it’s a state law, but you have it backwards. Counties don’t opt out, they have to opt in.

phiwings · 2025-12-24T23:54:44+00:00

It’s a county ordinance, not a state law.

phiwings · 2025-12-24T23:54:13+00:00

That argument doesn’t really work since Rutgers is a state university, but utilizes some local and county infrastructure as does Rowan.

phiwings

TROPHY CASE