Day 9 - Trying to Leave at 3:25

Today seemed to be the hardest so far for staff to leave at 3:25. As I walked out, I stopped in to check on people who were lingering. I always wonder just exactly how to approach those who are struggling with work to rule. I don't want to walk in with a line that reads like "So, you don't care about the profession?", "Why do you hate your colleagues so much?", "You're so rich you don't need a better contract?", or "You don't really want to mess with the union, do you?"

(That last one is particularly ironic for me. I'm not so much the crow bar toting union thug stereotype - I'm about the least intimidating person you'll meet. With my chubby cheeks and short stature, I'm more your friendly neighborhood union boss.)

These are my friends and people I admire, so I decided to go with, "What can I do to help you get finished?"

That unleashed the flood.

The litany of unfinished items that came tumbling out in those moments of extreme frustration were all worth doing. Grading, entering midquarters, responding to parent emails, pyramid of intervention forms, planning for Monday, and on and on - I couldn't deny that they should get done.

When I was successful in getting someone out the door it was when I just gave them permission to let it go for now. There's something powerful in just saying about what you feel most guilty and having someone respond that you're not terrible.

When we really looked at the need to get some of it done right now, we realized how many artificial deadlines we hold. We also found we have a lot of job requirements in our heads that just aren't real. We also need to just tell the person who designed the new form or program or whatever (probably with all the best intentions) that they are just more work than result. Often, these people want some feedback and may never have intended for their project to blow up into a workload nightmare. In our attempt to spare someone's feelings, we trudge through and let it affect our other work. That's not fair to us or the program designer.

Most of all, we need to realize that work to rule makes our classrooms different, and probably not in a good way. That difference is very important. If we don't take action to protect our compensation, we will lose more and more quality educators. Last year, 44% of Minnesota educators in their first five years left the profession entirely. We may hate how our classrooms look now, but if we don't make sure dedicated professionals stay in teaching, that's the way they will look permanently.

Just when it was getting all deep and soapbox-y, I decided to go to "JMS Staff Choir Practice" at the 5-8. There is nothing like a little choral venting, joking, and libation to get you back on track. I hope your staff has a Friday after school "book club", "library meeting", "staff development" or "hey let's all go to the bar but call it something clever so the kids don't overhear and tell parents we're all alchoholics night". If you don't, you are only one group email away from it. Don't expect the whole staff or that everyone will come every week. It only takes a few to make it fun, and you won't regret a minute.