Day 172

Looks like we're going to be a day short. Usually there are 180 days, but because they decided to make Monday a full teacher professional development day instead of a half day, we are 1 day short. Gasp! I doubt there is going to be a riot or anything. I doubt the school board even noticed. They don't notice anything that doesn't directly phase them (like when someone suggests taking a little out of their 6 figure salaries!)

Anyway, I am getting to the point that I would really like to be out of here. My department doesn't want me around and they are making it quite evident. Like Monday. Monday was a professional development day. Usually that means sitting around in meetings with your department. When I found out they had a guest speaker coming in, I was kind of excited that I wouldn't have to be alone with my department. Then I found out it would be the other high school as well and it would be at the local university. Nice. In a big room, that I wouldn't have to sit at a table with my department. No so. I walked in the room and what do they have us do? Sit with our departments. Ugg. That was the worst! They ignored a lot of what I had to say, but they also treated it as if I wasn't there. At one point, one of my department colleagues actually leaned in as to cut me off from the conversation. And to make matters worse, when I finally got something out in the open (because I wanted my opinion heard and the guest speaker had just stopped at our table) one of them rolled her eyes and gave a little "huh". Fine with me. If that is the way you want to play the game, so be it. If they want to act similar to their students, go right ahead.

But I'm trying my hardest to make this last week and a half count. My film students are going to have a screening on Tuesday the 25th. They finished all their filming for a half hour film in about 14-hours of shooting last week. They've got about that much in editing left, but I'm not sure if they realize that. I'll see them in class today and ask if they are ready for this or not. I'm excited to see their hard work play out. One thing that made me feel like I had actually done my job was when one of them came up to me last Friday and said "thanks. I've learned more on this shoot than I have in the past few years of taking this class. You made it real." Makes me feel that at least I've reached 1 student. I think I've reached more, but we'll see what happens when everything is finished and they have their talk-back session after the screening.

The multimedia students are getting ready to turn in their final portfolios. I think some of them aren't going to make it, but we'll see what they end up turning in. I've seen some of the work and I think they've come a long way from where they started.

Luckily enough state testing is over with. At least for my students. I like that feeling. It is nice to be able to look over the scores and see that only a few students (those who rarely came to class) are the ones that failed. Those who came to class on a semi-regular basis passed and I even had 1 student ace the test! Yay for me (and yay for her!).

There are a bunch of meetings and "social events" that are scheduled for the faculty next week and I'm hoping that I don't have to go. They usually make up sit with our departments and that is something that I don't want to do. Part of me is kind of happy that I am leaving. This isn't the type of environment that I want to work in. It isn't healthy. They have their clique, so be it. I promised myself that I would never treat my colleagues the way they are treating me.