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03/21/2008
Learning Curve
So I've been compiling a list of things that rock about working in a school as opposed to going to school.
1) You plan the fire drills yourself. You execute them yourself. You know exactly when they'll happen.
2) There's always something yummy for the staff to eat that's off limits for the students.
3) There's always some joke about the students. Most recently, it was a teacher who was alone in their classroom (a rare occurence here since our site has a teacher:student ratio of 1:2), who came upstairs, was asked who was watching the kids in their classroom, to which they replied 'I like to play Lord of the Flies with my class sometimes.'
4) Friends. At least here, I'm starting to feel like I work not only with people that are my colleagues, but people that are becoming my friends.
5) After hours shin-digs. Seriously. When it's someone's birthday, we go out. When it's a Friday, we go out. The people I work with are serious, but enjoy having fun outside the work place with each other. There's something very satisfying about seeing colleagues enjoying the company of one another outside the workplace.
6) No homework. 'Nuff said.
7) Getting paid to come to school (aka work).
8) Understanding the innerworkings of how a school is run. That's something that's very satisfying to me. I like knowing how things work.
9) Knowing that what I do is integral to the sustainability of this school. It beats sitting in AP English wondering how the Herman Melville will ever effect your life. Here, the question of 'why' is answered in full.
10) Heirarchy. I know it sounds negative. After all, we all know what happened to the aristocracy when the surfs up and rebelled. Still, here it gives you a sense of placement. Each person is assigned to a task and they do it. They don't presume to take on the duties of someone else unless it's absolutely called for. Or asked for.
11) Did I mention no homework?
12) People care here about one another. I find people will come to me and talk to me about their lives. They ask me about mine.
13) Fridays. They're good days at school, whether you work at one or go to one.
14) Breaks. Next week is spring break and although I have to work, I'll be working short days and it'll be really quiet.
15) Hearing the older guys coach the younger ones in the fine art of basketball. My high school was notorious for just pointing out the faults of athletes. It's nice to hear encouragement amongst the students.
16) Having answers. I find that I usually have answers for questions that the staff brings into the office.
17) Staff meetings. Once a month or so Gus will call a staff meeting where all the teachers and the few administrative staff we have cram into the office and have time to talk.
My job, primarily, for this is to go shopping at Trader Joe's for snacky foods. I bring back the spoils of my war waged against the crowded aisles of the market and set them out along the counter.
I then get to do one of my favorite parts of my job. I wander back to my desk, sit down with a glass of Dixie Peach juice and watch while Gus heads up the meeting. I love this part of my job because it reminds me so much of a summer camp counselor meeting. Gus is the head counselor and the rest of us are regular counselors. He tells us things we need to know and then we all get a turn to report what's happening in the various realms we work in.
This is especially great because it keeps us all on the same page. We all know what's going on in each classroom. We learn about new kids and their quirks. We find out if some among us need help and we collectively solve problems. The minds here are phenomenal. The hearts are even better.
18) I have unfetted access to the staff white board. It's a dry erase board where important notices get written. Upcoming IEPs, birthdays, warnings about state mandated minion visits, etc. I get to write on it at my leisure. I wrote something there this morning. It was about upcoming orders going in the week after next.
19) Uber cool refrigerator magnets on the staff fridge.
20) Local favorites. I have slowly found out the guarded secrets of the CLC staff and where they go for a food fix when they need to. There's a corner store a couple blocks away that makes a nice turkey sandwich. Alternatively there's a Greek market a few blocks down as well that makes a mean falafel sandwich and a kick ass Mediterranean plate complete with dolmas and tabouleh. Oh man. It's seriously good eats.
21) Knowing that I do little things that make the school day easier. I restock the cutlery in the office, make coffee in the mornings, always make sure there's paper in the copier. I sometimes wonder what will happen when I go away on honeymoon. All the things that I do, that just naturally seems to get done, won't get done. Still, I work with talented people. They'll be able to cope.
22) Autonomy. Being able to do what I need to without being micro-managed.
23) My own desk, organized to my own specifications. I don't have to share a desk with anyone like I did in high school.
24) Getting to come to work in casual clothing. Seriously, I think the corporate world would kill me. Somehow, although I know it's done, the picture of me, dressed in dreary colors, walking around the pot-hole marked streets of San Francisco in stiletto heels just doesn't do it for me.
As any of you know, I'm a girl that loves color. And I love Converse.
25) The level of dedication that the staff has to educating these kids. Sadly, most people (teachers among them) just do a job to do it in order to get that paycheck. They go to work, but they check out, so to speak. Sure there are days where you'd rather not be at work, but there still is an undeniable depth of dedication here that I've seen only two other places in my life.
I'm glad to say those two places are the school I worked at before I came here and my home.
26) Effortless communication. Yahoo messenger is set up as a network here at work for easy communication between my site and the site down the street. Dangerous, yes. Effective, definitely yes.
27) Quickbooks. I'd never used it before I worked here. It's a fabulous piece of software.
28) How funny the kids are. Even though they're special needs kids, they each have distinctive personalities.
29) The satisfaction of knowing that I work in a place that invests in the superiority of Mac products. There are two PCs on campus. Two. And sadly...very sadly...one of them is mine.
Hey, the joy of Quickbooks isn't Mac compatible.
30) Working close to home. It rocks my world. It means more sleep, less commuter insanity and more time getting to know the cool little places in the community.
31) Jason, in addition to being a Crisis Intevention Counselor, is also an avid singer. He comes in and out of the office singing from time to time and it makes me laugh. Most recently was 'I'm in the mood for love, simply because you're near me.'
32) Errands. It's a change of scenery and pace. And it's part of my job description.
Well, I'd love to go on, but alas, I need to run some stuff down to the other site and then I think I'll stop by the aforementioned Greek market for a falafel fix.
Later Days,Arty
11:25 Posted in Blog | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this
Comments
you sound like youre having fun!
I like how you alway pick out the best of things. I'm sure you must have pet peeves, but you never mention them. positive positive. all this seems ideal! :P
picture perfect, in fact ;-)
Posted by: dj | 03/21/2008
No post by you would be complete without us knowing about the good eats !!! I'm so glad you love your job and I hope all the plans for the forthcoming nuptuals are going well, speak to you soon AM xxx
Posted by: Ann Marie | 03/22/2008