Sunday, January 25, 2015

Buses and a Hobby Horse

I was an elementary school principal for eighteen years.  I have shared some of my experiences as a student and even a few incidents from my teaching career.  Yet I have written virtually nothing about my years in the office.

Do not infer that I had no noteworthy experiences.  Do not conclude that I did not enjoy my work.  Do not expect that this article is a precursor to my memoirs as an administrator.

One of the teachers on my staff was a brilliant young woman, an excellent teacher and quite outspoken.  Janet, some might say, had a strong personality.  Dismissal time was 3:05.  To ensure safe and orderly egress from the building and safe boarding of the waiting buses by some four hundred, five hundred children, I deemed it essential to establish some simple procedures.

My solution required each teacher to escort his or her charges from the classroom to the bus lot.  Two teachers on a rotating assignment basis were to remain on the bus lot until the vehicles moved out.  The size of the staff was such that this meant each teacher would have two nonconsecutive weeks on bus duty during the course of the year.

I typically held faculty meetings on Monday afternoon immediately after school, said meeting, not to last more that twenty minutes.  Or so I planned.  And this was not every Monday, but once a month, or as deemed necessary.  Toward the end of such a meeting, I would note the twinkle in Janet’s eye, and I knew exactly what was coming, and she knew I knew.  I knew I would not do anything about her grievance, and she knew that I would not do anything about it.  A game, you see.

But Janet was serious about the issue, and she had some support amongst her peers, perhaps even widespread support, who knows?  They let her take the lead.  Janet was quite content to be penned up with a classroom full of children for most of her working day.  Nay, she was excited that she had such an opportunity.  But for some reason, weather perhaps, contrariness maybe, Janet resented having to spend ten minutes a day, ten days a year on the bus lot after school.  Thus, the issue was to place in my lap the problem of solving the dismissal supervision problem.  A problem which I had already solved, and hence to my way of thinking, did not exist.

And sometimes this caused the faculty meeting to go past the twenty minutes I had allotted.

 Janet was engaged in what I call riding a hobby horse.  You know you are not going anywhere, but you just have to rock it anyway.

After several years with us, Janet moved on to other pastures, her choice because she was an excellent teacher.  I lost contact with her, but through the grapevines that entangle the educational world, I was able to “follow” her career.  She later became a principal and a school superintendent. 

I have often wondered how Janet solved the problem of “bus duty” in the venues where she served as an administrator.

14 comments:

Vee said...

Little annoyances in the lives of teachers are probably related to the pressure of getting everything done rather than the weather. But we always had the big satchel to load up and take home so we could continue our work after our families were in bed.

Keeping the children safe is always a priority. At one of the schools where I taught, our principal met the children in the front hallway every morning to greet them and make inquiries such as, "How's that new baby brother doing?" She also stood by the busses every evening as the children boarded, even though at least two teachers were also there. Her twenty minute staff meetings were in the morning when teachers were wanting to be in their rooms ready to meet the children. No teacher wanted to bring up a silly complaint at a time when they need to be preparing for children to arrive.

vanilla said...

Vee, I didn't mention it here, but I was the third teacher on the bus lot most days. I liked to greet the children as they arrived in the morning, too, but could not do it every day.

Teachers' days are sufficiently full that they truly do not need the time on the bus lot, but the kids need them there.

Jono said...

Somehow, I suspect Janet dealt with it much the same as you. She was probably a principal of principle.

vanilla said...

Jono, knowing the lady as I did, I would guess that you are right.

Grace said...

Turns out meeting that bus in the morning too has long ranging impact - Humans of NY

Grace said...

Trying to get a link to work Humans of NY

vanilla said...

Grace, link worked for me. Thanks. Good for Mr. Rahinsky and good for the young teacher who is passing it on!

Lin said...

Every job has a sort of "bus duty" to be done and we all have to suffer through it. I love when some teachers boast "I do it for the kids" and then fight everything that has them doing things "for the kids." Not all, of course, but there are a few corkers out there. Every job has them.

I imagine you were a really good principal.

vanilla said...

Lin, I suspect there are some corkers anywhere you go, and the school staff is no exception. Some teachers, bless them, really do it for the children; for some it is a job. (The ones that get me are the politicians who propose this or that must be done "for the children." Most of them have to spend two minutes with a kid would panic.)

Secondary Roads said...

I've known folks that would ride a "hobby horse" just because it would irritate a boss or supervisor. I'm sure they saw it as cheap entertainment.

vanilla said...

Chuck, hobby horse often ridden by one who would bug someone.

Sharkbytes said...

There are so many duties tacked on to jobs now (it seems to me), I don't know how one can define themselves as doing only one part of a job.

Sharkbytes said...

For example, today at work, we had a meeting explaining the hierarchy for who goes when there is a truck at the loading dock, and how it is we decide what to do if there is no one free to go to the dock (this is with the fork lift), and what to do if there is no one who can drive the FL, and what to do if there are only the minimal number of people and they are all doing the daily paper, which is supposed to have precedence over any other job. And deliveries are not supposed to come after 2 pm... but... haha

vanilla said...

Sharkey, so then when a task needs to be done, everyone has to study the flow chart? *grins*