Feeling a little invaded...
Here's the scenario... read and then give your opinion please:
I have just returned from a 3 day trip with a bus of 13-14 year olds, before which I didn't get any sleep due to preparations that took until the last minute, so you can imagine the current state of sleep deprivation I currently am experiencing.
Part of the preparations were to prepare instructions for my fill in while I was gone. In those instructions I left a suggestion of something to the effect of "if the main office doesn't have anything pressing that they need done, come back to the classroom and you can tidy the front area" I repeat "tidy the FRONT."
No where in that do I read (or would have read into) go through my desk drawers, through out things you think I don't need, rearrange/tidy my office, take personal items off my bulletin board.. oh.. and let some kids go through my stuff too.
I'm sorry, but that just seems wrong to me. Yes, I know my office wasn't eat off the floor clean and was due for a good overhaul but it's still my office and the plan was to clean it up after the mayhem of the past 2 weeks concluded. Am I out to lunch here? I feel totally violated. I happened to see the dustbin by my desk completely full of paper (which erks me because I recycle like a made woman) so I started pulling things out and found things that students had given me 5 years ago that sure, were only little scraps of paper with weird sayings on them but they had sentimental value to me! And she threw them out! Totally unimpressed...
So am I over reacting to this? I realize that she really did mean well and that she thought it would be a nice gift to me to come back and have things totally cleaned up - which is true, the front of the room is nice and tidy as I had asked - but... the office!? She even left a note saying "This stack of papers is likely garbage but I left if for you... I hope you can find everything..." and then I find things that are clearly (well, clearly to me because they were on the bulletin board up high and purposefully placed there) not intended for the dustbin IN the dustbin!
What would you do? I'm thinking I should call and thank her for her efforts but... blah blah blah...
I have just returned from a 3 day trip with a bus of 13-14 year olds, before which I didn't get any sleep due to preparations that took until the last minute, so you can imagine the current state of sleep deprivation I currently am experiencing.
Part of the preparations were to prepare instructions for my fill in while I was gone. In those instructions I left a suggestion of something to the effect of "if the main office doesn't have anything pressing that they need done, come back to the classroom and you can tidy the front area" I repeat "tidy the FRONT."
No where in that do I read (or would have read into) go through my desk drawers, through out things you think I don't need, rearrange/tidy my office, take personal items off my bulletin board.. oh.. and let some kids go through my stuff too.
I'm sorry, but that just seems wrong to me. Yes, I know my office wasn't eat off the floor clean and was due for a good overhaul but it's still my office and the plan was to clean it up after the mayhem of the past 2 weeks concluded. Am I out to lunch here? I feel totally violated. I happened to see the dustbin by my desk completely full of paper (which erks me because I recycle like a made woman) so I started pulling things out and found things that students had given me 5 years ago that sure, were only little scraps of paper with weird sayings on them but they had sentimental value to me! And she threw them out! Totally unimpressed...
So am I over reacting to this? I realize that she really did mean well and that she thought it would be a nice gift to me to come back and have things totally cleaned up - which is true, the front of the room is nice and tidy as I had asked - but... the office!? She even left a note saying "This stack of papers is likely garbage but I left if for you... I hope you can find everything..." and then I find things that are clearly (well, clearly to me because they were on the bulletin board up high and purposefully placed there) not intended for the dustbin IN the dustbin!
What would you do? I'm thinking I should call and thank her for her efforts but... blah blah blah...
Labels: shop talk
posted by Maggie at
5.3.08
2 Comments:
Totally overstepping her bounds!
I would be feeling exactly the same as you, but like you say she was trying to do a good thing so berating her for it isn't really a great option.
Leave and in future postscript "tidy up" notes with 'due to the mess in my office please leave it be and I'll deal with it when I get back, thanks.' :)
By
Likalia, at 5/3/08 10:07 p.m.
I did call her and all was well... I was very cordial and there were no hard feelings or harsh words. I can be quite pro when the situation calls for it. I needed some clarification on some of her notes anyway so it wasn't just a 'tsk tsk' call.
By
Maggie, at 6/3/08 10:54 p.m.
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