I did my student teaching at a school where every classroom had to be locked up
when the teacher wasn't around. Anything and everything would be stolen.
Teachers would step out for 5 minutes or lunch and come back to find digital
projectors and computers stolen. Locking things up in the closet was a deterrent
during the day but at night, teaches often took the projectors home and took their
chances with leaving the desktop computer.
I've been very lucky at my school where a brush or a handful of pipe cleaners
might go missing... still, I lock up what I can especially if I know I will have a sub
the next day.
That's so discouraging. I would feel so violated and disgusted. You can make it
another month. I would probably put up a shrine to all the missing items in the
classroom... How are the students taking these crimes?! They should be outraged.
When our campus was hit with graffiti, my students complained about the horrible
job they did. "If they're going do it, they should do it right."
On 5/07/08, ImajinPs wrote:
> I'm sooo sorry- its sounds pretty horrible. We went several
> years without a contract once, and it really took its toll
> after a while. I didn't realize it at first, because we were
> all pretty much determined to keep doing our job as usual
> until it was all settled, but by three years- we were pretty
> much depleted. It just wears on you when you constantly feel
> that you-and what you do- is not valued.
>
> As far as the break-ins go- they would just be the icing on a
> very sour cake. I'm guessing that nobody is running out to
> replace all the things that were stolen - but I'm sure they
> will in due time. In the meantime, why don't you bring home
> anything that is your personal property that you value; go
> back to writing on a chalkboard instead of using powerpoints,
> slides, videos, etc.; and talk to your students about it.
> Let them know you would have been showing them slides, or a
> powerpoint, that it would have taken 2 minutes instead of 10,
> taking away from their work time, and its unfortunate but
> unavoidable because of the robberies. Peer pressure is a
> huge thing- and it would be much better if many students
> thought that these break-ins were uncool rather than cool.
>
> And lastly, count the days til vacation. Rest, regenerate,
> don't think about school at all until 10 days before you go
> back. That's all they should get from your summer if they
> won't even give you a contract with a basic cost of living
> raise.
>
> On 5/07/08, Resa wrote:
>> Warning: Venting in the next few paragraphs!!
>>
>> So my classroom, which is conveniently located on the end
>> of the hall at the end of the building, has AGAIN fallen
>> victim to vandals and theft. Our district's buildings have
>> been hit over the past couple months in a string of
>> robberies and break ins.
>>
>> In other incidents, one teacher's purse was stolen, then
>> the thief took her car keys and found her car using the
>> unlock button, and stole her car too. School computers have
>> been stolen off our desks, many other items have gone
>> missing.
>>
>> I have glass-painted windows on my emergency exit door, and
>> one of the windows was busted in so the thiefs could steal
>> the computer and phone from my desk, a vcr, a dvd player,
>> and a projector. Oh yeah, and they took MY lava lamp!!!
>>
>> I am so disheartened this school year. We worked three
>> years without a contract, finally got a contract imposed
>> with horrid changes in health insurance and 0&37; raise for
>> the duration of those three years, and now this on top of
>> everything else. Is there a light at the end of the
>> tunnel??? I guess, summer's a month away...
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