This week, in bullet points.
- Work has been tough. Student behavior among middle-schoolers always seems to be at its worst in early spring, but this year has been a disaster on a whole other level. More fights, huge classroom disruptions, four incidents in the past week alone where kids were threatening teachers and staff, and on and on. While I'm luckier than most in that I have a quiet, private office to work in, even the stress of my job is getting worse. I have to hold regular truancy interventions with families, and you wouldn't believe the cans of worms THOSE often open up. I'm on the phone at least once a week with DSS making reports of child neglect (educational and otherwise), and I have to schedule and prepare paperwork for all of our expulsion hearings this year, too. (Processing discipline referrals is part of my job along with attendance and record keeping). It can all be very unpleasant, to say the least, when you work in a school with such tough demographics. Our student poverty rate is up around 70% which explains all the other problems, I suppose.
- I still haven't heard anything about the job I applied for. It's still listed on the district website as open, and I hope that since the job won't start until July they're just taking their time about filling it. But I've decided the best thing to do now is to forget about it and keep looking. I was sad to learn that four more teachers I've known for years and (and really like) have accepted offers elsewhere. This makes 15 teachers that I know of who can't or won't continue working at our school next year. I don't know how we're going to function given the teacher shortage (and our school's reputation).
- WINTER IS COMING BACK. Because of course it is. It's going to get down to freezing a couple of nights next week, and I'm trying to figure out how to save the new young leaves and flowers on the crabapple, fig, and blueberries. Late freezes are pretty common in the spring, but what's not common is how far along everything already is due to the warm winter. If you can even call it a winter this year!
- At least the plants I started in the house are safe. I've already had to start potting up tomato plants and they're growing like mad under the aquatic grow light Gregg found for me to use. Soon I'll be out of room inside, but at least we have the porch to keep them on until they acclimate to the outdoors, and the weather is consistently warm.
- Marco is driving us crazy. He's having some problematic breeding behaviors that we can't seem to stop. Gregg would tell you the main problem is his screaming for attention. (It makes him furious, and it is awful to listen to). But if you ask me, the main problem is that he tries to "feed" a pretend girlfriend as part of his mating behaviors, and that involves puking up food...wherever he can. We've removed all toys from his cage, and so now he regurgitates onto the side of his food and water dishes. I have to wash them multiple times a day and this has been going on for weeks now. It's pretty gross, not to mention, time consuming. If only it were possible to spay or neuter birds!
Oh those faces! Nothing else matters. How old is Marco? We had a hand-reared yellow-naped Amazon parrot (we got when she was 10 weeks old). She was the sweetest thing in the world until she got a bit more mature. Then, she started to attack just about anyone but us. By the time she was 8, her annual breeding cycle turned her into Satan. For weeks, even we could hardly touch her. Vicious. Aggressive. It didn't help that she had learned how to laugh like a demon.
ReplyDeleteMarco is 15 years old. He's been doing this puking thing for years in the spring, but usually with a toy and once we remove the toys he gets over it. But this year it seems worse than usual. Thank God, he's not mean to us or biting us (Amazons are NOTORIOUSLY evil when they're in breeding season) but he screams for attention and it's ear-splitting. Then Gregg gets FURIOUS and I feel caught in the middle. We're discussing moving his cage to the den (if we can ever get him to stop puking on it and making it filthy) so that a change of scenery and being in a more "active" family room will help. We'll see.
DeleteOur parrot was definitely happier in our family room central to everything. The screaming meemies stopped. We didn't know when we adopted her that it was rare for an Amazon to bond with more than one person. Eight years later, we were told that and discovered how lucky we had been. Also, the groomer at our local pet supply shop described Amazons as having chronic PMS. She was so right.
DeleteYour school saga goes on and on. I hope you find a better position for next year!
ReplyDeleteThe stuff I DON'T write about here anymore would really be a great saga! It's been a crazy year for sure. Thanks for the good wishes!
DeleteI hope another job opens up for you soon. The job description sounds extremely stressful. I also feel for those poor teachers. How does one teach in that type of environment? I can't blame them for jumping ship. I was a psych nurse for 25 years and 'violence' was part of the job. I worked on an acute unit. But I could legally restrain and medicate. The very worst patients were not mine, but on the children's unit. Staff were assaulted daily, and some landed in the hospital. We had a 6 year old try to strangle her therapist in outpatient. You do a remarkable job and how do you ever keep track of all those responsibilities? Parrots can be a challenge. I had an African gray. Sweet (generally) but could turn on a dime at times. Best of luck with the job search. Keep us posted.
ReplyDeleteParanormal John
Those Doggies are simply lovely!!! If so many are leaving, then the job market is no doubt saturated with applications. Hang in there.
ReplyDeleteYou're a lucky gal! I don't have anyone lining up to lick MY feet!
ReplyDeleteI meant to add....the doggie pics made my day! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteParanormal John
The things you hear about some schools these days are really sad and I'm sure quite difficult for those working in the middle of it. I'm sorry you have so much to deal with in your job but the fact that you are doing it says quite a lot about your abilities. Good luck in finding a better position. I'm sure your experience will help.
ReplyDeleteThose adorable pups! My heart melted the minute I saw that picture. Isn't it wonderful to have such a happy welcome home each day? It's also pretty special to know how much you mean to them!
It sounds to me as if your school requires some strict discipline. Are the pupils themselves treated with respect? If not, it usually follows that they too will not respect others. When I was teaching, such behaviour wouldn't have been tolerated.
ReplyDeleteYour school sounds awful, and I wonder how terrible it must be for those kids who are decent and really want to learn and meet their friends at school.
ReplyDeleteAs for not having heard of the place where you have applied, it is possible that your email did not get through or was routed to their spam. If I were you, I would just send them a short email (without any attachments, as these often trigger spam filters) and politely enquire about your application having reached them.
When I got the position as Data Protection Officer at the Literature Archive in Marbach, one reason was that I was the only applicant who enquired after having sent my application, I was told later.
PS: I hope your garden won‘t suffer too much when/if it comes to a few night frosts. It‘s a constant worry here, too; some trees are in bloom already, and severe frost or icy rain could seriously damage them.
DeleteWith all the trauma you're experiencing during school days, it must be such a relief to have those two adorable pups (and Greg) to come home to.
ReplyDeleteHope that your plants survive the cold spell, and good luck with the job search, I'm sure you'll find something soon.
This all sounds like a LOT. Too much. What can be done about our schools? I think you are exactly right in that poverty has a lot to do with it, if not everything.
ReplyDeleteOh, Marco! I had no idea that male birds display behaviors like that. Sounds horrific for all of you, including Marco. Seems like they'd have figured out a way to do hormone therapy for birds, doesn't it?
It's going to get down into the upper thirties here, I think, but hopefully won't be cold enough to freeze the tomatoes and peppers that Mr. Moon has already set out. Of course we're farther south than you.
I am hoping so hard that you get another job. You have paid your dues.
I can sure empathize with your description of life in a middle school. It has been crazy nuts in mine as well. I wouldn't be an administrator for the life of me. I have 48 more days! (not that I am counting...)
ReplyDeleteHa! Love the pic of the dogs. I didn't know birds would engage in that mating behavior even if there's no potential mate around. Poor Marco, flush with hormones!
ReplyDeleteIt's probably good to keep looking around, work-wise, but maybe the job is still open and posted because the district has to keep it open a certain period of time or something like that...? Just guessing. Sorry work overall has been challenging.
Oh Jen. THe work situation sounds horrible. I had a female cockatiel once who wanted to mate so badly she was pulling all her feathers out. I mean that bird was naked. She was treated with hormones. Would something like that help Marco? I see that it is something that lasts 2 or 3 months. You have my sympathies. Dealing with a lot of screaming at work AND at home.
ReplyDeletePoor Marco! Can't you get him a parrot gal? You could call her JLo. Together they would make beautiful music deep into the night and at last Lonesome Marco would be happier than Bugs Bunny in a carrot field.
ReplyDeleteI cannot think of anything better after a tough work day as two pups like these.
ReplyDelete