Sven -- glad to hear that your house guest is doing well.
I’m meeting with our Executive Director and the head of HR today to discuss what my job will look like for the 2024-2025 school year. As Mrs. Paddy points out, my job hasn’t been the same for two years in a row. We’ll see what changes they have in store.
I hope you get at least clarity as to what you are supposed to be doing and your responsibilities. Even better, if it hands you activities that you enjoy doing.
Next year is going to be a huge change for me. Our K-8 students have a supervising teacher -- someone who gives them their monthly assignments, checks on their progress, does whatever grading the computer can’t, etc. High school students that are on the UC/Cal State track have a supervising teacher, along with one teacher for each subject (content teacher). When the school started, eight years ago, the content teachers were mainly employed by the curriculum providers. In the last few years, we’ve been transitioning some of our supervising teachers to content teachers as we try to bring more functions in-house. I’ve been asked to become a science teacher, adding to the half-time person we currently have teaching science. As I told them, I am willing to do whatever they need me to do to support and grow the school. They do appreciate my willingness to be flexible and said if, after a year, I decided this wasn’t for me, to let them know.
It sounds like they are going to fold my current functions into the Special Ed department. I wish them luck. They’ve hired a Program Specialist to take some of the workload off the Director of SPED, but now they’re adding on another full-time positions worth of work. I have no idea how they will split it up, but it should be interesting.
I enjoyed teaching while I did it, but I’ve also enjoyed my changing responsibilities over the last few years. I’ll need to talk with a few of the other content teachers I know, along with the part-time science teacher to learn what all I need to do and how to do it.
Most all of my friends around my age -- we are all in the same boat -- it’s a paycheck. It’s astounding to me how many of us, and these are all guys with admirable work ethics that I’ve worked with or known for many years, none of use can figure out the workplaces where we’ve ended up. We don’t fit in.
I was just talking to a friend, an excellent material planner working in aerospace, who relayed this story. He made a kidding comment to a coworker asking why she was so grumpy one day. His manager calls him in the next day, says his remark went up the HR chain, and it would be for the best if he not talk to this woman at all. Communicate by email/text only and keep it work-related only.
With change happening so fast, I think a lot of professionals might be finding this happening. The less fortunate ones find no remaining market for their skills.
I never had an education so I had to follow different paths. I often had to take what I could get and often needed more than one job to get by. Machining was good to me but lack of credentials meant I often had to settle for low pay. I loved machining but was not comfortable in all my jobs. It did seem that when I got a job I liked, something happened to spoil things, the shop closing or some other issue, and I was on the road again.
My last management job at Lee Meyers Co was the best job I had had and the first where I looked to have a future and retirement. Then I had to walk away from that. It was very discouraging but it did push me to go to work in machine shops and that changed things for the better, though I still seemed to be nomadic. Getting connected to Sandisk and opening my own shop was life changing.
Happy Monday, GN -- if only someone would make that same Chuck Norris suggestion to cats!
Our squirrel ward is still alive and is now taking some solid food -- apple and banana. Still little, but active.
Happy Monday, Gerbil Nation!
Good morning, Sven!
Sven -- glad to hear that your house guest is doing well.
I’m meeting with our Executive Director and the head of HR today to discuss what my job will look like for the 2024-2025 school year. As Mrs. Paddy points out, my job hasn’t been the same for two years in a row. We’ll see what changes they have in store.
I hope you get at least clarity as to what you are supposed to be doing and your responsibilities. Even better, if it hands you activities that you enjoy doing.
Next year is going to be a huge change for me. Our K-8 students have a supervising teacher -- someone who gives them their monthly assignments, checks on their progress, does whatever grading the computer can’t, etc. High school students that are on the UC/Cal State track have a supervising teacher, along with one teacher for each subject (content teacher). When the school started, eight years ago, the content teachers were mainly employed by the curriculum providers. In the last few years, we’ve been transitioning some of our supervising teachers to content teachers as we try to bring more functions in-house. I’ve been asked to become a science teacher, adding to the half-time person we currently have teaching science. As I told them, I am willing to do whatever they need me to do to support and grow the school. They do appreciate my willingness to be flexible and said if, after a year, I decided this wasn’t for me, to let them know.
It sounds like they are going to fold my current functions into the Special Ed department. I wish them luck. They’ve hired a Program Specialist to take some of the workload off the Director of SPED, but now they’re adding on another full-time positions worth of work. I have no idea how they will split it up, but it should be interesting.
Is it clear you will not be expected to carry any of it?
Not until I see my new employment contract.
I hope it works out for you. You enjoy teaching more, don’t you?
I enjoyed teaching while I did it, but I’ve also enjoyed my changing responsibilities over the last few years. I’ll need to talk with a few of the other content teachers I know, along with the part-time science teacher to learn what all I need to do and how to do it.
You deserve some good luck on this front.
Thank you, Mac. The adventure continues!
It’s a blessing that you still enjoy the work you do, Paddy.
Yes, it is, Sven. I’ve been on the other side of that, and it’s not fun, not that I’m telling you anything you don’t already know.
Most all of my friends around my age -- we are all in the same boat -- it’s a paycheck. It’s astounding to me how many of us, and these are all guys with admirable work ethics that I’ve worked with or known for many years, none of use can figure out the workplaces where we’ve ended up. We don’t fit in.
I was just talking to a friend, an excellent material planner working in aerospace, who relayed this story. He made a kidding comment to a coworker asking why she was so grumpy one day. His manager calls him in the next day, says his remark went up the HR chain, and it would be for the best if he not talk to this woman at all. Communicate by email/text only and keep it work-related only.
It’s odd.
With change happening so fast, I think a lot of professionals might be finding this happening. The less fortunate ones find no remaining market for their skills.
I never had an education so I had to follow different paths. I often had to take what I could get and often needed more than one job to get by. Machining was good to me but lack of credentials meant I often had to settle for low pay. I loved machining but was not comfortable in all my jobs. It did seem that when I got a job I liked, something happened to spoil things, the shop closing or some other issue, and I was on the road again.
My last management job at Lee Meyers Co was the best job I had had and the first where I looked to have a future and retirement. Then I had to walk away from that. It was very discouraging but it did push me to go to work in machine shops and that changed things for the better, though I still seemed to be nomadic. Getting connected to Sandisk and opening my own shop was life changing.
Dinnertime. Shrimp, steaks, and salad. Our 35th wedding anniversary today.
Congratulations! We will see our 39th in December.
Our 41st is coming up on June 26th.
Outstanding!
I always remember this when I watch The Godfather.
Congratulations, Sven and Mrs. Sven!
May God bless you with many more happy years together!
Thank you both, gentlemen. Heh -- that makes us the newlyweds on teh wheel!