Putting out the fires

With no kids, I imagined this week would be pretty slow. As usual when I make such assumptions, I was wrong.


This morning I walked into one office to find it rearranged with a laminating machine in the middle, and an enormous mess of cords on my desk. In order to even plug in my phone I had to untangle too many cords to count, and when I scooted out my desk to get the cords on the ground and off my already short on space desk, one of the legs came off. I finally got things situated and set up my new email client - an enormous upgrade from what we had before - and found approximately 100 emails I had to read through.

Next I went to my middle school, where they are moving the "main office" to an outside portable building rather than the original old office in the main school building - something about "more space" and such. I found some of my co-workers in the new portable, nearly empty, with a few boxes scattered here and there. With a few days to go before class, they're not even close to having it set up. I have to stay in the "old office" along with some others, though they're moving my desk to another room. I found my computer in working repair so I turned it on and not sooner than 40 minutes later was I logged on able to use it. I am not exaggerating that number; I timed it while I ate lunch and fished out mail that had been sent to be over the summer and subsequently been boxed up and thrown in the hallway by the movers.

I thought I'd tend to the shot records and they requested a list of students without Tdap records whose schedule they will withhold tomorrow at orientation. On my dinosaur of a computer, I updated what I could and prepared a list of the 100 + students who are still not in compliance with the new law. Finally, I returned to the main office and announced my accomplishment; they replied by handing me the exact same list that had been faxed over from the district office the day prior. Do not ask why anyone told me to make a list, then. Also do not ask why we are withholding schedules tomorrow - not an easy thing to do, logistically speaking, and then allowing them to come get them on Monday and attend school for 30 days...and then supposedly kick them out if they aren't compliant after then.

My mind just about gone, I went out to the boonies to my new school. Last year, my schools were all close enough that I was even able to beat the fire department in a race to my other school one day. This year, let's just say, there better be no such emergencies. At my new school, I found a care plan on my desk for a newly diagnosed diabetic who requires glucose monitoring and insulin three times a day. The school location being where it is, my two other schools are going to be seeing very little of me unless I teach this kid to be independent at least one or two of those checks (which I plan to work on beginning day 1).

In short, it's business as usual in the school system: chaos, inefficiency, etc. The interesting news is my new school: it's an upgrade. My office there could fit all three of the ones I had last year in it with room to spare, there are not one windows but two, I don't feel like I need a bulletproof vest to drive through the neighborhood to get there, and, supposedly, there are parents that care.

One day down...180 + to go.