This is not just about work, by the way! It also touches on the public school system...
Besides working out of my home, I also have been teaching an adult ed class this year. I was really excited about the position, because the director of adult ed is a great boss to work for! He truly knows how to inspire people and he's been very understanding of the fact that I have a home business (which means that there are times I cannot attend staff meetings, for example).
Unfortunately, his awesomeness does not spill over to the other employees. I explained that I have not been trained on all of the correct procedures (for what I consider to be unnecessary paperwork), and yet I still get a great deal of attitude as the lovely ladies in the office continue to complain about my paperwork (adding on new requirements that I was never told to do, and in fact requirements that completely contradict my original instructions). They conveniently 'lose' info I give to them, so they keep giving me more and more paperwork for my students to fill out (and you can imagine that my students are getting a little tired of it).
No matter how nicely I have approached this, these ladies continue to be as difficult as possible. I think I have determined part of their problem. When I called in to say I could not make a staff meeting (they had rescheduled it several times due to weather and other factors) due to the fact I could not arrange child care, I got this response "Well, I have kids, too, but I make the meetings!". Of course, her children are in their teens, and not under the age of 4! The edge of jealousy did not escape me, and I had to wonder if she resented the fact that I only work 1 night a week and am not obligated to make each meeting. As far as I know, I am the only staff member who only works 3 hours a week - most work 20 hours (or more).
I realize that people sometimes resent those who stay home with their children. Either they feel guilty for not being with their own kids, or there is something about their job they could do without and therefore they wish they could also work for themselves.
I cannot be responsible for the happiness of others. I cannot help them work out their feelings about the fact that I work at home. I'm sure it also bothers them that this job is not my end-all and be-all. It is definitely just for extra cash - and so believe me when I tell you I could take it or leave it.
I don't want to spend a lot of energy contemplating why 'alternative employment/lifestyles' are so threatening to others. I will say, however, that if this situation does not find some sort of resolution by the time my class ends in June, then it will be unlikely that I will return to do it again in the fall. I guess I will have to speak to my boss come June and do some soul searching to see if I'll be returning.
There are more little irritations about this job that I won't go into right now, but it mostly deals with the bureaucracy of the government-run education system. One example is that, in my class, only some of the students are preparing for their GED. Others are there to work on other life skills (job search, learning to type, create resumes, etc.). That's why it's called a GED and Life Skills Lab. So, when I began the class, there's a standardized exam I'm to give the students to help determine how close they might be to being able to take the GED exam.
Well, it made intuitive sense to me not to test those who would not be working on their GED. I'm sure you can predict where this conversation is going. Yup, you guessed it - I got told I had to give ALL of my students the exam to satisfy a federal grant for the class. Go feds! As always, the ridiculousness of standardized tests never ceases to amaze me. It always bothered me when I was a public school teacher that I had to give standardized exams to students. These exams do NOT accurately reflect ANYTHING about the students - other than whether or not these students can follow the herd properly.
I know that my opinion is rather unpopular amongst many teachers. I also know that I am not alone in my thinking. I am just brave enough to state it.
So, here I am enjoying another day with my children at home. I have the day off from watching other children today, which I realize is a huge luxury that I may not be able to enjoy if we are able to buy the home we're trying to buy. I'll be expanding my home childcare business, and so having days free of children during the week is probably not going to happen.
This decision is one that I have given great thought to. Can I give my children enough attention and watch other kids as well? Yes, I believe that I can. I still feel that being home, with my attention sometimes on other kids, still allows me to have more quality time with them than if I sent my children to someone else during the day. I also feel that providing an income that will allow us to live more comfortably is important as we get into a new home.
Perhaps in a few years, we may consider something different. For example, the house we're buying is pretty huge. We have considered sectioning off part of it to rent out. That is still a very plausible result, but for the next couple of years, while my youngest is still so young, doing childcare provides friends for her to play with, a quality preschool program (administered by me, of course), and money to help pay for our new home.
I know that life will let me know when it is time to close the childcare and do something else. I had thought that 'something else' was adult ed. Maybe it is? Maybe I'll teach some other class; preferably one that does not require standardized testing to satisfy a federal grant. I haven't given up on teaching adult ed. I just feel that perhaps THIS particular class may be walking on its last legs with me. I don't need the extra pocket cash THAT badly to deal with the bad attitudes and ridiculousness that comes along with it!
No comments:
Post a Comment