The Wrath of Mountain Man

Ask my Mom, she'll tell you - i am normally a calm easy-going laid back kinda guy with a passion for education. However, i have turned into a complete megalomaniac and i know for a fact that many of my staff are completely scared of me. Despite my Open Door policy, few venture into my office lair.

But i don’t really care too much for the kids love me, and are happy to take advantage of my Open Door on their way to recess. It’s usually a lovely distraction to have.

I have balled at almost everyone since my arrival, teachers and assistants (during Induction), secretaries, assorted non-conforming parents, my Boss, and most scathing and constantly of all - Administration. 

I have tried to be lenient with Staff Meetings, even though INSET is critical. Monday is a 10 minute Staff Briefing – to touch base and “Heads Up” to things happening for the week. Wednesday at 3.10pm is designated Meeting and INSET  - for as long as i want – either Whole School or in Sections.

The Staff Briefings have failed to attract an audience and due to SMT commitments and then last week’s holiday meant today has been my first opportunity  to “share some concerns”. 

But today i opt for Good Cop/Bad Cop.

I have presents for ALL! – Counting Sticks. I got Mr K (Maintenance) to buy, measure, saw, and paint - he seemed to have missed out my request to sand them and the painting is shoddily done too -  but they’re Magical.

Only two or three of the 30+ staff have used them before so i Model the Class. We count on in ones and back – odds and evens, multiples of 10, 5, 3 and 4, show them some probability tricks and even use them for calendars (days and months)  and “Contentment” graphs. 

But i’m not going to do all the work, and i get them to share their new toys in groups of four. And they like it alot. I was only gonna give them 5 minutes, but after 10 minutes they’re still engrossed. 

I break them off unsatiated. Time for Bad Cop

I reiterate again the lack of supervision and poor monitoring. They stand around like they’re having a Mothers Meeting whilst the managers supervize, walk around, break up disputes and basically model. And i tell them so. I promise them resources despite all the battles and inform them my advocation of better consistent, and loyalty pay at Senior Management level. 

I’m here to improve the school and working all hours to do that. But they’re going to have to shape up. Attendance to ALL meetings is essential, planning to be completed on time and available on every desk, and if their supervision of students didn’t improve i’d have them all out every recess until it was carried out appropriately. Mr Z, Ms J and i would be doing spot checks on all. 

I then add in one final gripe of staff using work computers to play Patience and Facebook whilst i couldn’t even access the Internet from my office for the last 4 working days.  

“Anyone have any problems with any of this come and see me directly rather than bitch about it”. 

I hand over to Mrs R. our strange elderly Special Needs Head for another mind-numbingly rambling lecture on the Autism spectrum. 

I would have liked to have gone further with it. Offer them an opportunity to walk then and there, or choose to work hard, develop the teaching craft and make an interesting journey with me. But i restrain myself. I might save that for next week’s meeting.