Wednesday, January 25, 2023

Getting in the Door

First period had ended. I had been asked to cover a second period elsewhere as second period was the teacher's conference period. I called the office to send someone to open the door to the other room, and I headed out.

I didn't have far to go. Some of the kiddos had arrived, and they were waiting patiently outside. (Period subbing is so common that the kiddos know to just wait and we'll be inside shortly.) 

Lately, when I call for security, they come fairly quickly, so I was getting a little concerned as the passing period wore on. (Passing period is six minutes.) But, the period hadn't started yet, so I remained patient. 

And then I spied a golf cart making its way towards me. With the crowds, it was slow going. We'd be late to start class, but only by a few seconds. No biggie. 

Then, a woman behind me asked if I needed to get in the room. I hadn't seen her approach. I said that I did, and she unlocked the door. 

As the kiddos filed in, the golf cart made its way to us. And the guy driving was not happy. 

Apparently, the woman had seen me waiting and came to let me in. But when I called the office, they had radioed security. He explained that he had made his way from the other side of campus, through the crowds, and if someone else was going to unlock the door, she should have radioed that she was there. 

I stayed out of this conversation. It wasn't really my concern. 

I appreciate someone coming to unlock the door. I definitely don't want them ignoring those calls, because I have had days where we wait and wait and wait (minutes into the period), and things can get loud. Then getting the kiddos settled once we get into class can be an issue. 

Usually, the drama I witness is teen-based. This was a rare instance where I got to witness some adult drama.

By comparison, the seventh grade English class was dull. (They were looking at Utopian societies. I'm not sure how this connected to whatever they're studying, but that wasn't my concern.)

21 comments:

  1. But drama is drama and at least you really did not need to handle this one. That should be a change for you. Of course, that issue was not of your making anyway, they got the wires crossed but no one was really to blame.

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    1. For a bit I was concerned that the teacher next door to this room had called for me, too. She asked, but I told her I had already called. And at the same time the fire alarm was going off, so it was hard to hear. (No one evacuates at this school as the alarm goes off regularly.) As I wasn't sure, I didn't include that part in the post.

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  2. Who needs more drama in their lives, especially nowadays? At least you could join your class inside and walk away from it.

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  3. I want to say, "Oh, big deal. So you had to ride a golf cart across a school campus." What else was he doing that it mattered that much? They need to do something about the false alarms being ignored. Like the boy who cried "WOLF!" someday they might be real.

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    1. Don't be concerned about the fire alarms. When we actually have to evacuate (as has happened a couple times), they announce that we need to evacuate, and we do. We have fire drills frequently enough that everyone knows where to go. To fix the fire alarm issue is something that is cost prohibitive. (The issue has been there for at least 20 if not 30 years. Numerous principals have tried their hand at getting it solved. It won't be solved until they tear down the whole school and rebuilt. That's not going to happen.)

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  4. Adult Drama is the worst! I can almost understand Children being dramatic, but once one is Mature and an Adult, well, it is not a great way to express yourself to be a Drama and Headache individual. As for Fire Drills, I remember when The Son was little, due to his Autism and sensitivity to certain Sounds, he would drop to the Floor during an Alarm and cling to a piece of Furniture's Legs... so, the Adults would have to carry him and whatever Furniture out together, it was hilarious.

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  5. How absolutely cruel, he had to get into his little golf cart and drive across campus through crowds. Poor thing. 🙄

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  6. Senior English in Australia is weird. In my day we still had spelling and grammar lessons and a lot of writing in those senior years, now they seem to just analyse movies and texts looking for deep and meaningful things along the lines of feminism etc. Can't see the point - they'd be better off learning how to write so they are prepared for the workforce.

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    1. I assume that they're reading something along the lines of Utopian societies. Or, they're getting ready to write some sort of essay. They do a lot of analyzing reading and practicing writing. I'm sure it connects to whatever else they're doing, but as I was in there one period for one day, I can't know how it all works together.

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  7. Well that was a different way to start the day. Utopian, Dystopia, that are some heavy thoughts. I think there is a book "Dinotopia" that sets up a strange society. Art is good.

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    1. I believe Dinotopia was from the '90s? I'd have to look it up.

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  8. I won't miss the drama of work.
    Coffee is on and stay safe

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  9. Some people seem to thrive on drama.

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  10. Oh brother. Nice way to show the kids how grown up adults are.

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    1. I don't think the kiddos noticed. They were busy filing in. (I stood behind the line, waiting for them all to be inside before I entered.)

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  11. Replies
    1. It was funny. Especially since I wasn't at fault.

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