Re: new job/first week

[Patricia Lee Wassink <wassinpl@UWEC.EDU>]

Almost all of our elementary teachers spend at least two days preparing
their rooms before the beginning of contract time.  I come in
periodically during the summer to sort and discard mail.

We have two days of "in-service" before the students arrive.  About half
of that time is scheduled meetings.  During the remainder of the time I
complete my schedule for classes, checkout computers (helps a lot to give
the teachers the same computer back--they can just come and pick it up),
cope with miscellaneous requests and enter student into the computer
system.  I have about 65-75 students per grade (k-6), and that chore
doesn't take more than 10 or 15 minutes per grade level--excluding the
printing--but that is more or less automatic.

I meet with classes the first afternoon that students arrive, and see the
remainder of them during the rest of the first week.  If for some reason
I get behind on entering student barcodes, I simply do the ones for the
first classes and do the others in the short intervals between classes.
I think this is all a matter of PRIORITIES--my top priority is getting
some books into the hands of the kids.

I do tell the teachers that their students can come ONLY during scheduled
times the first two weeks. That means that anytime a class is not
scheduled is MY time.

We have completed two weeks of school.  My supplies are not all put away,
I have two orders of new books in the backroom, invoices to check,
computers to reassemble after summer repair and a host of things--too
many to list.  I have no paid help and only a handful of student
volunteers. My desk is piled high and so is the area around it.  BUT the
kids have had contact with me and checked out lots of books--total
circulation is already over 2000.  THAT is my top priority.

Pat Wassink
Colfax Elementary School
601 University Ave.
Colfax, WI 54730
wassinpl@uwec.edu


On Fri, 30 Aug 1996, Lyn Anderson wrote:

> I was here several times during the weeks BEFORE any teachers or students
> arrived.  My feeling is that I am here for the students not myself.  I
> will do whatever it takes to get things ready for the students the day
> they come back.
>
> Lyn Anderson
> Lincoln Middle School
> Indianapolis, IN
>