Fun in school

[Barbara Allen <BSAllen@AOL.COM>]

I couldn't help commenting on Diane Pozar's comments (below).  I think it
depends not on the time but on the profession.  I went to high school and
college a loong time ago.  We had dress codes and behavior codes and all
kinds of strictures.  I had to have a minor surgical procedure during my last
year.  The anesthetic used should have put me out for about an hour.  I slept
24 hours because I was so exhausted from the pressure of my classes and class
project deadlines.  I was very concerned about whether or not I could really
handle my chosen profession (computer programming, at that time).  When I got
my first job in the "real" world of computer programming, I discovered that I
could go to my boss and say "I can't make this deadline." and he would say
"OK, when can you have it done?"   I discovered that nobody cared what I wore
or when I came to work as long as I got the work done in a reasonable period
of time with reasonable quality.  I discovered that deadlines were set by how
long the job would take, not on the arbitrary length of a school semester.
There are still jobs in the world where dress is important (all jobs where
meeting the public is important) and where being on time every morning (any
job where other people depend on you being there at a specific time), but I
think there are fewer of those jobs now than there used to be.  I think
colleges in particular are doing a better job of training their students for
the "real" world than when I went to college.  However, maybe they aren't
doing a good job of training them to work in the "real?" world of elementary
and high school education, which still requires absolute punctuality and
frequently has odd and arbitrary dress codes, restricts access to phones,
limits when and where you can eat and when you can go to the bathroom, in
short has really bad working conditions.  Add to that the fact that society
as a whole does not value the "work" of teachers and it isn't surprising that
teachers sometimes don't display a visible work ethic.  Most people in
education are very dedicated but I think it's a struggle to stay that way in
the face of bad working conditions and societal lack of support.
Cheers!
Barbara Allen
Program Analyst
Library Services
Site #5619
Tucson Unified School District
Tucson, AZ
bsallen@aol.com

>>Maybe I am showing my age but this really disturbed me.  I remember in high
>>school and college being taught by my parents and teachers that when you get
>>out in the "real world" things are different.  There is a work ethic; you
>>dress appropriately, act appropriately and you are there to work not to
>>play.  I recall telling my students the same thing; employers will not take
>>over sleeping an excuse for coming in late; you can't "forget" to do a task
>>like you forget to do your homework; you are not given extra time to
>>complete an assignment.

>>In my last few years in a school district I recall being amazed at the young
>>people coming out of college to their first teaching job and having no work
>>ethic.  They come to work dressed inappropriately as if they were going to a
>>party or a picnic; they  "hang out" in the faculty room during their prep
>>periods rather than work with students or prepare lessons.
>>Diane Pozar
>>Retired LMS
>>Monroeville, Pa.
>>We read to know we are not alone.  C.S. Lewis
"

Barbara Allen
Program Analyst
Library Services
Site #5619
Tucson Unified School District
Tucson, AZ
bsallen@aol.com

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