Jen, I've always been about why, and motivation. That's what landed the trouble of the last year in my lap. I worked for a moron, who works for a moron, who decided the mark of a good teacher is to go beyond bell to bell teaching.
Teachers are actually dinged in evaluation, if they don't teach right up to the bell. To begin, they are supposed to have some "sponge" activity on the board, that kids are to read and do as soon as they enter the classroom, so the teacher can also monitor the hall. Every teacher is to have the word Objectives on the board, and a lesson plan outlined below the word, so an administrator can walk in at any moment, see what's on the board, observe the class, and know where the teacher is in that plan. The objectives must contain a description of what students will be able to do by the end of class. If a teacher deviates from the plan for any reason, or an observing administrator can't relate the lesson to the outline, he is dinged in his evaluation.
One marching band instructor was dinged because he didn't have objectives on a board outside during marching band practice. From then on, he had to get a portable, wheeled chalkboard out onto the field when they had practice.
We had to have classroom doors open at all times, in violation of fire code, defeating the automatic door closers on all classroom doors. Second year of that stupidintendent, the district spent almost a million dollars, retrofitting all classroom doors with magnetic closers that would keep the doors open, but release them in case of a fire. There were issues with noise in the hall, and issues about me because the sound of the bands reverberated down the hall, and I were told more than once, we had to play softer!
One day, one of the deputy assistant superintendents visited, and told me I needed to shut my classroom door. I quoted the superintendent, and was told to use common sense. I always wanted to use that. However the principal later told me I had to keep the door open. So much for common sense. Can you see why it was easy for someone to be insubordinate with these people. I missed a meeting, that was called after 4pm the previous day, notice for which was taped to some exit door windows, but not to others. Because I missed that meeting, I was insubordinate. With that crew, those NeXers don't have a chance. Is it any wonder why that district is such a mess?
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