Mgr./Supervisors who expect you to do work after regular working hours...

[Kteacher]

I am supervised by a woman ( she's salaried, I am not), who continually expects me to stay later to do prep work, get work done on my own time, and then gets irritated when I can't do this -usually it's due to my crazy schedule, and the fact that I have to be somewhere else after work. She has been out since last Wednesday (she's missed over a third of the school year), and will be out again today and tomorrow. She called me over the weekend to let me know she would be out again, and I could tell she was ticked off that I didn't do the lesson plan she wanted done -she had not prepped it-and I had to be somewhere right after school, so I couldn't stay and prep it. I'm union, so I know I could file a grievance, but it would make things really uncomfortable in the classroom, and asking to be moved to another position is not an option. Uggh. I know I will go in this morning to find a list of things to get done who knows when Sorry, just needed to vent. This is one of those no-win situations I think

 

[Talking Hands]

Definately no win situation. She needs to be doing those lesson plans herself. She is the teacher and that is her job. One of the advantages of being an aide and not the teacher is that you are not required to do school work on your own time.
I know many of the aides at our schools here work 2 jobs just to make ends meet. Doing extra work for school after hours is just not an option.

 

[dzneelvr]

I know you don't want to hear this but here goes: as long as you enable her to misuse your position and time, she will. You may think the worst thing that can happen is still in the future (uncomfortable relationship with her), but what about now? Chances are you are not the first person she's used in this way. You need to bring up the situation from a ......what am I missing, but I don't feel comfortable with putting in hours without pay? ....You may even be the big loser here if the union finds that you are working outside the contract. Better to get it out in the open now with facts, rather than let it fester and it turn around on you sometime down the road.
She is the type of person that will say it was all your doing if it does get sticky--she'll say you always had a choice to not do it. You do have a choice--you just have to step up and make it. Stop being a victim.

 

[Cindy B]

As an aide myself you do NOT have to do those things! If you do the prep, you are helping her get by.. and that is NOT right!

None of my teachers would never ask me to do that EVER! Occasionally though I will be asked to cover a class but thats not too bad. I am sometimes asked to help with displays or copies for the classroom, but thats not outside of the realm.

Personally if the union found out, they could get on the teacher also for "making" you work extra hours.

 

[Kteacher]

Thanks for the replies. My first responsibility is to the kids, and always will be. I am asked to cover the class on a daily basis, sometimes with sub pay, but often without it. It figures that my evaluation is due into Central Office. It was actually due last week, but the classroom teacher told me she would get to it when she had time Off to school, where I just keep telling myself, " it's all for the kids...."

 

[Hillbeans]

I am a supervisor, and I know from experience that i'd never ask an employee to continually do work without getting paid for it, regardless of if it's a union shop or not.

The issue here is really that your supervisor is using her position to delegate out her primary responsibilities. I'd call her on it.

 

[Cindy B]

Originally posted by Kteacher
Thanks for the replies. My first responsibility is to the kids, and always will be. I am asked to cover the class on a daily basis, sometimes with sub pay, but often without it. It figures that my evaluation is due into Central Office. It was actually due last week, but the classroom teacher told me she would get to it when she had time Off to school, where I just keep telling myself, " it's all for the kids...."

If I am reading this correctly, you sub and NOT get sub pay!

Personally, I would never do it for a full day unless I knew I was getting the sub pay for it. Our office gives a form to the person asked to cover the class. Then in turn that goes to central office, then the pay is reflected in paycheck.

Although I have to say, the aides can have up to 8 students without supervision. I have "subbed" in my pull out classes (maximum size 8), and not "required" to have sub pay, since it is 8 kids or less. Since the pull out class is only a period long, I really don't mind. (I just basically watch them if I don't cover the class) If I was asked to cover classes all day long, I sure would be asking for sub pay.

Our evaluations are done through the administrators, and not the teachers, so that is in our favor.

Personally I would NOT do that for her anymore. You don't get paid for that. ANd I hate to say this, but in that situation with myself I would think "That is why the teacher has the teaching degree and I don't"

I have been taken advantage also, in the realm of lunch duty. I have 107 students on my team (middle school). I am technically responsible for the 27-28 special ed students. In the lunch room is my total team 107 and another team (approx 100 other students). I refuse to be responsible as the sole aid in a lunchroom fro over 200 students.

I complained to the union rep, the administrators, and the office staff. I can not effectively do my job, with 200 students! The union rep (who is now the union president) made a copy of the agreement, (how we are only supposed to do 8 in class room), and now there are more than one person in the lunchroom!

 

[Kteacher]

We only get sub pay for 1/2 day or more of coverage (I'm talking the whole class), however I am asked on a daily basis to cover for her for meetings , conferences, etc., so it adds up. Sure enough, when I went in this morning she had left a list of things for me to do-she came in over the weekend-but nothing was prepped , so guess what-I gave the kids extra recess today. I've already spoken to administration about the situation, and have been told I am not expected to do lesson plans or do prep work on my own time. She's out again tomorrow, and the woman who came in to help out today said she was told she might be needed later on this week as well...........

 

[Jungle Skipper]

OMG! I totally know what you are talking about KTeacher!

I work at a television station in the midwest...I producer commercials and promotions. It was a sweet job....until we were bought out by a biger company who came in and started slashing budgets. The fired a bunch of people on what we all called D-day.

I survived Dday only to have my pay cut(not like I was making big bucks either)....but with no options at the time I held fast and tried to tough it out.

Then the new company hires a new superviser for my department. He's a total micro-manager (which drives us all nuts) who lies about what he knows how to do...He totally lied on his resume..and I can prove it.

But here's the kicker, I was hired to work 8-5 with an hour for lunch..which is fine with me, I commute 1 hour each way everyday. But for the last 2 months I have worked 8-6 with no lunch break. He doesn't tell me I cant break for lunch, he just over loads me with ridiculous deadlines. If I acctually took a break I'd be here all night! Argh it drives me nuts.

And to top it all off, now he wants us to work weekends too....We're salaried for 40 hours a week so no overtime! He has even gone so far as to schedule appointments for us every weekend this summer...alternating saturdays and sundays (including July 4th and Labor Day). WITHOUT ASKING US ABOUT OUR AVAILABILITY!

I despise this guy...is that bad?

All in all I think he is trying to drive us to quit. MY friend and co-worker found this paper on his desk (we weren't snooping, we were working, it was in plain sight), it was all about downsizing our department and finding cheaper replacements.


So wow...this went on to long....sorry for the rant...whew..feels good to get it off my chest....but now Im in a mood.

Jungle Josh

 

[Danauk]

As a teacher I would never expect my teaching assistant to do lesson plans for me, that is my job and not hers (she does not get paid to do this and I do.) I never ask her to stay behind after work or come in in the holidays (although sometimes she offers, although I do not expect this.) Sometimes she is required to cover some lessons (which I have prepared, introduced and will mark. But that is only to supervise the class as they work, she does not directly teach the whole class.) I agree with dzneelvr that as long as you allow this to happen she will continue to put more pressure on you and will expect more. You need to put your foot down now. Good luck.

 

[kadaten]

{b]Kteacher[/b]

May I ask....where is the teacher all this time she's gone? I think if I was a parent of one of those kids I would be VERY upset to find out the teacher is so rarely in the classroom!

 

[Kteacher]

Kadaten-she has been out due to just about everything: sick time (she's out if she sneezes),workshops(she signs up for everything), personal days, dr.'s appt.s-she'll leave early or come in late -usually 1-2 hours. I did have some parents approach me last fall about her absences, and I talked to administration- we were very close to being out of compliance with Federal No Child Left Behind Act regulations as I don't have a teaching certificate. So far administration has done nothing. Kindergarten screening is coming up, and I'm taking a personal day to take my GS troop camping, and of course I got the big sigh when she found out I would be out on a day she would be out of the classroom
My real problem is this: I am there for the kids. When a child is in my class, they are almost like my own kids, and I don't want to see them get cheated out of a good school experience. Another teacher in the school told me that when she asks kids who their kindergarten teacher was, they give my name. I think I'm just worn out right now as it's getting close to the end of the year. When I stop and think about the kids in my class, I can usually get myself out of my funk.
I prepped everything I needed for today before I left yesterday, and I know I probably shouldn't, but I will probably prep things for tomorrow, only because I'm afraid she'll be out again.
Thanks for all the replies- I never write such long posts! i can always count on my DIS friends to be good listeners

 

[Disney Doll]

I understand what you mean insofar as "it's all for the kids". I am a nurse, and I think teachers and nurses have a similar mentality. We go above and beyond the call of duty very often because we know there is a "victim" in our situation...in your case, the kids; in my case, the patients. I think there are peole who will "use" this personality trait, such as your supervisor.

If you think of it from a different perspective, I think you may understand where I am coming from.

I am sure you are great at what you do, and make huge sacrifices for the kids, but the fact remains that you are NOT the teacher, and therefore should not be so frequently responsible for subbing in the classroom, and doing other "Teacher" responsibilities. Ultimately, by having someone who is considered less-than-qualified(and I mean this as no insult, but, as you said, you don't have a teaching certificate), the kids are suffering. As good as you may be, you aren't a teacher yet, and teachers have had some education and training that you probably have not had. I could liken it to the relationship between a nurse and a nurse's aide. For a nurse, a nurse's aide is a wonderful colleague to have, because him/her doing his/her part of the job frees me up to do my part of the job. But my part of the job and his/her part of the job are very different, and there are parts of my job that he/she is not trained/educated/qualified to do. The teacher that you work for banks on the fact that you will go above and beyond "for the kids", and she's using you. It would be the same as having a lazy nurse who knows that if she has a good aide, the aide will go above and beyond to help the patient, therefore the nurse slacks off.

I would suggest you ask to see an outline of your job responsibilities, and go over it with her and HER superior, so that everyone is clear on what are your responsibilities and what are not. Approach it from the tactic of "I am a little concerned that am doing things that I am not yet qualified to do, and therefore the kids may suffer". No one will fault you for putting the kids first.

I, too, am surprised that the parents haven't said more about this. I think if my kid came home every day and said "Miss Teacher's Aide was in school today but Mrs. Teacher wasn't" more than a few times a year, I'd start to question it.

 

[Cindy B]

Disney Doll had some very good points.

In our district (as I am an aide), due to NCLB all the aides are now required to have enough credits for substitiute certification.

The minimum required is 48 credits (NCLB requirement), and our district is requiring 60 (state substitute requirement) so that the aides can "step in", and get sub pay.

In my daughters class, there is one teacher and one aide. The aide is a state certified first grade teacher. (She decided to stay home for her kids for a while), so if the teacher is absent, the aide "takes over". The aide is wonderful, and I see her as the other teacher.

As for the kids/parents feeling uncomfortable, most parents on my team are aware that I do "sub". During back to school night, (which I wasn't required to attend) the teachers did tell the parents that I am around, and I am a teaching student. (Maybe that helps!). Some of my parents even call me and ask me how their student is doing. Due to my job requirement, I basically defer them to the psychologist or the special ed teachers.

 

[disykat]

I think you need to be careful to ALWAYS be the aide and not the teacher. It sounds like you've been in a situation where you are more of a co-teacher than an aide (even when she is there if I recall some of your past posts) - and that has set you up for this.