Tuesday, August 31, 2004

Incompetence

I really shouldn't be writing when I 'm ticked off...but I have developed a very low tolerance for incompetence, especially when it comes to jobs that impact peoples lives.

The issue today is scheduling.
The class schedules in our building look like somebody threw students names, like conffetti, into the air, and they were assigned to whatever class they happened to land on.
I have students scheduled into classes they have already passed.
Some students are scheduled to be in classes for only two days that meet five days a week.
There are numerous teachers in major academic subjects, who are teaching one section of a class with more than 50 students, and the same class the next period with less than 5.
Students were placed in trades classes they have no interest in studying instead of the ones which drew them to this school in the first place.
We have teachers assigned to teach classes they are not certified to teach, while there are other teachers in the building who hold the required certification.

These problems are not due to a lack of staffing, rather they are due to a dearth of common sense, and the basic knowledge necessary to get the job done. All of this I could forgive if the people responsible for this fiasco would say, "We're sorry, we have made some mistakes and we will resolve them as quickly as possible."
But NO, we only get "It can't be done."

Would this be tolerated in the suburbs?
Where are the parents, demanding their child's schedule is changed?
Why aren't they pounding on the principal's door?
Don't they talk to their kids?
Don't they know what is going on at school?
Don't they understand, they have the power to get things fixed?

Excuse me while I go someplace to scream.

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