FIH teacher....A Day in the Life....

First, congratulations are in order. Our Golden Eagles defeated Bishop Kenny 17 - 14. Go Eagles!

Now, let me vent a little about the daily life of a high school teacher in Clay County. There are no empty classrooms in our school ANY period. We have teachers who do not have classrooms to call their own. They push or pull a cart, or drag a large cumbersome bag all over the school. It wouldn't be too bad if they were just going a few steps down the hallway, but several are going all over the school, all the while expected to greet their students at the door, have their word wall visible, their objective on the board, the Sunshine State Standards posted, AND the bell activity projected on the screen or written on the board. We must also make sure that our room is "print-rich" with charts, graphs, and informative posters present in our rooms (if we have one.)

Occasionally, an administrator ventures out of his comfortable office to pay us a visit. The result is usually a criticism of how we are not complying with one or more of the above requirements. Rarely is there an "attaboy" and if there is, it is accompanied by a "but......" On those rare occasions that one of us is recognized in a faculty meeting, it is almost always "the old guard," those who came with Sam from OPHS. The majority of the department heads are in that category. This is not to say that they are not the best people for the job, but that there are cliques among the staff, just as with the kids. 

Leadership begins at the top. We are asked to be vigilant about enforcing the Code of Conduct, yet when referrals are written for obvious infractions, administrators do not comply with the written rules. At our school, the disciplinary action for having an ipod is tougher than that for skipping school! This is demoralizing for those of us in the trenches. There are clear consequences for cheating, skipping, cell phones, etc., but our administrators are soft, and usually let them off with a much easier consequence. The students come back to class bragging about how they "only got after-school detention, instead of ISS," "how easy it was", and "how it was worth it." One student even said (when caught skipping) that if he'd been caught by Mr. _, he would have let him go. The end result is that students lose respect for the Code of Conduct, their teachers, and the administrators of our school. 

Why have rules if they are going to be enforced arbitrarily? This is the wrong kind of reinforcement. When rules are not enforced consistently, whether with your own children or students, it leads to a breakdown of discipline. This is not to say that extenuating circumstances can't sometimes change the extent of the discipline, but that most of the time, the Code of Conduct should be adhered to.

FIH is a fine school. Sam Ward had a dream when he took the helm of our school, and to a large extent, the dream is being fulfilled. The people who work here, from the top down, care about the children entrusted to their care. This year has begun well, with full classrooms first period and few tardies. It is important for the administrators to continue to be as vigilant as they want us to be. Support teachers by enforcing the Code of Conduct. Consistent adherence is fair, and conducive to an orderly learning environment.