Hell week #2 is officially over. I met with Christopher Robin Tuesday to discuss the issues we've been having at work, to see if she had any constructive suggestions or ways to restructure the place so I don't lose my mind. I explained a lot of things (some in as few details as possible). She had a few suggestions-- mostly along the lines of clear division of jobs and responsibilities so it would be clear not just to us in the midst of the bullshit but also to everyone else who was supposed to be doing what, and what was and was not getting done. She also said that one of us has to be the official department head, and that it makes more sense for me to have that job since I have more experience and can actually make a decision. I told her that announcement has to come from her or OFL -- there is no way I 'm dropping that bomb too. I also have the job of redoing the summer reading website (and thus I am not volunteering for one more damn thing at the district level). That needs to get done in about the next two months. No jury duty for Wed. (don't know how I missed that bullet, but I'm happy my name was on the "don't come in" message on their answering machine) so I went in to work.
Wednesday was Mushroom Cloud Day. Sat down with Eeyore to discuss several things (furniture, the 8th grade website business, and then the safe and the money). It did not go well. The first part was fine (read: the non-controversial stuff). When we got to the safe and I told her very calmly and quietly that I didn't care who had the combination or control over the money, but if she had it, I didn't want it because I didn't want to be held responsible unless I was actually completely responsible. I said flat out -- "If you don't want that responsibility, I'll take it, but I'm not sharing it. You decide what you'd like, and it'll be fine with me either way." She blew a gasket and told me she didn't see why we couldn't both have it, so I explained that her reactions to the bookfair nightmare were the solid reason behind my decision -- I was not willing to be responsible for something over which I had less than complete control anymore. I kept reiterating that I did not care if she wanted to have the responsibility; she could have it, but at that point I would refuse to take responsibility for any of it. She started yelling at that point, starting with "So you don't trust me?" to which I responded, "It's no longer a matter of trust. You refused to take responsibility for the bookfair mess with me, and you hung me out to dry. I'm no longer willing to risk my job in the least over this." She kept announcing she had no idea what I was talking about over and over again, and I finally quit repeating her exact words from the previous two conversations back to her -- just said "I explained what you said three times. I think that's enough." When she asked why I was doing this now, I told her I was tired and I felt overwhelmed and overworked sometimes, and that I needed help. She immediately twisted that into "You don't think I work? You don't think I do enough? I don't do my job?" It didn't matter how many times I said "I didn't say that. You said that." She was yelling loud enough for Kanga and Owl to hear her all the way across the media center at that point (and also all the staff and students who were in there also). It was more than embarrassing. She started yelling that she'd "take the web" -- as if that wasn't supposed to be something she should be doing already anyway. Her last attempt at a cut toward me was "I thought this was supposed to be a partnership." My immediate response to her was a calm, eye-to-eye "I thought so too." That seemed to shut her up for a few seconds, and then she darted off announcing she had lunch duty. After she grabbed her coat, she stopped and yelled at me one last time, "You just take the safe and the money. You want it you can just have it since the safe was your idea anyway."
I sat through the fallout for about 20 minutes, ate Tums for lunch, and told Kanga I was all right when she came over to ask quietly how I was. I sent OFL a very short email that said we had had the conversation, it did not go well, and that she had blown a gasket. He came up about an hour later into my class, and sat down to ask me "What is her fucking problem?" I gave a very brief explanation of what had happened and we left it at that. I stopped in later to tell him that CR was coming and we were supposed to divide responsibilities together. His response was "You have to have her to do THAT?" I said yes -- at least right now. I keep telling him I am trying to make this work. How long? I don't know.
Thursday CR came to do a formal eval on Eeyore, who was apparently nervous enough about this to not only ask me repeatedly if she should do a particular lesson, but also to have the aide NOT bring the seriously retarded girl to class that day. That pissed me off. Anyway, afterward, CR weenied out on helping us divide our responsibilities, and left it as we should do it ourselves and let her know. I talked with Eeyore later and suggested we look at several ways to divide and conquer -- possibly by grade level and or subject for the curricular areas. The reality is that she's going to have to pick up more of the day to day if I have to be responsible for the budget and all that other nonsense. That ought to be another fun nuclear discussion.
Friday was staff development, otherwise known as "been there done that" day. Other than a few tricks, the day was pretty much spent looking at things we'd seen before and talked over ad nauseum. We did decide that the research process needs to be standardized k-12, so that the same ideas and vocabulary get used throughout. The elementary schools are our weak link, as they do a hodgepodge of whatever they like. Eeyore volunteered immediately for the committee, along with the Hobbit and the Mole. I refused to say anything -- I have enough on my plate.
The other piece that came out of yesterday was that CR said I now have to talk to Calca downtown about using the bookfair money to buy furniture for the new reading area for the media center, since the district can now see our account online(thanks to Eeyore for being so stubbornly recalcitrant on spending the money before now). Hopefully the conversation can end with a yes from him and I won't have to take this to the White Witch. Don't know if I should add in the digital slr camera to that conversation also.
Sigh. I am so damn glad this week is over. Unfortunately, the difficult pieces aren't finished yet, so this soap opera bullshit is going to continue for a while.
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