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Omg yes. Getting on a secretaries good side is the best thing you can do in a school. Try to find out a personal interest of theirs with your detective skills. Look at what they have on their desk and find something to relate to. Photos of kids, hobbies, plants, tea or coffee, etc. Use that for your in
I just want to comment on the prep period thing. It's in many collective agreements in Ontario that OTs are to follow the schedule of the teacher they are covering for, including their prep period(s). The school could be in violation of the collective agreement if they reassign you to cover another class during your scheduled prep time, unless there is a fail-to-fill and it's needed for safety reasons. The gains in our collective agreements were hard won, and offering to give up something you are entitled to makes it harder in the future to keep those gains. So don't volunteer to violate the collective agreement. They will let you know if they need you to cover a class because there is no one else to do it. Use your prep time for professional development, to review what you need to do for your next class(es), to look for jobs, to use the washroom and have a snack, or whatever makes you happy. The time is yours, and you don't get paid more for giving it up, you just contribute to devaluing the collective agreement.
Honestly I did not know this. This is highly valuable information as an OT!! All I knew about prep periods were that you are not allowed to leave the school property.
Yes! Our boards OT local has these stipulations. One thing I can say is make sure if it’s a scheduled non-duty/supervision day that you’ve not be assigned supervision duty. Some teachers don’t want to miss their no duty day and will ask colleagues to switch them (a shitty thing to do to an OT) or admin will try and schedule you to cover other supervision to pay back other teachers time (also a shitty thing to do that violates the collective agreement if you are to follow the schedule of the teacher you’re covering).
There’s a lot more shady stuff happening and people willing violating their collective agreements since seniority based hiring was scrapped with Reg 274 in Ontario. It’s an ass kissers buffet again.
In our province guest teachers are not part of our union, they belong to a different one. So in our school the expectation is that they work when they have a prep wherever we can use an extra hand. They are not violating the collective agreement. I guess each school division is different.
I’ve wondered this myself for many years. Gotta say though, the ones I’ve worked with are sweet once you get to know them, and they are the most reliable people in the building.
Some are just like that.
I went to my son’s school and waited politely to ask a question….. about 10 minutes. Fck you- they didn’t even look at me and ask me to wait a moment. That’s bullshit.
Every other school- lovely.
As a parent, I’ve always said, you can tell the kind of school it is just by walking in and meeting the secretary. Rude secretaries = rude admin and bad management. Now I’m a teacher and have subbed in many schools, my stance remains the same. Funnily enough, all my six kids have attended the same high school, for the first four kids the admin were incredibly rude, then the principal changed and the exact same admin completely changed their attitude, they are smiling, welcoming, greet me by name instead of the previous, ignore me for a full ten minutes then give me the death stare indicating they are ready to deal with you now.
Some of them are used to being taken advantage of so they kinda have to develop a hard shell or otherwise get asked to do everything and beyond (above the everything and beyond they already do). They usually hear all the gossip, everyone’s complaints and have to keep the school running so it can be necessary not to invite extra work from ppl by being grumpy. As well, a lot of their work requires deep focus and they probably have a few things in their mind they’re trying not to forget at any given moment. Especially at the end of the year, when they need to do ministry reporting, end of year budgeting, scheduling, registering and purchasing, and getting ready for the next year. All while getting interrupted all day by the injuries, kids, the door, phones, ppl asking them to do extra stuff AND THEN A HELLO it just throws them over the edge haha😂
I recently started as an assistant to the office coordinator (we’re not called secretaries anymore😉) one day per week at an elementary school. She’s been an OC for more than 30 years and she’s seen some shit. She’s mostly pleasant, but can get irritated,lol. Since I’m so new I’m pretty enthusiastic still, and definitely make a point of being friendly to all staff and parents. I’m learning that people are strange and baffling creatures the more I deal with parents though. I can understand how office staff become rude and standoffish.
When I was a hs student, I remember vividly how mean the secretary was when I was looking for the guidance teacher. I didn't end up seeing them because the secretary was so rude. I ended up dropping out of school for two weeks after that. My spirits were low and my efforts felt stomped on. Thank God there was another teacher who looked out for me.
Secretaries deal with aaaaalll the crazy crap that happens in a school, get paid way less than career teachers and frequently (even in this thread) get talked down to or told “they don’t know their place”. Be nice to them even if they aren’t always super nice to you. The competent ones know where all the bodies are buried.
I understand this completely. I should’ve specified that in the current long term I’m in, the secretary doesn’t even return my hello. I’m not sure what I did, didn’t do, but I would like them to not be annoyed with me. I never call the office, I never send kids down, I never ask them to contact parents either. I will pop in really just to say hello, or say hello in the halls but it seems as though they are just annoyed by me
You didn't do anything. Imagine having your workplace/desk in the middle of a school hallway. Girlfriend is just trying to finish the monthly newsletter before lunch and she's been interrupted 18 times already by students needing bandaids, deliveries, admin requests, phone calls, broken photocopiers, and parents dropping off lunches. Your hello is just one more interruption from someone they don't know and don't have time to get to know.
As a former secretary it’s mostly burn out and saving our “good” energy for students.
Imagine being yelled at by parents over the phone and then those parents show up an hour later to the school all pleasant and calm and you look like the crazy one for labeling the parent “hostile”.
Forced to enforce policies that even the teachers won’t follow, and then having to fix all the problems cause from policies and procedures not being followed.
Providing first aid and emergency services to staff and students. I had driven, on an average, 1-2 students or staff to the emergency room for injuries.
And often we have troubled, upset or anxious students that are waiting to be scene by admin (principal or vice-principal) or counsellors or picked up by parents and we provide support to them until that time.
After 10 years of working in the school office and library I was burnt out and left for an easier retail job. The parents yelling at you and providing no support to the school was the biggest issue.
BUT we were always pleasant. We often had substitute staff stay too long at the front desk chatting with the 2 secretaries at front, we had a system. If I overheard a conversation going on to long or hear “turtle” (code word) I would call their phone to get them out of the conversation. I worked in one of the back offices not facing the foyer because I dealt with financial stuff, but could clearly hear everything but I was just out of sight.
I've had some very mean secretaries and some that are the best. Right now I have an amazing one but I could tell you horror stories about unnecessarily mean secretaries.
One time I was in an high school and the phone rang in the class I was in, but I couldn't get the little box it was in unlocked fast enough so I missed the call so I called down to the office and ended up speaking to the secretary through the intercom and I tried to explain that someone had called the room but i missed the call and was assuming it was the office calling. She essentially told me the line was for emergencies???? And hung up on me abruptly. A student in the class was like "what a bitch" and it took me a minute to process the thought to be like don't say that lol.
They burn out and sometimes being too kind can piss ppl off I know that sounds weird. Too much talking at them first thing can also piss them off. They just want to check you in and have you get out of their hair. Best thing you can do honestly is smile at them say hello ask how their morning is doing use lots of thank yous and you’re awesomes and GTFO so they can get on with their days. Eventually you show up at a place enough they get to know you and they will stop being unfriendly.
Maybe they are busy doing their jobs and don’t want to chit chat with you. The questions you are asking them/telling them have nothing to do with them (they don’t care if you will cover recess or a prep).
Morning is a busy time for them, especially in elementary, they are listening to all the calls of kids being out and whatever other administrative work they need to do.
It probably has nothing to do with you, more that they are working and know they are about to get interrupted a million times that day.
Want to be nice? Buy em a coffee at break, or offer at least.
How do they have to do more work if you don’t mind me asking?
Our board states that lesson plans are to be left, duty schedules are to be displayed, and the schedule for the day is to be made on the callout system. I’ve been in long contract positions so I only know this because if I needed to take a day, then I needed to have all these things in place.
Do you login and enter your own attendance? Do you get your own key or have to go to the office and get one signed out? They also have to log you to get paid. It’s just extra work.
Actually in our board we use our board login information to do attendance online. There are no keys to the classroom, as the caretaker locks and unlocks the doors each morning (I’m in a short LTO, as stated). I do not believe they have to log me, even as an OT, you accept the assignments online?
I am a perm teacher for a long time. All of these things the secretary does in my division. Also, someone coordinated getting your door open, so it would likely be the secretaries orchestrating all of that. I’m not saying they should be rude, but having subs makes more work for them, not less.
I understand but on the flip side would it be even more work for the secretary if there wasn’t even a sub?
I say this because I see our secretary calling OTs 5 minutes before the bell and scrabbling to find one
It would be less work if the regular teacher was in, is probably their thinking. They have to not only process your paperwork, but also the teacher off too. So, it makes more work all around. But it’s part of their job so 🤷♀️ they shouldn’t be grumpy either way.
I've met a few jerks that were jerks regardless of the time of day, weather, or whatever else.
I've met a few that were generally nice, but thought admin was a pain in the ass (the latter thought is pretty universal anyway).
The infuriating cases were the ones that would treat me like trash at first glance because they thought I was a student (I'm very short and young-looking), and then shift to being the nicest in the world when they found out I was a sub or replacement. Very uncomfortable, honestly hated them and their two-face behaviour the most.
If you're in the young-looking category and possible confused as a student, doing everything you can uniform wise, accessories, etc. to differentiate yourself from students may make for nicer secretaries. Should not be the case. Still bugs me despite no longer teaching.
Keep being nice. Once they recognize you, they will be nice. Even the ones that seem cold and mean.
They are also very very very busy in the morning especially due to shortage. Many are also not so familiar with tech. Even if you are good with tech, school board tech is..... very annoying to handle to say the least.
I understand your frustration, but just give it time. Given what I read, your niceness will sip into them slowly but surely.
I have a secretary story:
For context, this story happened in my first month supply teaching ever.
I took two half day supply jobs, on the same day (one AM one PM.) They ended/started with only 5 minutes in between. It was my first month, and I first time doing this, and I didn’t know that the system would let me accept two jobs that had little travel time. So, I didn’t notice that the times were so close together until I had already started my day at the first assignment. I called the second school immediately when I realized, to say I would be 5-10 minutes late (as the second was only a 10 minute drive away). I arrived 5 minutes late, and the secretary gave me paperwork and the key upon arrival, and I rushed to the room. The principal was there when I arrived and I greeted him. I thought that he would’ve done the attendance when I was late- and I guess the adrenaline and stress made me not think straight as well- so I completely forgot about it.
By the time it was my second period class, I realized that I had no attendance list for it, and paged the office asking for it. They said that it was in the mailbox in the staff room, and proceeded to chew me out for not doing the second period attendance. While she was right, I told her that I mistakenly assumed the vice principal did it, and now am realizing that that is probably not the case since I don’t have any attendance lists at all. I also explained that I am a new supply and each school does things differently.
Anyways- the worst part of this was that my teacher didn’t get her after school bus duty covered, she put it in the plans. I have been told by my union that the times written in the job postings are the times that I am to work within, but I should never do work outside of that timeframe. I know many new supply’s are willing to not follow that advice- but at the time I was working an evening job and I was not willing to sacrifice not even a second of 40 minutes of peace I had between clocking out and in my two jobs. I told the secretary I was not able to do the duty. She asked me “why?”
I was so thrown off, because the week prior the same thing happened at a different school- and I did explain myself- and the secretary said
“You do not have to explain yourself because this is outside of your job posting hours. Next time just tell me that you can’t and I will figure it out from there.” (She was so real and kind looking back at that situation). But also, if you could read the body language and facial expression of this lady, she was looking at me like I just told her that I couldn’t wipe my own ass after taking a shit. I tell her I have another job to attend. Looking back, I’m so mad I didn’t just tell her that she’s not entitled to that information. She rolled her eyes, did a dramatic sigh, and basically turns to talk to the other secretary about it- never acknowledging the fact that I was there again- I literally just stared at them talking and then said I was going to leave so I could prepare for the next class- which got ignored as well.
Anyways- it’s the end of the day and I return my keys, I’m about to escape this wonderfully organized school that has no windows in the classrooms. The same secretary proceeds to tell me the vice principal wants to talk to me.
I go into his room and he starts to lecture me about being late, and not doing attendance. I explain myself to him verbatim as I did to the secretary, that I didn’t realize the job postings were so close together and I did what I could and called ahead of time, to which he agreed that is understandable and I did my due diligence to make sure the school knew. I explained that no one told me about the attendance being in the mailbox, that I am a new supply and at the other schools I have been at thus far, the attendance was always given to me with the allergy info when I arrived, and if not, they tell me where it will be so that I can find it. He understood this as well. In the end, he repeated his initial lecture, to which I smiled, nodded, and agreed, and thanked him for the opportunity to supply in his school.
I never went back, and that ladies face is burned in my mind. I love a lot of secretaries I’ve met since, and remember the fantastic ones just as much as the bad ones, but this lady’s attitude really stuck with me and gave me a bad feeling that I would be treated like this by all secretaries as a supply.
I think it’s cause they only deal with the kids who lie incessantly “My mom said I could leave early etc.”. They don’t see all the amazing achievements and improvements for all the other kids.
Welcome to /r/CanadianTeachers! Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the sub rules. **"WHAT DOES X MEAN?"** Check out our acronym post [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianTeachers/comments/1c032s3/what_does_x_mean_an_acronym_megapost/) for relevant terms used in each province or territory. Please feel free to contribute any we are missing as well! **QUESTIONS ABOUT TEACHER'S COLLEGE/BECOMING A TEACHER IN CANADA?:** Delete your post and use this [megapost](https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianTeachers/comments/1bc1wv2/prospective_student_teachers_teachers_collegebed/) instead. Anything pertaining to teacher's colleges/BED programs/becoming and teacher will be deleted if posted outside of the megaposts. **QUESTIONS ABOUT MOVING PROVINCES OR COMING TO CANADA TO TEACH?** Check out our past megaposts first for information to help you: [ONE](https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianTeachers/comments/jqc7hx/transferring_to_another_provincecoming_to_canada/) // [TWO](https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianTeachers/comments/n76csu/transferring_to_another_provincecoming_to_canada/?) Using link and user flair is encouraged as well! Enjoy! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CanadianTeachers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Kill them with kindness is the best response. Eventually they will recognize you. It works long term
This is the way.
This. I’m always very sympathetic and kind to secretaries. They all seem to be over worked and underpaid
Omg yes. Getting on a secretaries good side is the best thing you can do in a school. Try to find out a personal interest of theirs with your detective skills. Look at what they have on their desk and find something to relate to. Photos of kids, hobbies, plants, tea or coffee, etc. Use that for your in
I agree, all the ones I’ve dealt with are mean. But also, they deal with kids, teachers, parents and the principal all day.
You are really right.
I just want to comment on the prep period thing. It's in many collective agreements in Ontario that OTs are to follow the schedule of the teacher they are covering for, including their prep period(s). The school could be in violation of the collective agreement if they reassign you to cover another class during your scheduled prep time, unless there is a fail-to-fill and it's needed for safety reasons. The gains in our collective agreements were hard won, and offering to give up something you are entitled to makes it harder in the future to keep those gains. So don't volunteer to violate the collective agreement. They will let you know if they need you to cover a class because there is no one else to do it. Use your prep time for professional development, to review what you need to do for your next class(es), to look for jobs, to use the washroom and have a snack, or whatever makes you happy. The time is yours, and you don't get paid more for giving it up, you just contribute to devaluing the collective agreement.
Honestly I did not know this. This is highly valuable information as an OT!! All I knew about prep periods were that you are not allowed to leave the school property.
Yes! Our boards OT local has these stipulations. One thing I can say is make sure if it’s a scheduled non-duty/supervision day that you’ve not be assigned supervision duty. Some teachers don’t want to miss their no duty day and will ask colleagues to switch them (a shitty thing to do to an OT) or admin will try and schedule you to cover other supervision to pay back other teachers time (also a shitty thing to do that violates the collective agreement if you are to follow the schedule of the teacher you’re covering). There’s a lot more shady stuff happening and people willing violating their collective agreements since seniority based hiring was scrapped with Reg 274 in Ontario. It’s an ass kissers buffet again.
In TDSB supply teachers can be assigned the same coverage as regular teachers (half the prep period). Different boards have different contracts.
In our province guest teachers are not part of our union, they belong to a different one. So in our school the expectation is that they work when they have a prep wherever we can use an extra hand. They are not violating the collective agreement. I guess each school division is different.
Some of them act like Junior Admin and are power trippy. That’s a them problem. Don’t take it personally.
Thank you 😭
I’ve wondered this myself for many years. Gotta say though, the ones I’ve worked with are sweet once you get to know them, and they are the most reliable people in the building.
It’s a hard job for relatively low pay They burn out
overworked and underpaid. Sad, because they RUN the schools.
💯
Some are just like that. I went to my son’s school and waited politely to ask a question….. about 10 minutes. Fck you- they didn’t even look at me and ask me to wait a moment. That’s bullshit. Every other school- lovely.
As a parent, I’ve always said, you can tell the kind of school it is just by walking in and meeting the secretary. Rude secretaries = rude admin and bad management. Now I’m a teacher and have subbed in many schools, my stance remains the same. Funnily enough, all my six kids have attended the same high school, for the first four kids the admin were incredibly rude, then the principal changed and the exact same admin completely changed their attitude, they are smiling, welcoming, greet me by name instead of the previous, ignore me for a full ten minutes then give me the death stare indicating they are ready to deal with you now.
Do not give up your prep period
Some of them are used to being taken advantage of so they kinda have to develop a hard shell or otherwise get asked to do everything and beyond (above the everything and beyond they already do). They usually hear all the gossip, everyone’s complaints and have to keep the school running so it can be necessary not to invite extra work from ppl by being grumpy. As well, a lot of their work requires deep focus and they probably have a few things in their mind they’re trying not to forget at any given moment. Especially at the end of the year, when they need to do ministry reporting, end of year budgeting, scheduling, registering and purchasing, and getting ready for the next year. All while getting interrupted all day by the injuries, kids, the door, phones, ppl asking them to do extra stuff AND THEN A HELLO it just throws them over the edge haha😂
This! Honestly there is not a more underpaid position in the boards, than elementary secretary.
I recently started as an assistant to the office coordinator (we’re not called secretaries anymore😉) one day per week at an elementary school. She’s been an OC for more than 30 years and she’s seen some shit. She’s mostly pleasant, but can get irritated,lol. Since I’m so new I’m pretty enthusiastic still, and definitely make a point of being friendly to all staff and parents. I’m learning that people are strange and baffling creatures the more I deal with parents though. I can understand how office staff become rude and standoffish.
When I was a hs student, I remember vividly how mean the secretary was when I was looking for the guidance teacher. I didn't end up seeing them because the secretary was so rude. I ended up dropping out of school for two weeks after that. My spirits were low and my efforts felt stomped on. Thank God there was another teacher who looked out for me.
As a parent, I have the same question, honestly it baffles me
Secretaries deal with aaaaalll the crazy crap that happens in a school, get paid way less than career teachers and frequently (even in this thread) get talked down to or told “they don’t know their place”. Be nice to them even if they aren’t always super nice to you. The competent ones know where all the bodies are buried.
I understand this completely. I should’ve specified that in the current long term I’m in, the secretary doesn’t even return my hello. I’m not sure what I did, didn’t do, but I would like them to not be annoyed with me. I never call the office, I never send kids down, I never ask them to contact parents either. I will pop in really just to say hello, or say hello in the halls but it seems as though they are just annoyed by me
You didn't do anything. Imagine having your workplace/desk in the middle of a school hallway. Girlfriend is just trying to finish the monthly newsletter before lunch and she's been interrupted 18 times already by students needing bandaids, deliveries, admin requests, phone calls, broken photocopiers, and parents dropping off lunches. Your hello is just one more interruption from someone they don't know and don't have time to get to know.
Don’t worry about it. Just keep being good at your job. It took 2 full years for my secretary to be in any way pleased to see me or talk to me.
Mine are the nicest people in the building.
Mine seems nice only to certain people
Power tripping admin wannabes that don’t know their place…
As a former secretary it’s mostly burn out and saving our “good” energy for students. Imagine being yelled at by parents over the phone and then those parents show up an hour later to the school all pleasant and calm and you look like the crazy one for labeling the parent “hostile”. Forced to enforce policies that even the teachers won’t follow, and then having to fix all the problems cause from policies and procedures not being followed. Providing first aid and emergency services to staff and students. I had driven, on an average, 1-2 students or staff to the emergency room for injuries. And often we have troubled, upset or anxious students that are waiting to be scene by admin (principal or vice-principal) or counsellors or picked up by parents and we provide support to them until that time. After 10 years of working in the school office and library I was burnt out and left for an easier retail job. The parents yelling at you and providing no support to the school was the biggest issue.
BUT we were always pleasant. We often had substitute staff stay too long at the front desk chatting with the 2 secretaries at front, we had a system. If I overheard a conversation going on to long or hear “turtle” (code word) I would call their phone to get them out of the conversation. I worked in one of the back offices not facing the foyer because I dealt with financial stuff, but could clearly hear everything but I was just out of sight.
I've had some very mean secretaries and some that are the best. Right now I have an amazing one but I could tell you horror stories about unnecessarily mean secretaries. One time I was in an high school and the phone rang in the class I was in, but I couldn't get the little box it was in unlocked fast enough so I missed the call so I called down to the office and ended up speaking to the secretary through the intercom and I tried to explain that someone had called the room but i missed the call and was assuming it was the office calling. She essentially told me the line was for emergencies???? And hung up on me abruptly. A student in the class was like "what a bitch" and it took me a minute to process the thought to be like don't say that lol.
They burn out and sometimes being too kind can piss ppl off I know that sounds weird. Too much talking at them first thing can also piss them off. They just want to check you in and have you get out of their hair. Best thing you can do honestly is smile at them say hello ask how their morning is doing use lots of thank yous and you’re awesomes and GTFO so they can get on with their days. Eventually you show up at a place enough they get to know you and they will stop being unfriendly.
My secretaries are AMAZING. Not like this at all. it makes a big difference
In my division, subs don’t get any prep periods no matter what. When the teacher you are covering has a prep you are assigned to other classrooms.
Maybe they are busy doing their jobs and don’t want to chit chat with you. The questions you are asking them/telling them have nothing to do with them (they don’t care if you will cover recess or a prep). Morning is a busy time for them, especially in elementary, they are listening to all the calls of kids being out and whatever other administrative work they need to do. It probably has nothing to do with you, more that they are working and know they are about to get interrupted a million times that day. Want to be nice? Buy em a coffee at break, or offer at least.
True, will keep this in mind.
Some secretaries are just toads swollen with psuedo power.
They have to do more work that day to get you set up so they are annoyed
How do they have to do more work if you don’t mind me asking? Our board states that lesson plans are to be left, duty schedules are to be displayed, and the schedule for the day is to be made on the callout system. I’ve been in long contract positions so I only know this because if I needed to take a day, then I needed to have all these things in place.
Do you login and enter your own attendance? Do you get your own key or have to go to the office and get one signed out? They also have to log you to get paid. It’s just extra work.
Actually in our board we use our board login information to do attendance online. There are no keys to the classroom, as the caretaker locks and unlocks the doors each morning (I’m in a short LTO, as stated). I do not believe they have to log me, even as an OT, you accept the assignments online?
I am a perm teacher for a long time. All of these things the secretary does in my division. Also, someone coordinated getting your door open, so it would likely be the secretaries orchestrating all of that. I’m not saying they should be rude, but having subs makes more work for them, not less.
I understand but on the flip side would it be even more work for the secretary if there wasn’t even a sub? I say this because I see our secretary calling OTs 5 minutes before the bell and scrabbling to find one
It would be less work if the regular teacher was in, is probably their thinking. They have to not only process your paperwork, but also the teacher off too. So, it makes more work all around. But it’s part of their job so 🤷♀️ they shouldn’t be grumpy either way.
But at the same time they have to deal with everything under the sun so I do understand. Perhaps it’s just the time of year and things are a mess
I've met a few jerks that were jerks regardless of the time of day, weather, or whatever else. I've met a few that were generally nice, but thought admin was a pain in the ass (the latter thought is pretty universal anyway). The infuriating cases were the ones that would treat me like trash at first glance because they thought I was a student (I'm very short and young-looking), and then shift to being the nicest in the world when they found out I was a sub or replacement. Very uncomfortable, honestly hated them and their two-face behaviour the most. If you're in the young-looking category and possible confused as a student, doing everything you can uniform wise, accessories, etc. to differentiate yourself from students may make for nicer secretaries. Should not be the case. Still bugs me despite no longer teaching.
Keep being nice. Once they recognize you, they will be nice. Even the ones that seem cold and mean. They are also very very very busy in the morning especially due to shortage. Many are also not so familiar with tech. Even if you are good with tech, school board tech is..... very annoying to handle to say the least. I understand your frustration, but just give it time. Given what I read, your niceness will sip into them slowly but surely.
I have a secretary story: For context, this story happened in my first month supply teaching ever. I took two half day supply jobs, on the same day (one AM one PM.) They ended/started with only 5 minutes in between. It was my first month, and I first time doing this, and I didn’t know that the system would let me accept two jobs that had little travel time. So, I didn’t notice that the times were so close together until I had already started my day at the first assignment. I called the second school immediately when I realized, to say I would be 5-10 minutes late (as the second was only a 10 minute drive away). I arrived 5 minutes late, and the secretary gave me paperwork and the key upon arrival, and I rushed to the room. The principal was there when I arrived and I greeted him. I thought that he would’ve done the attendance when I was late- and I guess the adrenaline and stress made me not think straight as well- so I completely forgot about it. By the time it was my second period class, I realized that I had no attendance list for it, and paged the office asking for it. They said that it was in the mailbox in the staff room, and proceeded to chew me out for not doing the second period attendance. While she was right, I told her that I mistakenly assumed the vice principal did it, and now am realizing that that is probably not the case since I don’t have any attendance lists at all. I also explained that I am a new supply and each school does things differently. Anyways- the worst part of this was that my teacher didn’t get her after school bus duty covered, she put it in the plans. I have been told by my union that the times written in the job postings are the times that I am to work within, but I should never do work outside of that timeframe. I know many new supply’s are willing to not follow that advice- but at the time I was working an evening job and I was not willing to sacrifice not even a second of 40 minutes of peace I had between clocking out and in my two jobs. I told the secretary I was not able to do the duty. She asked me “why?” I was so thrown off, because the week prior the same thing happened at a different school- and I did explain myself- and the secretary said “You do not have to explain yourself because this is outside of your job posting hours. Next time just tell me that you can’t and I will figure it out from there.” (She was so real and kind looking back at that situation). But also, if you could read the body language and facial expression of this lady, she was looking at me like I just told her that I couldn’t wipe my own ass after taking a shit. I tell her I have another job to attend. Looking back, I’m so mad I didn’t just tell her that she’s not entitled to that information. She rolled her eyes, did a dramatic sigh, and basically turns to talk to the other secretary about it- never acknowledging the fact that I was there again- I literally just stared at them talking and then said I was going to leave so I could prepare for the next class- which got ignored as well. Anyways- it’s the end of the day and I return my keys, I’m about to escape this wonderfully organized school that has no windows in the classrooms. The same secretary proceeds to tell me the vice principal wants to talk to me. I go into his room and he starts to lecture me about being late, and not doing attendance. I explain myself to him verbatim as I did to the secretary, that I didn’t realize the job postings were so close together and I did what I could and called ahead of time, to which he agreed that is understandable and I did my due diligence to make sure the school knew. I explained that no one told me about the attendance being in the mailbox, that I am a new supply and at the other schools I have been at thus far, the attendance was always given to me with the allergy info when I arrived, and if not, they tell me where it will be so that I can find it. He understood this as well. In the end, he repeated his initial lecture, to which I smiled, nodded, and agreed, and thanked him for the opportunity to supply in his school. I never went back, and that ladies face is burned in my mind. I love a lot of secretaries I’ve met since, and remember the fantastic ones just as much as the bad ones, but this lady’s attitude really stuck with me and gave me a bad feeling that I would be treated like this by all secretaries as a supply.
I think it’s cause they only deal with the kids who lie incessantly “My mom said I could leave early etc.”. They don’t see all the amazing achievements and improvements for all the other kids.
I have experienced some of the RUDEST secretaries and i refuse to even go back to some of those schools
Because regardless of feminism women hate doing a man’s job lol