Front Row Seat of How a School Operates
We are Back to Business as Usual at School
Teachers are the most compliant group of people in terms of following policies. With all that happened during the 2020–2021 school year, the 2021–2022 school year is turning out to be back to pre-pandemic years.
I had written an article about doing something over, and over again with the same results.
I had taken on the responsibility to be a school-level union representative at my school; I realized that only a select few teachers were willing to put their name on the dotted line and file a complaint.
The rest of the teachers would complain about a situation, but do nothing to address the issue. The school-level union representatives are the liaisons between the teachers and the administration.
I have also written a short-form article on voting for a bell schedule at my school.
As a school-level union representative, I found out that teachers are the most compliant people. Teachers would bring up their concerns to the union, but they didn't want to be recognized. They wanted to place a complaint without giving their names.
I also learned that, if teachers said nothing, administrators would take advantage of the situation. If the administrators were called on for their errors, they would apologize after the fact. It would start all over again until someone calls them on the union rules.
I took on the role of the school-level representative to see if I could help bring change to the campus. What I realized was I placed a bulls-eye on the back of my shirt.
This is the last year of my term as a school-level union representative. I can say I volunteered for one two-year term.
Is it an important position?
I think it is because if someone is given power without any checks and balances, that person would probably take advantage of the situation.
The voting of the bell schedule is just one example of the abuse of power an administrator can have if allowed to use it.
It was option A, or the principal would choose option A.
Things I Learned as a School-Level Union Representative
1. Some principals are in the school system for themselves.
2. Some school teachers are in the school system for themselves.
3. Teachers have minimum or no say in the decision-making process at a school.
4. Students have no say in what happens at a school.
5. There is a lot of politics and in-house bickering at the school.
6. Presenting and maintaining a public image is a priority for the principal.
7. The school goal is to increase the number of students who pass the standardized test.
8. Teachers work tirelessly every day with no additional pay
9. It's hard for teachers to say “no” to the administration regarding doing extra work.
10. The standardized testing mandate for public schools drives the bus; this is why there are new curriculums every year.
Takeaway
1. It was the first time I volunteered as a school-level union representative. It’s also my last term that I will be a school-level union representative.
2. Principals are human too. Regardless of how nice an administrator may seem, their emotions sometimes dictate their actions. Do some administrators carry a grudge? Of course, they do!
3. Change of the overall system will take more than the teachers to make it happen; it will take the entire community of government leaders to create meaningful change.
4. There are so many dedicated teachers on campus that are not seen or heard.
5. Pay is an important factor in the quality of workplace happiness, but working conditions are at the top of the concern.
Final Thoughts
I am glad that I volunteered to be a school-level union representative. I will let another teacher be a part of the school-level union representative process for the next school year. I plan to work my contract hours and work on my writing and side gigs after work.
Whenever emotions at work are involved, there are always disputes, disagreements, and even grudges.
A public school system is a top-down approach to management. The teachers are last on the rung of the ladder. It was interesting having a front-row seat of seeing the dynamics of the school process, but we are back to business as usual at school.
I look forward to writing many more articles for Medium and other platforms. I would also like to see how far writing will take me.
Being part of the school-level union representative opened my eyes to how schools operate. It was an interesting two-year volunteering experience for me, but I think it’s time to have other teachers step in and have a front-row seat of the school-level process.
Teachers are the backbone of the school system because we work closely with the students, but we are at the bottom rung of the ladder in terms of the decision-making process at school.
To all my fellow educators, you have my admiration and respect.
