A local DoDDS teacher, who also happens to be regular reader of this fine publication, sent me an e-mail asking me to talk about some drama that’s been going on between Yokosuka DODDS teachers and their school’s principal over…lunch breaks? The teacher wished to remain anonymous and avoid any reprisal. Here’s the teacher’s story:
Sullivans Elementary School has a principal in charge who is completely incompetent in his job. He regularly sends out emails to the staff and faculty riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. He doesn’t even take the time to proofread his own work, but he will hammer teachers who don’t. Also, he backs parents 100%, and never listens to the teacher’s point of view. He’s afraid to make any decisions on his own, so he committees everything to death so he can disavow any responsibility for his actions.
He has been in charge of the school for about five years now. His wife is a teacher in Ikego at the elementary school there. DODDS teachers are legally eligible to have a union on all the military bases around the world. This school year our union FRS (faculty representative spokesman) filed a grievance against the principal for illegally ordering us to stand duty as “lunch monitors” in the lunch room. Teachers are very pissed off about this - a grievance is a rare occurence in DODDS schools. It is really a last resort. We didn’t spend six years going to college to be lunch monitors, a job normally done by a GS-3 or GS-4 max. Stars and Stripes has printed about three articles about the grievance, which is still in litigation. The reporter who wrote all the stories was Chris Fowler. The tone of his articles would indicate he has been stonewalled by DODDS at every turn. The DODDS district office in Yokota has backed the principal stating it’s up to him how to solve the problem. They even claim that DODDS has no “teacher to student” ratio for lunch monitor duty. That means one teacher could supervise 500 kids if they wanted to. The solution is to have our administration stand this ridiculous duty, or to hire people to take care of it, not teachers who have better things to do with their time.
Before I continue, I have to be completely honest here. I’m a single 25 year old Sailor, and I don’t know anything about Department of Defense (DOD) schools. All I really know is the surrounding speed limit is 15KM, and because everyone thinks single Sailors are up to no good, we’re told to completely avoid the schools and their inhabitants.
The teacher mentioned Stars & Stripes reporting on it, but in a previous e-mail, said they were too “pro-DODDS” leaning. I found two articles on the S&S website, but I’ll leave the judgment up to the readers. The articles are here and here.
Now at first I didn’t think it was that big of a deal for a bunch of teachers to stand “lunch monitor” on what seems to be a duty day (do DODDS teachers have duty days?). I mean, it could be a lot worse. Try sitting in the middle of the ocean in a space where all the air conditioning has been turned off, while you’re in battle dress, eating the worst crap-sandwich that the Culinary Specialists (CS) can possibly make. But then I thought about something I’ve learned in this fine Navy. If your people are not happy, then they will not produce. In my case, if a leader is a total dick to his people, then they will do just the bare minimum they have to, to not get in trouble. On the other side of the spectrum. I’ve worked for leaders who were really interested in the welfare, opinions, quality of life, etc., of their people, and the work I and my peers produced was above and beyond.
When dealing with a sensitive topic such as education for military dependents, I wonder if anyone would really want to have their kids being taught by teachers who were too preoccupied with administrative bullshit, to really take the time and educate their children. It happens to me and my shipmates. Some times you have a bad day, and something comes out that pisses the collective group off, so you just kind of say “screw it,” and do just enough to get home or go to your rack that day. Teachers are human too, so I can only imagine that some of them might get to the point where instead of going above and beyond for their students, they just say “screw it” and watch the clock for the rest of the day.
I have to agree with the reader about committees for every decision being a bad idea. They’re just a time-wasting tactic used by people who don’t have the balls to make decisions on their own, or accept the responsibility of making bad decisions. Although, I wonder who made this lunch time decision? The principle or a committee?
As for always siding with the student’s parents and never with the teachers, that may just be the general perception of the teacher’s themselves. However, that’s still a bad thing as it’s obvious that the teacher’s don’t see eye to eye with their boss. Principal Dave Russell might want to take a minute and read The Top 5 Reasons the Customer is Always Right, is Wrong! He should definitely read #1, and #5, which says:
Rosenbluth argues that when you put the employees first, they put the customers first. Put employees first, and they will be happy at work. Employees who are happy at work give better customer service because:
* They care more about other people, including customers
* They have more energy
* They are happy, meaning they are more fun to talk to and interact with
* They are more motivatedOn the other hand, when the company and management consistently side with customers instead of with employees, it sends a clear message that:
* Employees are not valued
* That treating employees fairly is not important
* That employees have no right to respect from customers
* That employees have to put up with everything from customersWhen this attitude prevails, employees stop caring about service. At that point, real good service is almost impossible - the best customers can hope for is fake good service. You know the kind I mean: corteous on the surface only.
I hope the legal drama works out for all parties involved, and everyone can stop bickering over things, that in the end, are trivial, and get back to worrying about the education of service member’s children. Good luck.
Comments 163
You need to tread lightly on this issue. Contrary to what your teacher contact tells you, the DoDDS teacher unions are VERY militant and use the grievance procedure often. Before posting this, you should have, at least, contacted the principal to hear his side of it. I am a retired DoDDS administrator, and I do NOT agree with having teachers do lunch duty or any kind of duty other than teaching kids. It is totally counter productive to do so. However, do not be taken in by anonymous complaints from teachers who tell you the unions have the best interest of students at heart. In my experience, and there was a lot of it, the best interest of students is far down the list when it comes to issues put forth by teachers’ unions. Be careful what you get involved in.
Posted 23 Mar 2008 at 7:40 am ¶The entire DODDs organization needs to be looked into at the very least. 1999-2000, male teacher sending inappropriate emails to female students. Removed from school. Good call! Fast forward to 2004, same male teacher back in school teaching. NOT a good call.
Posted 23 Mar 2008 at 8:27 am ¶V.P at Kinnick during 2002-2004 would be more concerned about covering her butt, then doing her job properly. Racism ran rampant and she fueld the fire. Rumors of her husband having affairs with students (NOT proven, repeat NOT proven. It was just kids talking, but the entire base knew about it) but even as it wasn’t proven, after 2003-2004 school year, the split, he went one way, she went another with her angelic children. TOO much cover up within the DoDDs community. I agree with Wendell. The best interest of the kids are way down the list of priorities.
I heard that a very qualified dependent wife who worked in the Sullivans Main Office quit recently and unexpectedly because this “principal” used to come to the school early in the morning screaming at the top of his lungs “Good Morning Sullivans!” in the Main Office (badly imitating Robbin Williams in the movie “Good Morning Vietnam.”) She never officially complained, but it would seem to me that somebody in DODDS must know this guy is crazy and they should be trying to get him to retire.
Posted 23 Mar 2008 at 10:34 am ¶Wendell - I am a proud DODDS teacher and read your comments about this issue. I have a few comments about the b.s. you wrote.
Wendell Buntain wrote:
Posted 23 Mar 2008 at 10:49 am ¶” DoDDS teacher unions are VERY militant and use the grievance procedure often.” Sullivans School hasn’t had a grievance in over ten years, so you don’t know what you’re talking about. We are not “militant,” you are. My impression of most DODDS administrators is this - you weren’t a good teacher, so you decided to be an administrator so you could bust the balls of teachers you hated when you were in high school yourself. Most administrators are pinheads and only worry about covering their own butts and not getting an EEO submitted on them. Those who can teach, those who can’t end up in the front office buried in paper, b.s. parent complaints, and answering emails all day. If you truly cared about kids you would have remained a teacher. Get a life and get off this blog you traitor to kids!
DODDS issues are far worse than just lunch monitors. Has anyone looked into the lunch program. how low quality that crap is. It’s worse than mess decks food. Also how about the article about the IKEGO PTO, they have over $30,000.00 of missing or unaccounted funds. isn’t that where the High school priciple works as well?
Posted 23 Mar 2008 at 12:56 pm ¶DODDS issues are far worse than just lunch monitors. Has anyone looked into the lunch program. how low quality that crap is. It’s worse than mess decks food. Also how about the article about the IKEGO PTO, they have over $30,000.00 of missing or unaccounted funds. isn’t that where the High school principle works as well? ( I reposted just in case some teachers want to judge me for not using spellcheck)
Posted 23 Mar 2008 at 12:58 pm ¶You’ll never change the quality of the food at DODDS schools as long as the NEX runs it, which it does. While being a very overpaid “lunch monitor duty” as a paid professional ($50K a year plus LQA), I noticed kids dumping over half of the food in the cafeteria. Why doesn’t Mister Leadership (Mr. Russell) monitor the trash himself? Isn’t that his job anyway? About Ikego PTO - mismanagement of the Sullivans Elementary School PTO funds a couple of years ago was what caused the forced lunch duty in the first place. They used to hire aides out of the PTO funds and somebody decided that was “illegal.” Our wonderful principal, who should have been monitoring the funds, dumped the whole problem on other people as he always does and washed his hands of the whole issue.
Posted 23 Mar 2008 at 1:05 pm ¶READ BEFORE YOU POST!
While I respect your right to disagree with the party-line, let’s avoid personal attacks. They hurt any argument you may have, as people just blow you off as a whiner.
Posted 23 Mar 2008 at 1:21 pm ¶While no one has contacted the Vets on the base to check on the conditions of the cafeteria, and file a proper complaint. I feel lots safer knowing my child rather take a home cooked lunch to school. The complaints have to be submited by DODDS hired personnel. The mismanagement of funds of the PTO is unacceptable. That amount of money…….someone knows where that went. And it wasn’t in route to the bank.
Posted 23 Mar 2008 at 1:41 pm ¶What’s the real issue again? I got lost in all the nonsense. Is it the Principal, interest of the children, or the lunch food??
Posted 23 Mar 2008 at 4:29 pm ¶The whole DODDS is an issue! And its not all nonsense for those of us with kids in this system.
Posted 23 Mar 2008 at 4:52 pm ¶It is nonsense though. The personal attacks are just childish. Aside from that, yes, everything else is important. I’m just glad I was never privvy to DODDS school lunches, mmmhh Public School Pizza was great!!
Posted 23 Mar 2008 at 6:24 pm ¶To sum up the issues the way I see it from an insider in DODDS:
1) The current administration at Sullivans can’t handle the largest school in DODDS with over 1,200 kids. They fail to follow Rule #1 of Good Leadership - ‘Take Care of Your People.” They refuse to accept that teachers are their “people.”
Posted 23 Mar 2008 at 9:29 pm ¶2) Teachers are out for the best interests of the kids last time I checked and people in the community should understand that. Standing lunch monitor duty is an insult to us and administration has imposed this as punishment because of the complaints in the past to the DSO in Yokota about our administration. The more lunch duty we stand the more we get frustrated in our jobs and that evenutually leads to a hostile working environment. Administration brought it on themselves when they ordered us, under threat of disciplinary action, to stand this demeaning duty.
3) DODDS Administrators are out for the best interests of their own careers and keeping parents from complaining directly to the DSO in Yokota, so they appease them ad nauseum.
4) School lunch sucks, always did, and always will. That’s pretty much a dead issue.
While I applaud Jim for posting the DoDDs issue, I think it important too. I think this blog is for Sailors and Sailor Issues. Though I am a NAVet and a Base Contractor, I try to use my posts to support them not my own selfish concerns. Yes, Jim I was a member of Repair locker 3 on a DDG a few years ago, so I feel ya! Felt like I was do a moon walk with no AC.
But hey I could be wrong here, so lets start a thread about all the BS that the Navy pulls on its Contractors (by the way, I am equally as well educated.) And I am continually asked to perform ridiculous tasks that are not even written nor implied in my contract. But I digress. Go Navy!
Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 1:32 am ¶VoXman - Time for “school call.” Many teachers who work for DODDS are vets just like you, so we’re in this cyber-boat together. More than likely Jim was asked to use this forum because there was no other outlet for the teachers to voice their concerns in a truly democratic way. Until some tech-savvy DODDS teacher figures out how to start their own blog, please bear with this. It means a lot to us.
Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 1:37 am ¶B-CUZ - You stated in your blog that “complaints have to be submited by DODDS hired personnel.” I assume you mean complaining about the lousy lunches? Actually, the way the system works is the DODDS people only listen to parents, especially those who carry some rank (Commander or above usually does it) so it doesn’t matter jack-squat what the teachers say. We’re the enemy to administration. You’ll never fix the lunch program. The NEX only does it because they have to do it, and they usually lose money or break even in the process. Ever wonder why they don’t have scanners for lunch passes, instead of the archaic system of lunch tickets? That’s because the NEX doesn’t want to invest into a losing proposition. Sorry if this isn’t the answer you wanted to hear, but that’s the low-down
Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 1:52 am ¶Blogs are as easy to start as posting is to this site. Look up wordpress.com.
Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 2:27 am ¶“especially those who carry some rank (Commander or above usually does it)”
Thats true about everything on the base and in the Navy. Its not the USA’s Navy it’s their Navy. Thats what they are taught in OCS
Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 2:29 am ¶This is hilarious, I’m in the Navy (enlisted), have a Master Degree and would give my left nut to not be underway and stand a lunch monitor duty. I mean you guys are educators, right? In the largest system in DODDS’s, right? Get over it, if you don’t like it move on; get a job at a school in the States. Oh, that’s right, they don’t have COLA there. You have a choice, leave; if not accept what you are doing and do the best you can.
Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 3:41 am ¶Dear WOW I NEED A LIFE - You see things through the distorted lens of Navy life. You have a senior enlisted person to complain to, we have the union. We are standing a duty that is not befitting what we are paid to do. Many teachers were also in the service, so don’t put us all down because you feel we don’t know what it’s like to work for jerks with uniforms on. Don’t try to make us out to be cry-babies and whiners. We’re only standing up for our rights under our contract.
Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 11:48 am ¶Doesn’t look like the union is doing much for you guys. So, until they do…..I hope someone is giving a sh_t and watching(monitoring) the kids during lunch.
Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 12:45 pm ¶I was a recruiter about two years ago, and every school out of my six schools had a few teachers in the lunchroom as monitors. My wife currently works at Sullivans as a monitor, and puts up with alot of crap from the kids there. She also says that, alot of people that are working in that school are disgruntled, and that could not be good for our children.
Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 3:44 pm ¶I honestly enjoyed my lunch in public High School. A square pizza that fit in square on the tray. The french fries that fit in the circle next to the square and then a half assed dessert and maybe some green beans or mashed potatoes.
There are lots of things not in your contract but are you seriously pitching a bitch fit over watching some kids during lunch? Has it become so painstakingly aweful to keep an eye on the future while they are eating?? Wow, could you be any more shallow? Would you like your kids to be unsupervised during lunch? I hope not because there are so many things that can happen during a 30 minute lunch period or however long they are these days. Way to show you don’t give a shit!
Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 6:19 pm ¶Look, as a fellow teacher I can understand how it’s not in your job description. It’s extra baby-sitting duty when you need time for doing actual work– like preparing lessons to ensure your students get the best possible instruction. File your grievance, follow those channels. However, there are many high needs districts back in the US where a lot worse goes on (trust me). Besides this, as an effective teacher, you have to do many things outside your actual job. Yes, many times this means eating shit and filling BS roles. It comes with the turf.
It sounds corny, but if you can’t do anything else, at least make the best of the situation. Make yourself available to students during this time. Work for change, voice your opinion. However, merely “venting” won’t get anything done. If you consider yourself professional enough to be exempt from something like lunch duty, then perhaps you’ve already realized this.
Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 9:04 pm ¶Pigeonman, Thats what I was trying to refer to. Is it so much to ask, that kids eat their meals. Don’t teachers have enough (WORK SERVICE) days through out the year to tend to other personal things. So much for caring……teachers still do that right? I liked the way my cake fit in the sqaure box on the tray myself……. Hey, did we have a coach get caught with weed a year or so ago……
Posted 24 Mar 2008 at 9:20 pm ¶B-CUZ - Allow me to enlighten you on a couple of things. The “Work Service” you refer to is what DODDS calls “In-Service” days, which we get every month or so as either a whole day off or a half day. These days are what you Navy folks would call “stand-downs” or “training” days. It’s the same for us. Most schools in the states get the same time off, so it’s not like DODDS is getting a better deal. The problem is most of the in-services we do at Sullivans is a waste of time and poorly planned, a true waste of taxpayer money. Instead of teaching teaches how to teach, they bring in teachers who haven’t been in the classroom for centuries who slap together some b.s. lecture and handouts. It’s a combination of weak union leadership and poor administrators.
Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 1:40 am ¶S-Lover,
Thank you……….
Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 2:35 am ¶YOU GOTTA FIGHT!!! FOR YOUR RIGHT!!! TO PAAAAAARRRTYYY!!!!
Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 4:48 pm ¶NOw that I see the LIGHT!!!! Please make sure the kids are safe when your monitoring during lunch!!!
I miss the carrot cake from school!!!!
Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 6:01 pm ¶For those of you who don’t wish to watch the children during lunch (because its not in ur contract) I hope your children are afforded the same luxory!!
Sure, there are plenty of things I don’t want to do because its not in my contract, but I do them anyway! Especially with kids…they’re tons o’ fun!!
Posted 25 Mar 2008 at 8:09 pm ¶Yo’ PigeonMan - The vibe I’m getting from your blogs about the lunch duty is that the teachers don’t care about the safety of the kids. I can assure you that this is absolutely not the case. They need to be closely supervised, especially nowadays. I believe I speak for most teachers that our Number One job is keeping the kids safe. Should anything happen to them I would be devistated. We are entrusted with the lives of these little people for almost ten months, almost seven hours a day, Mon-Fri. The issue is - our union is week - our administration we pay almost $800 in union dues and many teachers feel it’s a big waste of money. The teachers at the Middle School don’t stand lunch duty and they don’t in the rest of Japan to the best of my knowledge. We have a tyrant running the school who only cares about kissing parents butts so they don’t complain to his boss in Yokota. He needs to retire quickly and replaced by somebody competent to run the largest school in DODDS. Shushi Lover out …
Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 2:08 am ¶Meh…posting anymore is just beating a dead horse…
Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 3:33 pm ¶A FUNNY (SUPPOSEDLY FICTIONAL) STORY ABOUT SCHOOL:
“According to a news report, a certain private school in Washington was recently faced with a unique problem. A number of 12-year-old
girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip
prints. Every night the maintenance man would remove them and the next day the girls would put them back.
Finally the principal decided that something had to be done. S/he called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man.
S/he explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every night (you can
just imagine the yawns from the little princesses). To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required.
He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it. Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.”
There are teachers…. and then there are educators.
Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 3:35 pm ¶Know what you mean Pigeon dude……..I do miss the sugar cookies from school as well!!!!
Posted 26 Mar 2008 at 3:54 pm ¶Yo’ B-Cuz: We got it. You miss being a kid and throwing food around in the cafeteria and flinging peas with your fork at your best friend. This is serious business, even though you and PigeonMan don’t feel that way. Wait until you get out of the canoe club and get a real job and find out your union sucks and is run by a bunch of wusses, scary-cats, and people who are more interested in having parties than challenging the status-quo.
Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 12:59 am ¶Yo’ right back at ya! If this is so serious and no one has the balls to stand up to this principle, stand your lunch monitoring duties and have a can of “shut the hell up” with your lunch. We can write and blog and bytch all you teachers want. Unless your afraid to lose your jobs. Do something. i was part of a Union. Your right, they get really political. They took care of their own back in the states. however, unless you were of no color, those of us with some color were just there to pay dues. I did do something. i went up to the union leader and voiced my opinion. If they weren’t doing anything to help me, at least do something to help the rest of the workers. I had other committments and came back into this Navy organization. So, unless you have served this country…….and stood many a nights on watch. Sorry if 30 minutes of watching kids eat a sorry ass lunch while you talk about NEX sales is too much for you to do by going out of your way……Pigeon man……Your right! The end!!!
Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 2:05 am ¶B-Cuz - back at you. You know, I’m actually starting to like you now that I got your goat! BTW, you’re not the only dude in the world who stood watch in the middle of the night in some god-forsaken hell-hole wearing a uniform for Uncle Sam. You assume that ALL the DODDS teachers are wimps and cry-babies. Just ain’t so. We just want to express our views in this e-forum since nobody in the union cares enough to fight for us!
Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 11:48 am ¶Hey! When do I get my Membership card for being in the Canoe Club!? (Hey sushi lover..are there good benefits in the Canoe Club?)
As I stated before, YOU gotta fight for YOUR rights…because no-one else cares enough to fight for you! Well, I would fight for you, but you get the picture. You have to look out for number 1! (thats you btw).
I hope my canoe floats….
Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 4:54 pm ¶I thought Canoe was a cologne….dang did I just date myself………..
Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 6:29 pm ¶Rock the boat, rock the vote…….get that Princliple out fo there!!! Get the Union to listen!!!!! It’s your money!!!!!!
You guys are right about fighting for union rights. Nowadays bitching at meetings just isn’t enough. You gotta’ get the blogs smokin’ with the god-honest truth with the hope that somebody out there in a leadership position will read the b.s. that’s going on and take some action. I hope you understand and respect that is my purpose, fighting the good fight on the internet. Just think that someday print newspapers will be obsolete, so we are actually pioneers guys in the news revolution and don’t even realize it. Sushi out …
Posted 27 Mar 2008 at 10:28 pm ¶Despite what the “views” plugin displays on the main page, this post has become my highest viewed post so far. It’s had 633 unique hits since it was posted, which isn’t including repeat visitors. While the comments may not reflect it, it’s being seen by a lot of people. The majority of the incoming links to this post are also from online e-mail accounts (hotmail, yahoo, etc.) so the word is REALLY getting around.
Posted 29 Mar 2008 at 8:03 am ¶Thank you Bro’ Jim for chiming in on how many real hits there are. I was wondering about that myself. People reading these blogs need to realize that many teachers are TERRIFIED about getting caught exposing their true views. They would prefer to operate in the shadows, not willing to put their balls out there. There’s something else that’s bugging the teachers at Sullivans who have kids enrolled in the school and this needs to be published to the community. Word is out that the principal of Sullivans, who lives in Ikego, has delegated his RESPONSIBILITY for security to a staff person in the Main Office. That means whenever there is a problem with a door being open, a “security violation,” Base Security calls a GS-3 instead of the GS-13+ who is paid at least DOUBLE what teachers make. Now, this is completely unsat. Oh, I forgot to mention that there are also TWO - count then - TWO - Assistant Principals who don’t get called either! Last time I checked you cannot delegate your responsibility. Somebody needs to stop this b.s.
Posted 29 Mar 2008 at 1:46 pm ¶Hey Brick - Let’s give “Mr. Delegation” a break. He’s really not a bad guy … only when he’s not acting crazy, forgetting teacher’s names, and telling everybody he’s been diagnosed with ADHD whenever he gets a chance. Does nyone know if he still screams in the morning at the top of his lungs in the hallways when he shows up to work? Maybe the guy does have a disability and needs a “least restrictive environment,” like finally retiring from DODDS! Seriously, Base Security normally only contacts building managers on the weekends when they find doors unsecured. I feel so much safer now. Sushi out ….
Posted 29 Mar 2008 at 5:43 pm ¶Sorry this is so long…
For the people here who are not teachers, and think the teachers’ complaints are unfounded, you really don’t understand what having lunch duty means. Let me break it down for you outside of the education world.
Every time I go for a medical appt., I am met by a NURSE who takes my temp, blood pressure, and weight. Then, I am sent to the doctor for my examination. Now, can the doctor take my blood pressure, temp, weight….sure, how hard is that? If I need blood work drawn, I go to another NURSE who wipes down my arm and pricks me with a needle. Can a doctor do that?…sure, how hard is it for the doc to stick me with a needle…I’m sure doc learned that in med school. Once, I saw a guy with a bloody nose walking down the hall of the hospital. The Officer on Duty called a JANITOR. I’m sure that the officer could have taken care of it….or how about my doctor, who was just in his office…I’m sure doc wasn’t doing anything too important like reading over medical files, following up with patients, researching new advances in medicines for their patients, (right?) To most people, it is CLEARLY inappropriate to ask a doctor to do the job that others are hired to do, or SHOULD be hired to do, although those tasks seem relatively simple or even related to docs’ job. Why don’t people have that same clarification when it comes to what teachers do….is it because they don’t want to understand…they just want to slam teachers because of a bad experience they had in school, or because they are mad that their perfect Little Johnny made a 92 instead of a 97 or 100 on his report card, or that they are jealous/mad and need someone to put down???
Bringing it back now….teachers are EDUCATORS. We are hired to EDUCATE students. I have taught in some relatively not so great schools and one AWESOME school years ago (which happens to be the school of this discussion). One thing that set this school apart from the others (which is obviously not the situation now) is that teachers could actually focus on …… wait for it……EDUCATING! Teachers didn’t have all of the extra duties, which allowed them to actually have time to plan lessons that engaged all learners. Prior to this school, I had never (and have not since then) worked with professionals that were so dedicated to educating their pupils because they felt respected and wanted to give the best of themselves for the growth of those kids.
I think the real reason people think that teachers complaining about having lunch duty comes from these people NOT understanding what a teacher does…when he/she does not have lunch duty. Teachers are planning, grading papers, calling parents, selecting books for super Smart Johnny to keep him challenged, selecting books for slightly slow Susie so that she feels confident while learning at her level, attending Special Education meetings on select students, receiving training for …whatever. I need not go on. In other words, teachers are STILL working on the EDUCATION process…the ‘without present kids’ part of education that many people forget exists. This is the part that keeps teachers at school for an averages of 1 to 2 hours beyond his/her paid duty day…and people have the audacity to think it irrelevant to take away 30 minutes of quiet time teachers have to think (or eat their own lunch) in order to WATCH the students eating lunch….a task that a person doesn’t need a bachelors or masters degree to be able to do…which most teachers need in order to TEACH now-a-days???!!!???
Don’t even let me get started on how loud, stressful, and mentally taxing it is to watch a large congregation of kids while they are dining. Remember…you may only have 2, 3, 4, or 5 at home…remember to multiply that number by 100, turn the volume from 2 to 10, and be mindful that all kids may not have proper table manners, etc, etc, etc.
Not wanting to make this dissertation much longer….for those of you who think that the teachers’ complaints are unfounded….remember the saying….walk a mile in my moccasins before you judge me, my opinion, my positions, EVEN my profession. PLEASE, please, PLEASE, please….go to a local elementary school cafeteria and volunteer for lunch duty for 1 week. If you find it easy, please, volunteer with a teacher for a whole day, and take on the task of lunch duty. After that, your opinions might carry a little more merit….and I suspect, most definitely change. Until then…fellow teachers…don’t let the unenlightened get you down!
Respectfully submitted,
Someone wishing for a happier SES….Students, Teachers, and Administrators!
Ms. Wild
Posted 31 Mar 2008 at 2:01 pm ¶Honestly, if this website were viewed more (Jim, I try to get people to visit this site to see some of the interesting things you write about) this could be a safe haven for those with rational grievances, not just a flame board to let everyone know “Woe is Me” b/s. A basic outlet to let your concerns be voiced in confidentiality.
As for Mr. Delegation, you can’t escape it. It (delegation) is every where, no matter where you are or what you do. It’s just one of those micromanaging crutches. I understand that what I said isn’t a legit excuse, but it’s not far from the truth either. Maybe the Principal is just taking what he see’s being done in the Navy and using it in DODDS!
As for base security…it’s a joke. What are they doing now when they look at my ID as I leave base? They still want to see what’s in my backpack as I walk out as if I have a pound of Mary J in there. I hope they find what they’re looking for and find it soon!
I LOVE LAMP!
Posted 31 Mar 2008 at 2:45 pm ¶PigeonMan has made some salient points. I want to compliment Jim for allowing this blog. Keep in mind that a lot of teachers spend all day telling kids about their civil rights, the Constitution, Bill of Rights, etc., but when it comes down to fighting for their own rights, they back down under minimal pressure. At least they can use this forum to express their views to the community. Sorry if it’s turning into Bitchin’ Blog.
Most DODDS principals I have known are a classic example of the “Peter Principal.” They were terrible teachers, so they become administrators and pencil-heads. Once they become principals they start hating the teachers. They then make every attempt to suck up to parents and make the base commanders think they’re so wonderful and caring. The U.S. Government promotes people to their highest point of incompetency. This guy is no exception. He has mastered the sport. Maybe they don’t want to get rid of him because his replacement might be worse!
Base Security (bunch of neo-Nazi’s in my opinion) has to put on a show to impress our Japanese hosts so they don’t change the SOFA agreement. My opinion is - go ahead and change the SOFA. We asked for it. The local government should know where people live off-base, even though that won’t stop these murderous dirt-bags from killing these peaceful, innocent people. All they have to do is go to any 100 Yen shop and buy lots of sharp knives.
Posted 01 Apr 2008 at 12:39 am ¶Dear Ms. Wild,
On behalf of all the bloggers here I give you an A+ and a Big Gold Star for that persuasive writing assignment. Thank you for providing the Yokosuka Blogging Community with valuable insight into what a teacher’s day is like. It’s hard for Navy people to see things through our eyes since they have the misconceived perception that we have cushy jobs, get way too much vacation, and are chronic complainers.
I often wonder how many people realize that on our half day “in-service” days we actually work! How about dealing with kids whose parents don’t even give them lunch! How about the parents who think we are just a baby-sitting service and can drop their kids off late. Ask anybody who works in the Main Office and they’ll confirm this sad fact. Administrators are afraid to piss off the parents, who they mistakenly see as their “customers.” The customers are the KIDS, not the whiny parents with the sailor suits on.
We finally have somebody writing on this blog that doesn’t write bullets! I like your blog-name .. Ms. Wild … how bold. It would tacitly infer that you probably should be teaching high school, not grade school. Maybe if Mr. Delegation reads this he will realize the true talents of his talented faculty and start lightening-up.
So, Ms. Wild, I hope to see you back here soon enlightening us on Life at S.E.S. from your unique perspective on the planet. Maybe you could tell us why you call yourself “Ms. Wild” and really enliven the argument!
.
Posted 01 Apr 2008 at 10:25 am ¶Two quick things: Sorry about the change in the look of the site, something went crazy and reverted everything to default. It’s fixed now.
Secondly, if the principal in question does ever read this, and would like to address all the people who seem to be against him, I can be reached at Jim (at) Fewl.net. I’ll be sure to post anything I’m sent as-is.
I may not be traditional media, but I get a hell of a lot of readers in the FDNF. It’s up to you.
Posted 01 Apr 2008 at 10:47 am ¶Ms. Wild,
I enjoyed reading your post but felt that using a Hospital in your analogy was quite bad. I understand where you are going, and as the jobs are totally different they still relate. The problem is the structure in the Hospital vs the structure in school system. I just view the Hospital in a different light and context than I would a school, therefore I felt like skipping that portion of your post.
In other news, who’s to say that you can’t educate during lunch hours about other things than whats in the books? I understand that everyone strongly emphasises whats in the books, but they (the books) constanly change with updates (unless it’s useless history). What I’m trying to say is that “life lessons” are as important as 1+1=bucket.
Now I can see both sides of the coin and I completely understand the grief of spending (insert length of lunch time) with the kids when you could be planning the rest of your day.
To Brick in the wall…please don’t generalize the Navy as a whole as not being able to see things through your eyes. The vast majority, it’s possible. I on the other hand would like to think I do a fairly decent job of seeing things through your looking glass. Albeit I don’t need glasses and yours might be coke-bottles and distort the image a little bit, but I try to be unbiased.
Has anyone thought about bringing up the point of hiring a qualified person (read: not just someone that needs a job) to monitor lunches? Maybe bringing it to light might not do the justice you want, but at least it will be in the back of someones head for future reference! Oh…the “in-service days”….I feel for you all. I just remember them as being a day off from school, yay!!
Basically someone needs to speak up and shed some light on the issue. The kids definitely don’t need to be unsupervised during lunch but at the same token don’t need a random person to watch them either. I also don’t think the job of “lunch monitor” will particularly catch anyones eyes and think “YES!!! LUNCH MONITOR IS MINE!!!!!” I just don’t see that happening, but if someone in the right position doesn’t say anything to the people who need to know, we’ll just end up writing our thoughts on Fewl.net.
Posted 01 Apr 2008 at 3:23 pm ¶Latest news on teachers…..3rd graders planned on hurting their teacher. Might want to start checking the little guys backpacks as well.
Posted 01 Apr 2008 at 4:06 pm ¶ROFL! Check for Fisherprice plastic scissors!!
Posted 01 Apr 2008 at 4:42 pm ¶I’m not sure if this will help or hurt here, but I recently had lunch with my kid up at Sullivan’s. The food was typical school lunch. I have yet to go to any school and have a gourmet freakin meal and every single school in the states serves those disgusting veggies in a can.
I digress so let me say this: I DID NOT SEE ANY SCHOOL TEACHERS AS LUNCH MONITORS!!! I only saw the teacher’s aides. Sure, this is a lower grade but every school I’ve ever attended, the teachers all sat at an elevated table and watched over the lunchroom. It helped the kids (me at the time) not to misbehave. They had lunch together and we didn’t have bullying or anything else. Just saying.
Posted 01 Apr 2008 at 10:24 pm ¶So now there is a curfew base-wide for Naval personnel at least. 2200-0600 they have to be in there place of residence and cannot have alcohol. A little birdie with a silver star told me that.
Didn’t mean to get off topic…
Posted 01 Apr 2008 at 11:45 pm ¶Jim - Good call on offering the principal the opportunity to respond. He’s a computer-geek, techy-type of guy, so my bet is he IS reading this. We’d LOVE to hear from him, but he’s one of these guys who believes all the psycho-babble crap you read in teacher’s magazines, so he’ll read the blog, then decide not to respond because it would “empower” us. Prove us all wrong Mr. Lunch Duty!
PigeonMan - I completely agree with Ms. Wild about the analogy between teachers and doctors. Once again, you are so caught up in Navy institutionalized lifestyle that you can’t accept that we are professionals, just like doctors, lawyers, and engineers. Your honest opinion is appreciated, however flawed. You haven’t been on both sides of the fences.
As far as bringing in people to stand the lunch duty, our administration doesn’t have the balls to properly address this through proper channels. Our union has suggested many times to Mr. Lunch Duty that they use the non-teacher staff they already have, but administration won’t hear it. It’s all in the grievance that was filed through legal channels. Fact is, they have no pull with their chain of command, and it’s easier for them to screw over the teachers (who they hate anyway) than it would be to solve the problem locally. Hence, this blog!
Now, about the lock-down. DODDS teachers got called tonight on our “recall” stating that we can’t be in the streets between 10 P.M. and 6 P.M. until further notice. I guess they’re worried about us threatening taxi drivers with our sharp pencils and laptops. Also, walking out of Womble Gate some Japanese dude from NHK was video-taping everybody walking out the main gate. Word on the street is this - NCIS knows damn well this AWOL hose-bag murdered the taxi driver, and they are waiting until we’ve kissed all the Japanese asses, held the dog-and-pony show (On base events where all we really do is make money off the Japanese with overpriced junk from the NEX). It’s all glitter with no substance. If I was the CO or Admiral of the shore station I would be talking to my detailer and getting outa’ Dodge before it was too late. Save your careers and leave this mess to somebody else to sort out! Get ready for the change in the SOFA requiring everybody to go to the local immigration office to get an i.d. card.
Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 12:31 am ¶Well all I can say is at least you have a union. I had no union in the Navy, nor do I have one as a contractor. Try living without Job security for a few years. If its such a big deal, I am sure a few of us here who support the Navy’s Classified Networks wouldn’t mind sitting lunch monitor (during our lunch breaks) as a break from our stressful work spaces.
I know what you all are saying is valid, but you are preaching to the choir. The grass is NOT greener on our side of the fence. Take stock in the positive aspects of your career choice, because I am quite sure many of us can show cause to be far more angry than some of you educators. I know that no Sailor who joins up, ends up doing the job they contractually signed for. It is whatever the navy decides …is what your job is. Do you think any sailor in the Navy signed up to be a infantry man in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 1:33 am ¶VoXman - I feel your pain. Someone close to me, let’s say a close friend, worked for one of those computer beltway bandits that get the gravy contracts making upwards of $80K TAX FREE a year. (You omitted that from your blog.) Bottom line - great pay - worked around a lot of guys who would do anything to get ahead, stay over here with their Japanese wives. He screwed up … didn’t play the loyalty/kiss-ass game and didn’t get renewed. That part I understand, but it’s YOUR choice to take a job like that where you are “hired and fired at will.” It’s a fool’s paradise my friend. Watch your back at work!
Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 1:53 am ¶VoXman - Back at ya’. Now the blog is turning into “Woe is me the Computer Contractor” making big bucks, tax free, for the beltway bandits. Why don’t you publish how much you guys actually make? We all know that most of you guys take those techy jobs because you’re married to local nationals, couldn’t hack it in the Navy, and now can’t figure out the mistake you made. You see, my blogging friend, you didn’t do your homework. NEVER - NEVER - NEVER - accept a job that’s “Hire and Fire at Will.” That’s what you did, so stop your bitching!
Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 2:03 am ¶Hey B-Cuz - Tell us more about this 3rd graders who plotted to hurt a teacher. Is it Sullivans or Ikego? Is this based on facts, conjecture, or rumor? Our number one job as a teacher is to keep the kids safe, so if there’s something that we need to know about, put it out there for us.
Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 2:18 am ¶Brick in the wall - I’m pretty sure that I’m not caught up in this Navy institutionalized lifestyle so much as to not see that you teachers are professionals. How do you know that I haven’t been on that side of the fence? I don’t have anything against teachers but to compare the job type to that of those who work in the hospital was just bad. It wasn’t a put down in any way, just a poor analogy in my opinion.
Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 2:43 am ¶Neither Ikego or Sullivans. But, it does raise questions about what the kids think………….
Officials in Georgia have thwarted a plot by a group of third-grade special education students to kill their teacher.
Officials at the Center Elementary School in Waycross, Ga., learned of the plot on March 28, when a student told authorities about the plan before the start of the school day, the Waycross Journal-Herald reports.
The plot by as many as nine boys and girls was a serious threat, Waycross Police Chief Tony Tanner said Tuesday.
The students allegedly brought to school a broken steak knife, a roll of duct tape, handcuffs, ribbon and a crystal paperweight in a bid to kill their teacher.
Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 3:58 am ¶Christ on a crutch Ms. Wild!
Seems to me that every job I’ve ever had entailed some “collateral” duties that I didn’t sign up for, nor did I volunteer myself for and I had to do them. Suck it up already. This issue is getting so old and tired, I mean over half the school year is spent with this incessant bitching and complaining. I understand, your job is hard. I understand, as well as many of the parents do, that your job is time consuming and mentally taxing but here’s the thing: it’s YOUR JOB. A job isn’t supposed to be all about one person and the sun rising and setting in all the collective asses. Believe me, I understand that kids are one way to keep someone on a diet with their eating habits, but here’s the thing: you chose this job. Sure parents could volunteer up there, but I wouldn’t want to volunteer up there anyway, the way you guys make it sound it’s a living hell.
I’m not trying to put ANYONE on blast. I’m just saying from a parents standpoint, there comes a point where watching this argument is like watching dust float around in sunbeams: nothings happening but there sure is a lot of crap in the air.
Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 5:21 am ¶Rice Dude - Welcome to the forum. Now we have a parental view which iadds greatly to the debate. You take the position that “IT’S OUR JOB.” Are you aware that most DODDS teachers have at least six years of college, if not a master’s degree? This is way above the national average. So, we have all this education, most of which we paid ourselves, and we got told by this Knucklehead that we have to be lunch monitors when we could be doing something much more productive FOR YOUR KID, You just don’t get it. We know what “collateral duty” means. That’s why you wear a uniform and we don’t. We are fighting for our rights under a negotiated, legal, union agreement signed and sealed in Washington by all parties concerned. Our so called “Leadership” (ex-teachers who couldn’t hack it in the classroom) fail to recognize our rights and we are using our God-given powers to fight for what we believe in. You’ve been in the Navy too long and are suppressed into accepting all the b.s. shoveled your way.
Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 12:14 pm ¶Brick, I commend you on your teaching and your collegiate level. Kudos to you for paying for your college and all the things that make you, well YOU! Now, chitty chat aside, there are a few things that YOU don’t get. For one, I didn’t say I had a problem with my kid. His teacher is amazingly talented and is stunningly smart. I can say that I’ve been in the school many many many times and seen the negativity for myself. Perhaps the kids with the fighters for teachers aren’t getting what they need to start with because of the infighting and complaining. I’ve seen teachers spend their free time bitching AT SULLIVANS. So you tell me, is that productive? Is that productive for my kid? I don’t think so.
For two, I’ve never been in the military. I do not wear a uniform. I find it interesting that you seem to know all about “me.” I too paid my way through college and worked hard for my education. I find that the Navy is one convoluted machine and I don’t agree with much about it but it’s my husbands’ job and I support him. That being said, don’t assume to know me. Fine, fight for your rights. Nobody said you shouldn’t. It seems, however that the fight is more about how teachers’ time is too good to spend monitoring kids who are eating because you all have degrees. That seems a little pompous and trite to me.
One other thing, it seems to me that your distaste for the “leadership” is a little on the rabid side. So, you are telling me that every single one of the members of “leadership” are teachers who sucked? That’s a sweeping generalization that cannot be true. Disgruntled in the workplace? Sure, everyone is. I have yet to meet a person who thinks they work in a friggin utopia. I’ve had to do things in the past at my jobs that I thought were beneath me but you know what? The ends did not justify the means! The fight was not worth the time wasted to get to the result so I just did it. Big whoop. Do you think I go to bed today and fester about those things? No, I did it and I let it go. It seems to us parents (the ones I know anyway) that there are more important things to spend time on than complaining about lunch duty. Do rotation! Do something other than complain!
And no offense is meant in any of this, of course. Also, I’m not a dude.
Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 1:04 pm ¶FYI — My tracking system was down for about 3 days, but after reconfiguring yesterday, it’s back up. Since then, this most has had just over 750 views, not counting the hits while the tracking system was down.
Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 1:08 pm ¶I LUB RICE, I enjoy reading your posts. Verrry well written. I heart brick in the wall. Why do you think that everyone is in the Navy or is somewhat brainwashed by the Navy? Is that your one and only safehaven for argument? “YOU WERE/ARE IN THE NAVY SO YOU DON’T KNOW SQUAT!” Way to use your 6 years of college and a masters degree to make yourself look like a complete ass!
Speaking of which, education is overated anyway in my opinion. I mean, you’re living proof that having a Masters degree doesn’t get you out of the shit jobs. I went to college for 3 years and I don’t really have too much to complain about in regards to my job. (which you ASSume is being in the Navy) I totally agree with I lub rice (no offense, I just like saying lub!) that this is a big complain chain at the moment.
Sharing!, a value often learned at a young age should be adopted and used for the, duh dun dun dun “LUNCH MONITOR!!” duty. Do you know how they monitored lunch at my highschool? The principals and teachers (obviously not ALL of them) sat at a table in the middle of the lunch room and just shot the shit with the occasional “I’m gonna get you if you screw up” look. Just some food for thought!
Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 2:22 pm ¶I lub you too PigeonMan! My mom is Japanese so I enjoy saying lub too hahahahaha!
Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 2:54 pm ¶Points taken……Since College is a merit not worthy of Lunch Monitoring. Those of us Colleged educated military parents that do give a puck about our kids educations. Those of us that have volunteered to assist on our days off, to monitor progress of our kids. That have seen the crap being served to our kids. Do you really think your actually monitoring the kids? Most of the time your there to BS about non work related crap. So, don’t come in here and act all high and mighty and bitch at parents and the “Neo Nazie” military (as it was so elequantly described) that its our fault you can’t take additional duties to you job. You may not write the music, you just play in the band. So, take this to your Unions. You pay dues. Take a stand. What are the facualties afraid of? Send this to your Principle. Post his email here, I’ll send this to him. Can anyone please provide some cheese and crackers for their WHINE!!! Just like the military is expected to protect this country by doing our job, please do yours. And my complaining of the food is because i have helped in the kitchen, I have seen the under the standard cleanliness, I have seen the I don’t give a puck attitude of the cafeteria workers. I have talked to the Vetinarians that inspect onbase. They need valid complaints from school facualties about the conditions of YOUR cafeterias. Why not walk in there for a minute or two during you monitoring of lunch. Or is that too much to ask from anyone that has gone to college?
Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 3:59 pm ¶Wlel I jsut wnated to say taht tihs psot meaks for a relaly good raed. I wnet to clloege too and look wehre it got me. Jaapn! I lvoe it hree and woldun’t cahnge a tinhg!! I aslo wnat to aplogozie for my poor egnilsh. GVIE ME MROE SHOCOL LNUCH!!! It are my fvaroite tmie of the day!
I
Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 4:13 pm ¶dagnit!!! the last part was I heart I lub rice, b-cuz and sushi lubber!
Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 4:14 pm ¶Brick, your stab at the military is noted. We as you so well described as (Neo Nazies). Don’t know squat. Have you served this great Nation? If you have, then your comments are warrented. IF not. Keep these opinionated stabs to yourself. You chose to come here and teach. You chose to join a place that is Union run. Pay you Union dues and do nothing. It’s your choice to do something about it than hide in this BLOG and do nothing. If doing the right thing means pissin parents off……GOOD! Bring to their attention that their kids aren’t being fed. That their kids aren’t being monitored by standard educated staff. And i hope your not BLOGGING during working hours………because you should be watching my kids!!!!! Do you have the principles Email readily available? DO SOMETHING other than bitch bitch bitch!!!!!
Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 4:24 pm ¶I Lub Sakura season!!!!
Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 4:46 pm ¶Ok, so let’s not get all up on the teachers’ butts, but I do have to say this: My sister in law is a highly educated, Masters Degree having principal of a school in the United States. Having never worked in DoDDS, she has answered many of my questions over the years regarding teachers and their roles in schools. Since I have young kids in school, it behooved me at the time to ask her. This is what I gather, simply as an informational aspect of why I take the stance that I take on lunch monitor duty.
First of all, every teacher has a planning period. How a teacher spends that planning period is up to them, so perhaps that time is spent talking to another teacher about that new Land’s End catalog. Perhaps it is spent on classroom upkeep. Hell, I don’t know. There’s some time where a teacher does not have kids. Any teacher who says “hey, that’s MY TIME DURING LUNCH I CAN’T WATCH THESE KIDS BLAH BLAH BLAH” I find that to be BS. I call BS on that. You have a planning period. Grading papers? Sure, but I know MANY teachers who get their teens and students in the class to grade them. I CALL BS ON THAT TOO. Don’t use that as an excuse.
Ok, for two, the school year. As all of you are aware, the school year lasts 180 (+2 or 3) days out of 365 in our “calendar” year. Is it really so hard to watch the kids (that are supposed to be under your watchful eye) while they eat? We’re talking five days a week. No weekends. No summers. Your day of kids ends when that bell rings. There’s your planning period. With a little time management, I’m sure you can fudge in a thirty minute reprieve somewhere. Sure, you work more hours than the school day from bell to bell. You come in during the summer. I’m well aware of how long it takes to set up a classroom. What I’m not seeing though is a truly valid argument, other than “my time is so precious, I’m a teacher and you should massage my degree and let me condescend to your ignorance level, oh measly parent” excuse.
I think that deep down, all you teachers are rabid about one thing: someone has taken thirty minutes of your time away from you. While are you on the clock in between the morning bell and the release bell, I think you should stop focusing on yourself and start focusing on what’s important. Education. PERIOD. That is your JOB.
People are taking this problem and trying to assign the blame to someone, namely that principal. Well, here’s a news flash for you: THIS IS NOT ENTITLEMENT HOUR.
Just because you are a teacher does NOT give you the right to anything other than reasonable employment. I don’t see where you being a lunch monitor is unreasonable. I don’t see why volunteers can’t do it for you maybe two days a week to perhaps make up for the job that is “beneath you.” Why does it have to be all or nothing? Why is it all about personal attacks on the principal that have nothing to do with the matter at hand? Seems a little immature, especially considering that you are FAR more educated than I am.
Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 5:51 pm ¶I blame the Navy…it’s just easier that way…>.
Posted 02 Apr 2008 at 7:40 pm ¶Wow…my friend told me about this site and I have just had the time to read all the posts, I can’t begin to tell you how many inconsistencies are in some of these posts (well, the ones that I actually know the true answer to). Let me start with this one, the woman that recently left the front office, actually left back in September of 2007 and NO, she did not leave because the principal yelled out a greeting every morning (how absurd)! With regards to the security issue and who is being called and not being called. I am sorry to tell you that those individuals (Principal, Vice- Principal #1 and Vice-Principal #2) ARE being called! All of these posts are not totally off with regards to people’s “opinions”; however, everyone needs to wake up and realize that there are definitely 2 sides to every story. I am guessing that if some of these individuals who work at Sullivans really needed to know what was going on, they should not be in the office area only when it was convenient but all the time to see when and how these issues are being handled. And with regards to the “lunch montior” system, everyone seems to think that this is a daily occurrence, there is a rotation schedule of approximately 80 (I am sure the number is +/- a few) teachers who do this through out the school year. They stand these watches for a week during their rotation and then it is on to the next person. So this is about 34 - 36 weeks during a school year; this means each teacher (with about 8 standing duty/ 2 shifts of 4 each day); each person should stand about 20 days of duty each year. I think I did my math right! If they stand more duty it is because they are asked to fill in by OTHER teachers. Not because they are forced to by the administration. Also, there have been MANY and I mean MANY times when I have been at that school myself and watched all three of the administrators take lunch duty for the teachers or assisted and stayed for ALL the lunch periods and even been outside with the kids (gee, I don’t think the teachers go outside do they????). So again, whoever mentioned that Mr. Russell has never been down to the lunch room; is so pissed off at his chosen job career, that he can’t differentiate fact from fiction!
Posted 03 Apr 2008 at 12:02 am ¶Just the facts Ma’am ~ Just the Facts!!!!!
BRICK IN THE WALL ~ Just a note about you thinking we need to get the heck out of Dodge before the career goes down the drain due to the base lock-down. Let me enlighten you ~ Japanese have customs, one of those customs happens to be “mourning”. In this case, they are mourning a 61 year old cab driver who was alledged killed by a military member attached to Yokosuka Base. THEREFORE, it is with all due respect to our Host Country, to adhere to there customs and be in a state of “mourning” with them; it is not us “kissing their asses”. And truth be known there mourning period is considerably longer than ours. You remember the Japanese ship that ran into the fishing vessell, oh let’s say about 2/3 months ago; and are in a state of mourning for about 100 days and are still in mourning to this day! But let’s complain and rant because we are being asked to “RESPECT” their customs for 5 days. Now wait a minute ~ isn’t that what you are trying to acheive as a faculty member at Sullivans? You want respect for your acheivements with your degrees, and by God, show you that respect and don’t make you lunch monitors (that sums up your agrument I think, right?). But yet, you can’t show respect to a Japanese custom for 5 days without saying something negative about it. HMMMMMMMM…..kinda makes you wonder, doesn’t it?????
Posted 03 Apr 2008 at 12:33 am ¶Wow! This blog is getting more and more interesting. Now we know Rice *** is a chick. So you spend your time at Sullivans spying on teachers! Shame on you. You obviously have trust issues. Maybe you should to on Dr. Phil’s t.v. show. You stated that you spent some time in the lunchroom with your brat and noticed no teachers - well I can tell you that we get this b.s. duty about every month or so - maybe you were there on a day that there were a lot of field trips. So, if you are so concerned about the school, who don’t you run the PTO or attend SAC meetings? You are offended about the generalization that administrators were terrible ex-teachers. Let me put it this way - in the 20+ years I’ve an educator, I have found that MOST (not all) principals and ass’t principals got burned out in the classroom, and decide to take the easy way out, i.e., go the front office where the Peter Principle is the watch-word. They then realize they miss the kids, and over their heads, but it’s too late to go back. So, then they start hating the teachers and become pin-heads. At Sullivans the only teachers who get end of year special act performance awards are the SUCK-UPS to administration - the ones who are always outside the principal’s office sucking up to Mr. Lunch Duty and his entourage. So Rice Lady - get a life - take care of your own kid at home - go get a job at the NEX or Commissary bagging groceries. Or better yet, take some on-line courses and become a teacher yourself instead of spying on us and then you’ll see you’re full of b.s. Stay in your league Rice Lady, because you’re not in ours.
Posted 03 Apr 2008 at 2:42 am ¶Wow brick, got some penis issues? . Calling my child a brat (hmmm…and you are a teacher?) or your calling me stupid in your blunt way sure doesn’t make you teachers look any better than an uneducated slob who watches kids eat…oh wait, that IS YOU!!! Again, you don’t know me but we all know you, Mr. Angry Middle Aged man. I think your anger stems from that enormous chip on your shoulder that makes you think you are entitled to something. That’s called the “welfare mentality.” I actually feel sorry for you but more so for the poor kids who have you for a teacher! If your attitude is any indication of the level of maturity of the people in charge of our kids’ education, then DoDDs needs to take some serious steps to determine the mental state of the teachers they hire. If it’s not the librarians going nuts and cussing out security it’s pompous assholes like you who claim you are here for educating when all you really are doing is living in Japan on the taxpayers dime and wasting it by bitching about something so trivial. Pitiful. Shame on YOU for your immature knee-jerk reaction. Of course, you have no real debate skills, you just call names and act like a macho penis-wielding paranoid asshat!!!
Jesus Christ man, you are way out of YOUR LEAGUE! For one, Mr. Teacher, it’s PRINCIPAL, NOT PRINCIPLE. And you are a friggin teacher for Christ’s sake!!!!!! I was saying things GENERALLY, not attacking you specifically Mr. Alpha Male. Midol, it’s not just for us bitchy girls. Go get you some!
I wish for the sake of all our kids that you get called out. I’m pretty sure I can find you out with my spying eyes!!! Ooooooh!!! SCARY!!! Then I’ll make sure my kids stay the hell away from you. Teachers like you are the reason why parents like us have to deal with bullshit at schools. You think you are sooooo smart, you can’t even hold back on your sexist remarks!!! Gosh, you must have the smallest penis on the entire base!!
Posted 03 Apr 2008 at 3:40 am ¶Oh yes, Brick, by the way…seeing as how you called this to our attention, you say that you have lunch duty “about every month or so.” Hmmm…kinda makes your issue look even more like whining than it did before. And how do you know I’m not involved in the PTO??? Hmmmm??? Oh, that’s right magic genie, you DON’T!
Don’t get mad because there are people on this base that are aware of their surroundings and pay attention to things. I like to stay involved with my “brat,” to use your term. I’m pretty sure I know exactly who you are anyway. I asked all my commissary bagging friends and we agree. HAHA, just kidding, I’m not a bagger but my spying eyes knows how many male teachers are asshats at Sullivans!
Now, for the rest of my rant, because hey, I’m entertaining and getting a rise out of you is fun: Where is your VALID argument? WHERE ARE YOUR VALID POINTS? Nowhere to be found? That’s absolutely right, nothing you say is going to have any merit now, you’ve put the ass hat on and are wearing it like a pro!
And finally, and because you brought it up, I was not offended by comments made about the “Man” Mr. Peter PRINCIPAL, I was actually hoping one of you oh so well spoken teachers would tell this forum why it has to be all about attacking the “establishment” and not about VALID, ARGUABLE POINTS??? Seriously, where’s the actual debate here because you aren’t offering anything other than half cocked hate speech with mispellings. Just saying.
Posted 03 Apr 2008 at 3:50 am ¶(((APPLAUSE))))))) I LUB RICE!!!!!!!! (((APPLAUSE))))
What do you say now Small Penis Man? And all this time we were hating the Principle!!!!
Posted 03 Apr 2008 at 4:31 am ¶Jim, I’m sorry I posted all those bad words and phrases on your blog. You graciously host our rants and you do have a nice site here. I apologize for letting someone push me to the point where I couldn’t watch my proverbial “mouth” where you put your voice out into the world. I appreciate you giving us this venue to discuss and argue and complain about this and all the other matters that you address. Everyone should thank Jim for this digital house of debate, although I would venture to guess that he’s laughing, because I know I am! :o)
Posted 03 Apr 2008 at 5:10 am ¶Ms. Rice - Now, come down now. What happened - did you forget to take your Prozac? Stop using Potty Talk and write like an adult. If you don’t like the teachers, become one yourself and change the system. Then after a few years you can become a Pencil-Head yourself and spend your day dealing with parent cry-babies like yourself who roam the hallways looking for dirt on the teachers.
Posted 03 Apr 2008 at 12:10 pm ¶Ah yes, the disgruntled and angry response. Is that all you got? Way to bolster your position buddy. Way to go. What an awesome teacher you must be. Seriously. Poor little man. Why would I become a teacher when, apparently, they allow nutjobs like yourself to handle kids - they’ll let anybody teach nowadays. Also, the added poke at the “ESTABLISHMENT” was a nice touch. Makes you teachers seem petty and whiny. I would hope that you aren’t a spokesperson for the rest of the faculty because you are about as well spoken as a fourth grader. Do you want an APPLE?
Worried you are going to be found out? Seriously…how many male teachers are there at Sullivans? NOT TOO MANY…
Posted 03 Apr 2008 at 12:22 pm ¶I bet this is Mr. Woodcock.
Posted 03 Apr 2008 at 2:08 pm ¶Could be any one of the SPARSELY represented male teachers teaching OUR KIDS OVER AT THAT SCHOOL. It doesn’t matter who it is now because Brick in the Head just made them all look suspect. Calling kids brats, personal attacks. Tsk tsk tsk… If my kid draws a male teacher while attending SES, I’ll have him moved post haste.
Posted 03 Apr 2008 at 5:04 pm ¶WOW!! This made my day! TGIF! *I*LUB*RICE*, i’m speechless, really. That was great! For a teacher that Brick in the wall needs to learn how to write better responses. YOU SIR, ARE A PHAILURE!!! (say it like Al Pacino would say it…makes it really funny..i think)
As for R U 4real, I don’t mind mourning the death of someone personally, but whenever a gaijin is involed it is expected of us to put on a big fake smile to please them. Things get blown way out of proportion when gaijin commit a crime/murder/rape when you have the Japanese doing it day in day out (that was an over exaggeration btw). I’m sorry to say, but when you get the media involved, we pretty much are kissing japanese ass because to be honest, not too many Sailors view it as mourning for the cab driver, although I send my condolences. I’m not trying to be hateful nor disrespectful but I’m just tired of this clown act everytime we do something bad. That’s not to say that it is ok, but ffs (for fucks sake) not everyone on this base is looking to kill.
All this Jap ass kissing just gets on my nerves. The curfew that was implemented didn’t really get under my skin, but I heard some things that I wish I wouldn’t have heard, and fear for the people outside the gate. Tell people they can’t do something, what do they do? The find another way to do it, and chaos ensues. Ok…maybe not…but you get the point.
To I LUB RICE…I have a small penis too, and Midol is good for headaches!! =)
Posted 03 Apr 2008 at 5:08 pm ¶I know Jim IRL. He R cool!
Posted 03 Apr 2008 at 5:08 pm ¶I forgot to give props to RU4REAL because whoever that is has their facts straight!!!!!!! RIGHT ON!!! TWENTY DAYS OF DUTY IS WHAT THIS ALL STEMS FROM???? SERIOUSLY??? Wow.
Posted 03 Apr 2008 at 5:53 pm ¶OH NOES!!!! IT’S LUNCHTIME, WHO’S WATCHING YOUR CHILDREN!!!
Posted 03 Apr 2008 at 6:00 pm ¶*I* am watching my children, thank you very much. It’s spring break
And whom should I complain to about this? Not only is it a waste of my college education, but I’m not even getting paid for it! Pffft.
Posted 03 Apr 2008 at 6:17 pm ¶Pigeonman ~ I have to say, with regards to this “ass kissing” you think we are doing with the Japanese because of a BAD thing. THIS BAD THING WAS MURDER!!!!!!!!!
Posted 04 Apr 2008 at 2:16 am ¶okay, have a nice spring festival
Thank you captain obvious. My point was that its brought to light in a different manner because it was done by a military person. If a JN would have done the same thing, there wouldn’t be this big scene. It’s like the pot calling the kettle black, ya know? When they kill their own people you don’t see camera crews running around and so on. I’m not trying to push this murder under the rug but ffs (for fucks sake) we’re not terrorists, and things happen, but that doesn’t make us all murderers or bad people. It’s not my fault the US Military has a shitty screening process but even then do you think it would weed out all the bad and only bring the good over here? I doubt it.
The thing I can see that I’m thinking you can’t, is I can see the other side of the coin. We do it in the states too. They graciously let us over here, and we take advantage of it. But hey…like JIM said in one of his blogs, as soon as the US Military presence in Japan is gone the Japanese can kiss their ass goodbye! (NOTE: I put what Jim wrote in my own words.)
So I guess we didn’t kiss any ass when the Japanese Accused that poor Marine of raping that girl. I guess we deserved it because there’s no way he could be innocent. He’s a US Marine for christ’s sake, he had to have raped her. So what did we do? We kissed some serious ass. Go ahead and tell me we didn’t, you’ll just be lying to yourself.
In light of recent events why should we let them on our base? Who’s to say something bad wont happen them or us? Revenge is a possibility. I just think its funny….the same JN’s that protest outside the gate at the Navy are the same ones who will come on base quick fast and in a hurry as soon as we open the gates for an Open Base Day. lol sorry….all this shit makes me laugh….I
Posted 04 Apr 2008 at 2:28 am ¶Pizza day.
Posted 04 Apr 2008 at 3:45 am ¶I WANT PIZZA!! Can I have some!?
Posted 04 Apr 2008 at 5:46 pm ¶Sure, go to the Spring Festival and buy ten of them!!! That’s what the protesters are going to do just before they go back to the front and start picketing again…
Posted 04 Apr 2008 at 7:16 pm ¶I guess no teachers want to come out and tell me why twenty lunch monitor days are just twenty too many because they got their degrees and such? Or are they shopping for big boy and big girl panties now?
Posted 04 Apr 2008 at 7:18 pm ¶I guess recent news got the interest of teachers and now they don’t feel the need to beat this dead horse anymore? ha ha!
Posted 05 Apr 2008 at 6:44 pm ¶As a retired NAVY Chief (1995) with a Master’s in Educational Leadership and now completing my 11th year as a state certified teacher with the local school district, I can see both viewpoints. One, I would not tolerate the school leadership if it is as incompetent as some would say. However, yellng a morning phrase from a movie would probaly not faze me, much less “lunch room duty”. I stand such duty now, not to mention morning bus ramp duty or any other duties asked. Yes we also have a union. But in dealing with school fights, gangs, drugs, and parents who are gang members on drugs looking for a fight, I wish the worst thing I had to bitch about was “lunch room duty”. But as the old NAVY saying goes “A bitching teacher is a happy teacher”.
Posted 06 Apr 2008 at 3:33 pm ¶D Sider, I commend your impeccable use of grammar and spelling. You sir, are awesome. I totally mean it!!!
Posted 06 Apr 2008 at 4:35 pm ¶So many grammar natzi’s here!
dis iz da internetz l2speek lyke ur in da chatz ruum! lolwut! j/k!
D Sider, that by far was probably the best comment from a teacher yet. Hey Rice Lubber, you got some brown stuff on your nose!
Posted 06 Apr 2008 at 8:00 pm ¶Yeah, I got it on there when I kissed your cheek baybeh…
hahahahahahaha!!!!
I saw your myspace. I feels so OLD!
Posted 07 Apr 2008 at 2:14 am ¶Thank you i*heart*rice, but due to my geographical location (Florida) and different time zone, my deliberations and typos are often the product of stubby fingers and too many Guinness Extra Stouts.
An additional observation is that the academic preparation that DODDS provides is superior to 99% of public schools in CONUS. I attribute this to the students being military brats where they receive the discipline & motivation to achieve. More time is therefore devoted to learning vice discipline
Posted 07 Apr 2008 at 3:36 am ¶I LUB RICE!!! It’s so yummy! So, you feel old? Awww, I’m sorry I make you feel old. Age is only a number and you’re only as old as you want to be or feel.
GIMME SOME GRAPE DRINK BABY!
Posted 07 Apr 2008 at 1:59 pm ¶Hi All,
To Brick in the Wall, thanks for your compliments! I actually got my nickname from a friend…way back in my college days! There’s a second part to the nickname, but I fear that through the use of my full nickname, I might be tracked down by THE MAN and reprimanded for blogging about a system near and dear to my heart!!!…and no, the second part of the nickname is not ‘thang’! (smile)
As we can see, just a few blogs later, PigeonMan missed the entire point of the analogy to the hospital. I’m not saying that teachers are doctors, I’m saying that we all understand the clear lines of responsibilities that people who work in a hospital have. People don’t, however, understand the clear lines that exist in a school. It seems that the lines should not exist, according to some bloggers. Funny thing, though….if things start to impede upon their children’s education, they want us on that line, they NEED us on that line…fighting for what we all want the most…the best EDUCATION for the kids. Having teachers do lunch duty takes away from that. ANYONE in EDUCATION knows that! Outsiders…observers who dine with their children during lunch time DO N