And Yet Again

Once again, I am disgusted with my place of employment. Oddly, today is the day I get to voice my opinion on that, in a way, because it's the day we get to vote for (or against) the school budget, as well as for new members of the Board of Education. This year I am tempted as never before to vote against the budget, or not to vote at all. K has convinced me that I must vote, and I know I will, but I'm very tempted. Even so, I know I will vote for the budget because one of the big things in it this year is all-day kindergarten, which we should have had twenty years ago.

I am disgusted today because the SCM is out and there's a shortage of substitutes in the building, so of course, the library goes without. I need to get some kind of plan in place -- other than the principal's promise, which I already have -- that they will always cover him when he's out, because if I need to go to the ladies' room, I need to go right then, not in an hour when they can find someone somewhere to cover me. Today I'm especially pissed off, because when they called K last night to sub, they offered her the library, which she accepted, but when she got here today, there weren't enough subs, so she's in an industrial arts class for the day, and with no lunch until after the lunch periods are over. She's free the period before lunch, when they actually had the nerve to offer me that she could come here instead. So, if I want coverage, I need to screw my own kid out of her only period off? Gee, pass. They're sending someone up to cover me for my lunch, and someone for the period I'll be teaching in the lab (although if that happens, I'll be astonished.) Anyway, I'm not stressed, just pissed off at the way things are done around here.

A few hours go by ....

I spoke to the nurse, and then to a member of the staff who has a handicap, and what I need to do, it turns out, is get a letter from my doctor and then they will need to accommodate me. Coincidentally, I have a follow up with The Resnick this afternoon, so a letter I shall have. All I really need it to say is that my access to the ladies' room cannot be restricted in any way, which will mean that there will have to be someone here with me so I can go when I need to without having to choose between leaving kids in the library unsupervised and having an accident. Which will mean they have to get coverage when the SCM is out, even if they don't have enough subs for the day. We'll see how that goes. My next step may have to be to stay out whenever he does, which is something I'd really rather not do, and I can't imagine I'd have to. (For those who wonder what I would do if I were a classroom teacher ... I have no idea whatsoever. I think it would be very difficult to have Crohn's or something like it and be a classroom teacher. You'd have to work something out with your office for someone to come running to cover whenever you called. Which could never happen here, because there's almost never someone in our office when we need someone there. And since I'm not a classroom teacher, just me, that's all I need to worry about anyway.)

More to come, perhaps after The Resnick ....

Later.

So the doctor is over the moon (what a goofy expression) at my progress, and even anticipates that after the next colonoscopy, which I scheduled for May 19, he may be able to reduce my medication. Score. Also, when I explained my school dilemma to him, he freaked out just a bit, and couldn't write me the letter fast enough. He's appalled that there would be conditions under which I wouldn't be able to get to a bathroom. So clearly, he's living in a fantasy world, but one that works for me. I have my letter; I'll make numerous copies for backup and share it tomorrow.

And now I am just so tired. I don't want to do anything at all tonight except win the big lottery. Oh, first, a little news-related rant.

We keep seeing how they raided this polygamy compound to rescue the children and the women. Okay. But now they won't let the women stay with their children? WTF? Aren't they considering the women abused, too? So why are they being punished? And then there's this aspect. Even if you don't agree with their particular religion, they are essentially planning to take these children and give them to foster families to raise, and this appalls me. This is what a powerful society does to eliminate an unwanted minority: remove the children from their parents' influence and indoctrinate them otherwise. This was famously done to Native Americans in the southwest in the late 19th and well into the 20th century, and it's what was done to Jews in Tsarist Russia. So really, all kinds of un-Constitutional and stuff, not to mention a moral outrage. But I mentioned it, and remain outraged nonetheless.


WATCHING THE FAMILY GUY :: ENTRY #1728