Next up: TEYC?

I was pulled aside by Steve for a quick meeting earlier today, and was briefed about a few things:

Seems as though one person will be laid off next week, and of course, it's not me, since I am high on the depth chart (hahaha). The reality is that the student numbers will be the same for the next semester, and ordinarily, that would mean everyone (ie. staff) gets to stay. However, Giles has been on vacation for a month, so in fact, that would mean when he does come back (at the start of the new semester), there will be one extra teacher.

Thus, I was asked if I could teach TEYC, something I've never done before. I was told that James and I were the two candidates for this, and if neither of us could, then "Teacher E" would have to be retained to teach it, while the popular Kyle would be gone (since he was the last person hired). I was asked to think about it, see whether or not I would want to teach TEYC, and not try and "save" someone's job, in this case, Kyle's. (If Kyle's job was saved, then "Teacher E" would be the one out of one.)

Here's the thing though: Even if I do try and "save" Kyle, it's not like it will be recognized. It's like one of these hush-hush internal matters, so it's like it stays within the few of us and doesn't get out to everyone. So, even if I try to be the 'good guy' here, so to speak, no one will know or care. Whatever.

I was told that James was briefed on this earlier (before I was ever told about this) and had apparently said he wouldn't mind, though he wasn't all pumped up for it. I'd told myself repeatedly, learn to say no, learn to think about myself and not whatever is convenient for everyone else (because sometimes it ends up with me doing more work). However, with the fact that one of the candidates (James) had already consented, I wasn't about to reject the idea. And of course, it's all about the competitive nature in me; if James could do it, obviously I could do it too, and likely better.

So, I could be the person teaching TEYC. Who knows... Well, the decision will be made in a day or two, so it's up to the decision-makers now. To use one of my sports quotes, two quarterbacks vying for the one job on a team with no defense... Who's going to win the job?

Random Thoughts X

The ECHL, the fantasy hockey league I've involved in for the last couple years, is no longer a fun league.

Don't know if it's because the commissioner team has been changed or what, but the league is getting to be less interesting.

First off, it was suddenly not okay to make fun of other teams, which was part of the fun to begin with. Whenever I made fun of the Atlanta franchise losing, Mike (who was not even the GM of said team) was intent on picking fights with me on the message board. Repeatedly.

Secondly, when I publicly decided to root for other clubs, that wasn't okay either, with two of the four current commissioners jumping in to attack me. All in good nature, I'm sure, but again, I don't see why I needed to have multiple people bashing me. It's just like, there's a minor problem with the photocopier, let's say, and we have two people there to fix it. Unnecessary. Add to that, there are several making fun of the quality of my team, which is fine. However, there are a few teams right now that are worse than or on par with mine, and yet I don't see anything negative said about them.

Now, suddenly I am told I am a useless GM, with apparently all four commissioners questioning my trades.

This is supposed to be a fun fantasy league. Suddenly this league just isn't fun anymore.

* * * * *

On another note, back to work:

I'd been teaching the Business program for years now, and with the fact the current student numbers aren't high, I've been asked to take on curriculum development for half of my days. So, morning time it's Business, afternoon time it was supposed to be curriculum stuff for the whole school. (And believe me, I was handed a long list of things to fix.)

However, as luck would have it, some teachers had been sick, or most recently, quit suddenly, and I've been subbing for, and now teaching, afternoon English classes.

When I was teaching Business full-time, it was all a balancing act. Most of the time, be strict, but sometimes, be coddling. Now, it's being strict in the morning with Business students, and being coddling with the afternoon students.

I was invited to a party on Saturday, and normally I wouldn't be going to these student-teacher get-togethers. See, Business students didn't want to hang out with their teachers after school, while English students did. Thus, at these parties, Business students usually weren't around. However, it was not cool to skip these functions for an English teacher. Thus, in my afternoon classes, my students were already asking me to commit to attending. And, because you try to provide a friendly and encouraging atmosphere, it would be uncool to say no. Therefore, I promised I would attend, and I did.

At the party, Chan expressed his appreciation for my being there, and also thanked me for being a great teacher, for explaining things clearly, and my geniune kindness. It was an alright party overall; I hung out for a couple hours before taking off.

It's certainly refreshing to hear people thank you and be appreciative of your efforts... unlike situations where people stab each other's backs in highly competitive work environments. Just a comment.