I believe I have uncovered the source (or at least one of them) to my ever growing frustration at school….Micro Managing!

I am being hit with this from 2 sides. First, I have new admin who openly acknowledges she has this issue but refuses to let up. She is so focused on the tiniest, minuscule details, that she can’t see the building imploding around her. I am having the hardest time staying polite as I point out the huge issues I need help with while she questions me about tiny things I don’t have the time or the will to explain. But I may go down that rant road another day. Today I need to vent, I mean focus on my paras.

I have paraprofessionals who can’t seem to think for themselves at all any more and need to ask me questions ALL DAY LONG!!!!!!! I am trying so very hard to stay calm with them, exercising the great amount patience I have for all my students, but let’s get serious! Yes, I have put into place new procedures and expectations for both my students and my paras and with this came a learning curve. BUT, we have spent the first month of school practicing them, reviewing them, making visuals to support them, and my students are doing a fabulous job! My paras, not so much. Do you really need to ask me on day 20 of the school year, when the schedule is posted on the front board, with icon pictures to support understanding, when we are going to lunch? This hasn’t changed in years and certainly hasn’t changed since yesterday, so why are you asking…..AGAIN TODAY!

Today, I am in the middle of attempting to work with one of my more focus-challenged students. He’s actually engaged, working hard to earn his bubble wrap time, when I have one para, yell from across the room, that the student she is working with is missing something from his IEP goal bin. OK?! Find another one or move one to something else. Do you really need my permission? That couldn’t have waited until the end of the day? Write me a sticky note. Every one of my student’s work bins has a stack of sticky notes for exactly this reason….for when you don’t want to forget to ask me or tell me something, so write it on a sticky note. DO NOT yell at me during work time, disturbing all the students and effectively ending a productive, educational experience because you can’t think for yourself.

I CAN’T STAND HAVING TO MICRO MANAGE MY PARA’S!!! It is mentally exhausting to be interrupted all day, every day to make the smallest of decisions, relay the same information, or just answer dumb questions. I am going on record, the person who said there are no dumb questions, was dumb and was never a supervisor or teacher! There are plenty of dumb questions!!

“The bell just rang, and the bus is here, should we go get our students?” (actual quote) My response (paraphrased), “No, let’s leave them on the bus today. I am sure the driver won’t mind!”

“Johnny needs to go to music class, and it’s my turn to take him, should we go?” WTF???!!!

“Johnny just had an accident on the floor, should I change him?”

{For the record, I have never actually had a student named John, or Johnny, so to protect the identity of my students, they will all now be named Johnny!}

Also part of my new para-imposed micro-management role includes policing when they come to work, leave and return from breaks, and telling them that when we are all lining up to go out to recess, is not a good time to return a phone call or line up to use the bathroom!! All of our students are finally standing in a (somewhat) straight line and quietly waiting at the door, so sure I will make them hold that position for 10 minutes while all my paras decide they need to use the bathroom. I haven’t even pee’d this month during the school day, why do they think the classroom is going to grind to a stop so they can!!!

I know it sounds petty and bitchy, but I can’t help it. I have a planned staff meeting every week where I go over individual students goals, how we are targeting their specific learning programs and behaviors, and I am always free to answer (smart) questions outside of instruction time. I need to be able to spend my mental energy analyzing data and figuring out why Johnny isn’t making progress, or how I can support another student’s desire to stay dressed and not get naked on the playground. I need to be sharp to answer parent emails, admin emails, program specialist emails. I need brain cells left to collaborate with specialists and parents. I expect my paras to generalize the information shared with them during staff meetings, and put on their big kid panties and think for themselves. I do not want to have to oversee every, single, minor detail of everyday. Johnny had an accident, change him. I do not care whether you put on his clean cars undies, or his clean super hero undies. They both serve the same purpose, MAKE THAT DECISION YOURSELF!!!

I do not like to be micro-managed. I do not like micro-managing. And if this keeps up, I am going to need a case of wine a night to stay sane!