Absence of Nostalgia

Is it over yet?

The Stooges seem determined to make the end of the semester as horrible as possible. It's nothing personal; it's all coming in the form of generic emails to the whole faculty, and it's the basic clueless $^*! that we've been getting all year from the office. The Academic Stooge can't even bring himself to look me in the eye because he knows he sold me down the river. But that doesn't prevent him or the others from sending obnoxious, rude, micromanagement notes to all of us reminding us of our 'responsibilities' at the end of the year. I'd be so much more impressed if any of them had taken any of their own responsibilities seriously during the year.

Case in point: yesterday after school I had a half-dozen kids milling around my room. Were they my kids? No. Discipline Stooge had decided that detention would be in my room. Please note that I have served my tour of detention duty for the year already, and that Discipline Stooge hadn't bothered to inform me of the desire to use my room. 10 minutes after detention was supposed to start, Disc. Stooge showed up, handed one of the boys his car keys and sent them out to his vehicle to get boxes of t-shirts related to his personal sports training sideline. The kids were to sort and fold the t-shirts. Having given these directions, he disappeared again, and I was left with kids and t-shirts until 3.

During none of this did he bother to speak to me, ask if I minded these brats being in my room, apologise for using my room without talking to me, or otherwise acknowledge my presence. This did not incline me to stick around to supervise until the end of the scheduled detention time. I packed up and left at my usual time, which I'm sure was 'irresponsible' of me, but if he doesn't care, why should I?

Supporting case in point: they have still not hired anyone to replace Sis, who resigned a month ago (to take a job where I hope she will be appreciated and happy -- they pulled much the same stunt with her that they did with me). This is in part because it is harder to replace science teachers generally, and in part because she teaches six preps across three departments, a schedule which no sane person would willingly accept. The insanity factor aside, however, Academic Stooge didn't realise that she taught that kind of schedule until after she resigned.

Excuse me? He didn't know?!. It's his job to know. He is, in fact, the Vice-Stooge in charge of knowing that.

Maman phoned yesterday to tell me that she'd just received a letter, signed by both the Stooge Honcho and the Lower-School Lamia, asking her to consider donating 'generously' to the new giving campaign.

Right. The school tried its very best to screw both her daughters royally, and then they want her to give them a donation?

Worse yet, the letter was addressed to both her and my father, who, for the record, is dead. The seventh anniversary of my father's death will be on the 30th of this month. Now, Maman was a registered, donating member of OLPA parish at the time my father died. Did anyone from the parish call, visit or send a card when he died? No.

So, you can imagine how delighted she was by this letter. Just delighted. She's planning a response, which she'll copy to the pastor, the school board, and possibly the archdiocese, in which she will give them clear, descriptive instructions on taking a flying leap. In the nicest possible way, of course.

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