I made a couple of trays to put on top of the baseboard heaters in order to get a little humidity in the house. Following along with the New Year's resolution, job was started and finished within two days. Might be a record for something that wasn't a break-down job. Nothing much to them, though. Fold up a rectangular box and solder the ends tight. I put a couple of tabs on the back side to slide between the heater and the wall to keep them in place. You know the cat's going to be checking them out.
The other photo is the shop sink at school. They never tell you in college about all the things you're going to have to do as a shop teacher other than teach school. Things like taking the sink apart and cleaning out the drain. I know the other teachers in the building have no idea about these things as well. Granted I'm sure the English or math teachers might have to do a few things I'm not aware of but not the fix and repair kind of work that shop teachers do. I don't mind doing most of it. I cut rings off of fingers, remove splinters, replace switches and brushes in the hand grinders, run to the hardware store about once a week and even do a little minor surgery (after they smash a fingernail they come to me to let the pressure out). It's all good, breaks up the monotony and the students get a chance to see all kinds of things being done. Which brings me to the next subject.
I've had a couple of meetings lately dealing with more things that they want me to do. Some of these I see the logic and have no problem with. A couple of them are absolutely worthless in my estimation and are only going to be used so some mope can justify his position. If I'm the guy they always come to to fix everything in the school corporation, then how about cutting me a little slack when it's time to do the busy work? If I can't avoid it, which is how most of it will turn out, then create a little time for me to get it done. I could go back to my policy of a couple of years ago. I just quit fixing things for the school. They threw out at least a $1000.00 worth of desks but because no one other than the custodians knew what we did in the shop to begin with, no one knew I quit fixing things. Didn't really help the situation but I did get a chuckle out of watching the custodian haul the desks out to the dumpster. We've fixed five this week and last, by the way.
I'm down to the fingers on one hand as to how much longer I'm planning on working. In fact, I'm planning on just a couple of fingers worth. In addition to my resolutions about getting the jobs done, I'm working my pre-retirement plan. I've got a guy in mind for the job, so I want everything ready to go rather than everything broke like a new teacher usually encounters. So if I need to throttle back my disgruntled employee routine, so be it. Plus I'm working on getting everything at home ready to go when I no longer have the luxury of using the school's equipment which requires me to use the school's equipment.
So the finish out the career goal now becomes:
Do the minimum of the stupid crap they want done.
Do the maximum of what I want done.
Have as much fun as possible while staying under the radar.
Now that I see it in writing, it pretty well sums up my career.
The other photo is the shop sink at school. They never tell you in college about all the things you're going to have to do as a shop teacher other than teach school. Things like taking the sink apart and cleaning out the drain. I know the other teachers in the building have no idea about these things as well. Granted I'm sure the English or math teachers might have to do a few things I'm not aware of but not the fix and repair kind of work that shop teachers do. I don't mind doing most of it. I cut rings off of fingers, remove splinters, replace switches and brushes in the hand grinders, run to the hardware store about once a week and even do a little minor surgery (after they smash a fingernail they come to me to let the pressure out). It's all good, breaks up the monotony and the students get a chance to see all kinds of things being done. Which brings me to the next subject.
I've had a couple of meetings lately dealing with more things that they want me to do. Some of these I see the logic and have no problem with. A couple of them are absolutely worthless in my estimation and are only going to be used so some mope can justify his position. If I'm the guy they always come to to fix everything in the school corporation, then how about cutting me a little slack when it's time to do the busy work? If I can't avoid it, which is how most of it will turn out, then create a little time for me to get it done. I could go back to my policy of a couple of years ago. I just quit fixing things for the school. They threw out at least a $1000.00 worth of desks but because no one other than the custodians knew what we did in the shop to begin with, no one knew I quit fixing things. Didn't really help the situation but I did get a chuckle out of watching the custodian haul the desks out to the dumpster. We've fixed five this week and last, by the way.
I'm down to the fingers on one hand as to how much longer I'm planning on working. In fact, I'm planning on just a couple of fingers worth. In addition to my resolutions about getting the jobs done, I'm working my pre-retirement plan. I've got a guy in mind for the job, so I want everything ready to go rather than everything broke like a new teacher usually encounters. So if I need to throttle back my disgruntled employee routine, so be it. Plus I'm working on getting everything at home ready to go when I no longer have the luxury of using the school's equipment which requires me to use the school's equipment.
So the finish out the career goal now becomes:
Do the minimum of the stupid crap they want done.
Do the maximum of what I want done.
Have as much fun as possible while staying under the radar.
Now that I see it in writing, it pretty well sums up my career.
5 comments:
HI "BOB"'
STUPID SHIT IS STUPID SHIT! IF MY SON WENT TO YOUR SCHOOL, YOU MIGHT BE THE ONLY TEACHER I WOULD NOT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH. UNFORTUNATELY YOU WILL JUST BE REPLACED, AND PROBABLY NOT MISSED. WHAT A SYSTEM WE HAVE WHERE THE GOOD TEACHERS ARE CAST OFF AND REPLACED WITH ONES WHO DON'T CARE.
YOU KNOW MY THOUGHTS ON THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN THIS COUNTRY, SO I'M NOT GOING TO RAMBLE ON ABOUT THEM. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE MEETINGS YOU WERE DISCUSSING ARE JUST ANOTHER SYMPTOM OF THE UPHILL BATTLE GOOD TEACHERS ARE FACING.
GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR RETIREMENT PLAN, YOU KNOW I'LL BE ROOTING FOR YOU.
TALK TO YOU SOON,
TVI
As you well know, it's not just the school systems. Heavy equipment mechanics have to deal with bureaucracy as well and up until a couple of years ago, things here were going pretty smooth. I just want to go out on top instead of being some crabby old fart nobody wants to be around. I'll keep working the plan and that, plus the fact there's a good man in the wings, should see me through.
Thanks for the kind words if you’re talking about me! 16 credits with soc and psyc is keeping me pretty busy but if you want to tie with you going out and me coming in I got to keep after it!! Looks like you have been keeping pretty busy and knocking out some of those projects!! Talk to ya later. Dave
Any way you can come up w/ a CNC machine in the time remaining? Your ass would be awesome w/ one of those in the shop.
"Do the maximum of what I want done.
Have as much fun as possible while staying under the radar." - Yep. Great LIFE plan & not just retirement.
leroy99: I'm talking about you, sport. You keep taking classes and we'll get the race to the finish line synchronized. I just don't want to drag up and have them close the program because they can't find a replacement.
Unk: Not much chance for a CNC. I had access to one at the old school and I made some cool stuff but I'm looking to retire, not go into production - just lay around the shack and pick shit with the chickens.
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