Sad, bad news
I found out today that I lost the class I was scheduled to teach--unavoidable, even though I have also just been promoted to the Preferred Hiring Pool. But, as I mentioned in my "promotion" post, my acceptance puts me at the very bottom of the hierarchy of the PHP, and that is why I lost my class. To make a long-ish story short, there were several under-enrolled sections, and the section of a teacher with greater seniority got canceled. She then, according to the rules of the PHP, became entitled to "bump" a teacher with less seniority--who turned out to be me. Although I truly do understand the point of view of the teacher who bumped me, I don't agree with the "bumping" rule; I had already met my class and assigned work, and it just doesn't seem right to me that a teacher whose class didn't fill can take it away at this point. One of the advantages of being in PHP is that you have greater power to pick the schedule you want to *begin* with, while the people with less seniority have to settle for what is left--usually the less desirable days and times. Okay, so that seems fair. But, if your class that you hand-picked doesn't fill up with students, it doesn't seem right to me that you can then take a class from someone else (especially a class that's started already). It seems like having your cake and eating it too.
In addition, I don't think it's fair to the students. They have already bought books and done some work for my class; also, at least one of them had signed up for my section deliberately, on a recommendation from one of my former students. Now, they will undoubtedly have to sell those books back to the bookstore and buy new ones, and the work they've done so far won't count. Again, though, I do understand that the teacher who took my class felt she urgently needed the work as well.
Oh well. I hope people in my life will read this post, so I won't have to tell this sad story too often! Also, if you do read this, I am curious to know what you think of the bumping system--even if you don't agree with me. I'm genuinely curious about what others think.
I am going to try to get more Writing Center hours and more copy-editing work, if I can, to try to make up a little for this loss.
In addition, I don't think it's fair to the students. They have already bought books and done some work for my class; also, at least one of them had signed up for my section deliberately, on a recommendation from one of my former students. Now, they will undoubtedly have to sell those books back to the bookstore and buy new ones, and the work they've done so far won't count. Again, though, I do understand that the teacher who took my class felt she urgently needed the work as well.
Oh well. I hope people in my life will read this post, so I won't have to tell this sad story too often! Also, if you do read this, I am curious to know what you think of the bumping system--even if you don't agree with me. I'm genuinely curious about what others think.
I am going to try to get more Writing Center hours and more copy-editing work, if I can, to try to make up a little for this loss.
posted by Sarah Goss at 7:46 PM
16 Comments:
I'm sorry to hear that. Send me some contact information for the teacher who bumped you. She'll be getting a visit from me when I'm in town.
Sarah,
Of course we've talked about this at lenght, but I want to say that the bumping system just isn't right. I feel this way for many reasons, but mainly because -- as you say -- it's unfair to students who've already begun the work. Plus, it makes the school look bad -- disorganized, etc.
I think the rule at the very least should be that a "senior" member may bump a "junior" member ONLY before classes begin. Once classes begin, there should be no more bumping. Just makes sense to me.
I do apologize, by the way, if this message sounded bitter and self-serving. I should probably delete it, as Lars Ulrich's father Torben suggested the deletion of the would-be opening tracks of _St. Anger_....
Of course, if Albert REALLY wants to beat someone up for me...I'm not sure I could pass an offer like that up.
Oh Sarah, I'm sorry sweetie. First, I know this is close to impossible, but I hope that this setback doesn't take away at all from the excitement of getting the promotion ... which is awesome.
Next, I have to say that I find this bumping system ridiculous at best. I mean, I do get the need for some kind of system that ensures seniority. But this kind of doling out of classes should happen pre-registration. No ifs ands or buts about it (perhaps more should be done to anticipate levels of enrollment?). Seniority should come into play when they're initially creating the schedule of classes. And it's true it's very unfair to the students ... but also unfair to you. Are you getting paid at all for the time you undoubtedly put into the class in terms of prep and the time you did meet with the students?
And if they do want to make this bumping system work (said very skeptically) ... it seems that they need to take other factors into consideration. Do they take into account that, in certain circumstances, some classes fill up and some don't because some teachers are just more popular than others? In other words, are there review processes even after you get into the preferred hiring pool? I find the whole thing unfair. I get what you're saying ... about another teacher needing the work as well. But ... I've honestly never heard of such a system before. It's just pedagogically yucky.
And besides ... systems of bumping should strictly be reserved for the bedroom.
Oh, Mita, I love you!! You actually just made me laugh for the first time since I got "bumped"...and not in the good, bedroom sense of the word :-)
Yeah...and in fairness to me (so I don't seem like a total hypocrite), I decided not to "bump" someone with less seniority who had already started her class...hence my beautiful current state of unemployment. I suppose the ethics of this decision could be fiercely argued. Well,I am not totally unemployed; I have the Writing Center and I've been getting some copy-editing work lately.
...oh, also: there is a chance I'll be compensated for 10% of the salary I was originally supposed to be paid for the class.
WTF mate!?!? I feel the righteous rage of all that is unfair and unholy rising in my throat. Ok. So - A) that is totally unfair to you and your time and your energy; and B) it is, in a way, even more unfair to your students who are PAYING good money to receive an EDUCATION and I know I for one would be wanting to stage a student body protest against such a (well I was going to say arcane here, but since I've never heard of such a stupid process, I don't even know if it has a historical precedent), um, let’s say arbitrary and flawed system. I mean, come on, it’s unpatriotic! America We Stand As One!
So, yeah, I’m so sorry sweetie…that really, well, bottom line…sucks. :(
Hi Sarah,
I definitely agree that "swapping teachers" (and it sounds like content material, too), after a course has begun only confuses the students and is unfair to them. If the school is going to allow bumping, it should be done *before* the term begins.
IMHO, I think bumping is silly and unfair to those teachers lower on the totem pole... if your class is underenrolled then that's a more honest and fair way to justify cancellation. At least the promotion will help next time, I hope! :-)
Oh, Sar, I'm so sorry. That stinks! At the risk of being redundant, I add my voice to the others who've posted above me here ... there should be a deadline for "bumping." Once teacher and students have invested that much time and energy, it's unfair to make your work null and void. Remember--your promotion is still a fabulous accomplishment, and hopefully you'll get your chance to shine soon. BTW, I think you made a noble decision not to inflict the same fate upon someone with less seniority. That must have been a tough call to make.
Thanks so much for being supportive, guys. I am having a rough week (and I am grateful to the blog for letting me announce the news communally, because it has been painful when poor unoffending folk write to me saying, "How is your class going??" and I have to repeat the sad tale). Arg. Anyway--yes, changing teachers means changing the course content, since we use a variety of different readers and have different visions of what the course should be (and different assignments)...I'm guessing the new teacher will significantly change the class...and my students had already done a couple assignments, and I had commented on one of them (though I never got to hand it back). The thing about my promotion, though, is that it didn't help me, b/c I am still at the *bottom* of PHP, seniority-wise...this means anyone above me in PHP can bump me. It *did* give me the choice to bump another teacher who is not in the PHP at all...and I chose not to. It *is* sort of a haunting thought that I gave up that opportunity--but I felt icky about it, and also, it would have been a class I have never taught before, and I would have had to throw together a syllabus in two days--hard enough to do if it'd been a class I was familiar with, but nearing impossibility in this case. I honestly didn't think it was fair to the students to deprive them of the teacher who knew what she was doing (nor did I think it was fair to do that to the teacher, who had already begun her class)...there would have been a certain shiny hypocrisy to me running around saying, "I shouldn't have been bumped!", if I then turned around and bumped another. Bumpety shmumpety :-(
I'm so sorry, Sarah darling. But I am proud of the ethical decision you made. You did the right thing.
I agree with Mark that this makes the school look bad. Bad management and planning. Half-assed. As a student I would have been very unhappy about losing you as my teacher. I love you. M.B.
Yay! My mommy thinks I am a great teacher :-)
I should have you write me a letter of recommendation, M.B. (the Matzo Ball, aka the "Matz," for those who might not know)
Thirteen comments is an unlucky number...so I am now creating a completely superfluous fourteenth comment (my superstitiousness is a subject soon to be covered in yet ANOTHER fascinating, scintillating installment of "I guess I have a blog").
Had you waited, I would have saved you the trouble. Add this to the growing evidence that this is a sucky idea: My first year teaching, I was hired as an emergency measure to relieve some overloaded classes, about six weeks into the semester. And okay, these are little teenagers, not real people who might understand these necessities on a rational level. But the fact remains that when the kids were pulled out of those other classes and put into mine, they were LIVID. They were BETRAYED. And they were f-ing UNMANAGEABLE for the rest of the damn YEAR, even though they still got credit for their assignments and this was more or less the same coursework (this was aggravated by my total lack of experience, but I've seen this happen even to the pros). So this other prof may live to regret her choice, even if older students are unmanageable in a more civilized, less spitball-y way.
Yeah...of course, six weeks is a lot longer into the semester than my students got with me. But my vanity still nurtures a private fantasy (well, maybe not so private anymore) that they will recall the image of Sarah, yanked prematurely away from them... but I like how your comment introduces the other side of the equation (the difficulty from the new prof's point of view, especially if the students have had time to form an attachment to the original teacher).
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