I Am Your Plan Break: My 37 years as a Public School "Specials" Teacher

THE ONE WHERE I WAS PUT ON A PLAN OF ASSISTANCE 1988-1989: Argonia Public Schools K-12 Library, 9-12 Speech/Theatre 1988-89 School Photo A taboo topic among ALL Teachers is the dreaded PLAN OF ASSISTANCE. A POA will contain suggestions and changes that a classroom teacher will need to make in order to continue teaching and eventually be granted tenure. A POA that is used properly can be a great tool that can really help a struggling teacher. A POA can also be used to get rid of a Teacher that Administration simply does not like. In this blog entry I will tell you about my POA. Perhaps if my school district would have mentored me my first year I could have avoided a POA my third year? I am not embarrassed to tell you about my Plan of Assistance. Ostracized at enrollment THE YOUNG NEW PRINCIPAL We got a new Principal the fall of 1988 who was maybe 3-5 years older than me. The new Administrator took a dislike to me early on.  I had an extremely challenging student my third ...

THE ONE WHERE I MET BRAD JOHNSON   1987-1988:   Argonia Public Schools K-12 Library, 9-12 Speech/Theatre School Picture 1987 I do not think that the School Board was happy with me in the fall of 1987. I defied them by NOT living in Argonia, I really had no choice, because financially I was not making it. Many people in my boat simply lived off of their credit cards, I am proud to say that I have NEVER had credit card debt. I was lucky that my parents welcomed me back home, RENT FREE. It allowed me to add more to my monthly student loan payments as well as save some money. My sister Michelle and her son had moved out and she was going to be getting married that November. Her son Brad had a raspy voice. The Speech Pathologist at Belle Plaine Elementary suggested that Michelle talk to the School Psychologist Brad Johnson about her son's voice. They met and it was determined that his voice was not out of the ordinary. Michelle and I loved attending Debbbie Vargus's aerobics c...