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Post by mellowyellow on Jun 9, 2008 20:53:38 GMT -5
Ohhh... I am so worried.  At the end of May I did this really important assessment with my class. Not important for the kids, but administratively important... So it is important to my boss because she needs to pass it on to her boss. Last week I noticed, kind of absentmindedly that it wasn't at the side of my cluttered desk. I was a bit worried, but too involved with other deadlines to really stress. So yesterday and today I did a good straightening up and the work is missing. I can't find it at all.  (Now, in the last year, we have had someone on staff who has been entering rooms and removing books and things... But I don't want this to be an excuse with me blaming this nameless "somebody".) Then today as I was leaving, my boss gives us a schedule that shows we will meet first thing in the morning to go over the work that is lost. We are asked to be prompt and prepared. URGH  So after coming home for an hour, I checked around here... but really there is NO reason for me to have brought the folder home... I went back to work and checked for another hour in my classroom. It is GONE!! I just can't find it at all!! I am in a panic. It has seemingly disappeared in thin air.  So I decided to be proactive and phone my boss... to be blunt and honest and forthright... And to avoid any scene in front of my workmates... So now... after waiting for three hours for her to phone back... It is almost 10 pm.. literally as I am typing this... she phoned and we talked about it. Urgh. She was very polite and didn't say anything rude or inappropriate but I still feel mortified that I should show myself as being so unprofessional and unresponsible. I feel sick about this. I am always so careful about dead lines and assignments, etc. This just makes me feel like once again, my clutter and uncertainty has contributed needlessly to my life. Urgh urgh urgh  |
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cutiepie
New Member
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 7
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Post by cutiepie on Jun 9, 2008 22:41:52 GMT -5
[ b] 
I think it was a great idea to give your boss a heads-up. I'm sure you're not the only one who's misplaced important paperwork, and I can bet it won't be the last.
Hang in there !!![/b][/color] |
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Post by skitter on Jun 10, 2008 4:45:07 GMT -5
I think you handled a difficult situation really well. Do you have a record of the results?
It might help to look again where you think it should have been. Perhaps you were really organized that day and filed it neatly away.
I find that when I'm anxious I will often look right at what I'm looking for.
Sometimes things get caught up in a pile of student work.
Hope you've found it by now!
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Post by readytojump on Jun 10, 2008 14:29:05 GMT -5
I know the feeling well! I misplace student work sometimes and have always found it again. Frequently it is in a differently coloured folder than the one that I "remember " I had placed it in; sometimes it is in a different place. Stay calm and it might come to you!
If you do not find the folder in time, then remember that this is not the end of the world and not the first time that something like that has happenend to someone. Teachers are very busy individuals who have to deal with a lot of paper in very little time and often with very little space. In Australia there are processes that deal with such occasssional losses wihtout penalising the teacher invoved. What is the worst case scenarion in this case?
RtJ
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Post by mellowyellow on Jun 10, 2008 20:15:21 GMT -5
:-XThank you CutiePie, Skitter and Ready to Jump for your encouragement. As it turns out, the papers did NOT show up yet. Here's the long saga if you have patience to read it. My boss asked me to talk to the vice principal who is in charge of this project.... So in a way.. it was like the ancient "wait until your father gets home" idea.... *sigh*  Turns out, the VP was at another meeting and unavailable. I arrived at the scheduled morning meeting with my coworkers... didn't make a big deal about it, but just said the work was missing and that I could help them analyze their work, but couldn't give any personal examples/assessments of my own. At one point, the woman in charge said (kind of snottily, but I understand her frustration)... "Well you'll have to talk to ____ about it and explain what happened". Now... since I had already spoken to the principal, I felt pretty calm and didn't react or answer inappropriately. At lunch time the VP showed up and I could see by her angry face that she knew about the missing work ... So again, I was proactive, and before she could say much, I apologized, told her that we would redo the assessment, and she would have it by the end of the day. Her face changed, and she was calm when she spoke. She even offered me until tomorrow if I needed it. And I told her, No, I would make a point of having it resubmitted before she left today. If you can believe it... at this point, she even told me that I didn't have to re-evaluate all of them on the rubric... and that she would do it. Whew! It was with great pleasure that I completely redid the assessments (obviously with the total support of my poor students!!! Viva Junior students who still love school  )... and additional pleasure in being able to hand in beautifully sorted and photocopied sheets five minutes after the end-of-school bell. Phew phew phew.... Still humbled... but limping back to my usual outwardly calm demeanor. Actually it was remarkably lucky that I was able to speak calmly, quietly and with authority... giving the illusion (!!!!) of being unstressed and in control. *sigh*  |
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Post by readytojump on Jun 10, 2008 22:15:59 GMT -5
There is always a way around something like this and you found it!!
Being proactive and not reactive saved the day!
I must remember that in the future!
RtJ
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Post by messysue on Jun 11, 2008 12:13:22 GMT -5
You handled the situation perfectly.
Let us know if the originals show up -- & where you find them.
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Post by dragonchilde on Jun 11, 2008 13:05:52 GMT -5
My husband did something similar at tax time. He literally waited until the last minute, and his w-2s were gone.
We looked frantically for hours... if you were late filing this year, you didn't get the stimulus check. We finally found them, on the floor by the desk, UNDER a huge pile of stuff.
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Post by sunshineshouse on Jun 11, 2008 15:39:08 GMT -5
I am glad that you were able to get things turned around so quickly! Papers...always a problem for me. I didn't know that late tax filers didn't get the stimulus check...bummer for me - I'm always late and now I have a reason to kick myself!
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chunkalot
New Member
Joined: June 2008
Posts: 8
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Post by chunkalot on Jun 11, 2008 16:03:30 GMT -5
All filers, after 4/15, or just those who were supposed to file?
I received a message telling me that I could file for the money, even though I didn't need to file a return, in April.
Wow, teachers lose work? Glad you were given the opportunity to present your work. Has this affected the way you treat your students?
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Post by creativechaos on Jun 11, 2008 20:23:10 GMT -5
mellowyellow;
Great going, being proactive and creative in your solutions! Honesty and communication made a good impression, and your willingness to rectify the situation smoothed the stress of others. I'm so happy it worked out for you!
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