More often than not lately, I find that I'm surprised, actually shocked when I receive really friendly and helpful customer service in any form. I don't even mind using web forms for online customer service because I know there's little chance of someone being ride to me on the other end. If I can resolve my consumer issues without human contact I'm far more likely to do just that.
I understand why it's hard to be pleasant to the general public (GP). I've worked in the restaurant and food service industry for many years and it is a personality rich environment; not all of those personalities are anywhere close to tolerable in my eyes. I made the switch to the back of the house a long time ago because I had run out of patience for the GP and I can curse at them from the confines of my kitchen/cage without risking a loss of business. I get it.
But for those who have jobs they've worked towards, whether through years of college or via a election process or resources sunk into developing a new business, there is no excuse.
Here in Pennsylvania, our state lawmakers and genius Governor have been without a working budget since the end of July. State Troopers are being forced to work without pay, state subsidised daycare facilities are closing, resources for the mentally challenged adult population are drying up and these useless pricks can't get beyond the politics of the moment to make our state a fully functioning commonwealth. Of course, they're still getting paid. They passed a law protecting their own salaries AND perdiems the last time they screwed around and didn't pass a budget in time. In fact, I'm pretty sure our state hasn't had a budget pass on time in seven of the last eight years under the complete lack of leadership of Fast Eddie Rendell. But for Mr. Rendell, money grows on trees and he expects those trees, the taxpayers of PA, to continue to produce as much as he can cram down his greedy little throat.
Ed Rendell is a person that has not and will not ever have to worry about paying his utility bills or car payment or where his family's next meal will come from, unlike many, perhaps most of our State Troopers. Our troopers, unlike our politicians, are expected to live by a code of conduct that includes paying their debts on time or they are at risk of losing their jobs. Shouldn't the same code of conduct apply to out elected officials? I could go on forever about the free-spending, self-serving, lazy hypocrites in all levels of government but my real beef today is with a handful of teachers who have positioned themselves in the Pittsburgh Public Schools.
Last year, my daughter's first grade teacher (I'll call her Sybil) initially appeared to be the sort of text book sweet and considerate teacher you want for the first grade. As the year progressed, it became apparent that she was in fact a conniving, duplicitous, petty, insecure hag. The first sign of this came from my daughter and her friends talking about how Sybil was always yelling at them. As I'm not the kind of parent who immediately assumes my child is in the right in any situation or even telling me the truth when passing on accounts of any contentious incident involving her, I let this go. My husband and I went to the parent teacher meetings, supported the school fundraisers, made sure our daughter's homework was always done and did all the things most conscientious parents do. Right before the Thanksgiving break, I received a call from Sybil while I was in the middle of my work day, the purpose of which was to tell me that my kid wasn't paying attention to her in class that day. My response was "Um...okay?" While my internal response was "What the f@#k would you have me do about that right now? Is she the only one of twenty four students who isn't paying attention to you right now? Aren't you getting paid to deal with this? Why are you taking time out of this class to call me? Did this really warrant a call home?" Her tone was whiny and she went on a bit about how my daughter said she couldn't see the board, so she moved her, blah, blah, blah..."she's not paying attention to me." "What exactly would you like me to do about this right now Sybil? I'm working at the moment." "Well, can you talk to her?" More whining. "Okay. Put her on the phone." So I told my child to at least pretend to pay attention for the ninety minutes left in the school day, keep her mouth shut and we'd deal with it later. Of course I get the big "I'm bored" song and dance from the kid and have to explain to her that everyday of her life isn't going to be fun and she has to find ways to get through these days without getting into trouble and/or disrupting class. But Sybil and I weren't finished.
The same person who thought it was appropriate to call me in the middle of my work day to tell me she was boring her class to tears, couldn't be bothered to call me when she refused to let the same child go to the bathroom and the result was a pair of wet pants. She fawned all over the kid and couldn't get to me fast enough at the end of that school day to tell me that she was sure that my daughter was fine with not coming home and sent her to the uniform exchange to get some fresh pants. She also couldn't be bothered to call me the first time my child incurred a head injury at school or was threatened by older kids who were swinging a belt on the playground, or was molested by a fellow first grader while in science class. This is a woman, and I'm sure you know the type, who didn't realize I was standing in the doorway of her class while she was using a very demeaning and nasty tone with the class. But when she turned around and saw me there, she instantly morphed into Snow Freakin' White. She couldn't send home a written explanation of why I needed to send a jar full of pennies to school but did have the time to ask me to compile a list of all the books that were read as part of her required reading for the semester. What she failed to tell us was that, although these books were recorded on the last page of every homework packet and the homework packets were returned to us, she tore off the last page to keep for her records. This for me was the proverbial straw.
My daughter came home during the last week of school and told me she needed to make a list of her twenty five books so she could dress down for the school picnic the next day. No problem, right? I go to the basket of completed homework packets only to find that this info is not in my possession. So my note to Sybil went something like this;
Dear Sybil,
My child informed me this evening that she needed to bring a list of the twenty five books she read this semester so she can dress down for the picnic tomorrow. Had you made me aware of this at the beginning of the semester I could have kept a file to access for tomorrow. But as I'm not psychic and my seven year old didn't memorize this list and this seems to fall under the realm of your job description as you have the necessary data, we won't be turning in a list. She WILL however, be dressing down for the picnic because I know she read all of the required books. This is a ridiculous and infuriating request as I have quite enough on my to do list without also having to DO YOUR JOB. STOP WASTING MY TIME!
Sincerely,
Miss O
Sybil told my daughter that I sent a nasty note to her and she was going to tell the principal. This upset my daughter for about two seconds because she had already figured out that I thought her teacher was almost as useless as tits on a bull and would probably not hesitate to, at this point in the school year especially, verbally rip this lady's head off. And with only three days of school left it didn't really matter anyway. What it did prompt was a letter written by me and CC'd to God and everybody I know in the local press as well as the school board, the principal, the parent hotline, the school superintendent, the attorney general and the state department of education outlining all the unreported incidents of illness and injury throughout the year, the least of which being the groping incident in science class, at what is supposed to be one of the best public schools in our district.
I haven't seen Sybil since then but I've had occasion to talk to the superintendent, the state department of education lawyer and the principal at length and I'm still undecided as to what course of action to take. As my daughter and I are signing the school's Student-Parent-Teacher agreement, I realize that this teacher violated the agreement she signed with our family last year. As a teacher, she promised to:
1. Set a good example in every way.
2. Provide motivating and interesting learning experiences.
3. Provide for individual differences and needs.
4. Inform students and parents of his/her progress.
5. Keep accurate records.
6. Establish an environment that nurtures self respect and respect for others.
7. Encourage parent participation in school activities.
8. Enforce the school discipline and dress code.
Marked in red are four out of eight items that were not done consistently or at all. What kind of example does that set? What do you do with this?
So, I'm entering into this school year with very guarded optimism. We will have a new teacher, who I'm sure has already been warned about what a bitch I am. That fact that I'm a bitch is not in dispute, even though they really have no idea. I'm not even warmed up yet.
When I'm asked to take time from my job as a self employed person to do your job, a job that continues to be available to you because my husband and I and a hand full of other working families in this district continue to pay school taxes, which we are able to do because we work hard at doing our jobs. In our reality, we don't make money if we don't do a good job. It's that simple. The same should apply to anybody living on the public dime; politicians, teachers, public utility workers, firemen, cops, the bitchy old women at the State building, etc.
Whether you're a parent, an educator, a chef, TV repair man or Indian chief, this world could be made a better place instantly if you will just focus on doing YOUR job, whether it's one for which you're getting paid or not. (Lazy parents that drop their little kids off at the HP pool.) It's hard work being an adult. It's part of life. When you call yourself an adult you assume responsibility for certain things, the first of which is YOUR JOB/S! Suck it up.
I'm not going to saddle the new teacher with guilt associated to the sins of Sybil. But I'm on alert for all manner of lazy, useless or malingering people (teachers, staff, school board, crooked politicians, etc.) as we enter this school year and I'm determined to treat these people accordingly and not wait until the end of the school year when my head is likely to explode again.
That's it for now....PLEASE DO YOUR JOB!
