Day 231: Bitch Session

Today was not a good day at work, and that was for everyone at POLY - not just me. Two of the directors/management had been away for a couple weeks on holiday/emergency leave and came back just this week, and you could tell that the bosses were back in town.

In just two days we've had tons of shit piled on top of us teachers, and this is after two VERY busy weeks that had led right up to Chuseok. We've just finished a fortnight crammed full of writing monthly tests, administering the monthly tests, grading both elementary and pre-school report cards, an open house, a POLY workshop, a bunch of feedback sheets on the workshop, a pre-school ranking sheet... Fuck the list goes on and on. We had all been worked to the bone right up until the holiday and now that we're back it's like Round 2 is just beginning again. What's up with all that? It's not that we're lazy, it's just this sorta stuff is usually spaced out over a month or two, not all thrown at you at once.

On top of all these new meetings and forms and paperwork that was dumped on us today and yesterday, the bosses announced that not only were all the Pre-School teachers would be observed for a FULL-MORNING each next week, but that 'random check-ups' were going to be done on all our afternoon classes as well. What the hell!!! Talk about making us feel insecure and paranoid! It was like too much too fast, and it just pissed everybody right off. The bosses have been nit-picky and completely anal-retentive and breathing down everyone's necks for stupid shit lately and today was like the final straw. It was like the whole staff just collectively snapped today and let loose all the built-up stress and frustration.

After work today we had not one, but two, POLY bitch sessions. Just before leaving the school five of us had a little impromptu mass venting session in the staff room. And then later on tonight, after a bunch of us had gotten together to watch The Apprentice and Survivor, we had a more formal grievance release party. Two of our more senior staff members - Chris and Tim - are going to talk to the head honchos on Monday morning and we wanted to have an organized list of complaints (and suggestions) to present. POLY is a really great place to work, but sometimes all the stupid political shit like what's been going on just gets to you. After only two days at work I was ready, already, for the weekend.