Screw Confidentiality!

Beware: Frequent coarse language and an incredibly frank explanation as to why I posted Simple Plan's "Shut Up" lyrics earlier today.

Hey! I'm getting in touch with my damn emotions and bloody, gawd awful feelings. Let's see. What have I experienced today? Oh, that's right. Here's a list:

• Anger
  
• Disappointment
  
• Disillusionment
  
• Despair
  
• Sadness
  
• Rage
• Drawn out crying spells
  
• Laughter (yay, something positive at least)

Fucking stupid, self-important wankas! That's what the vast majority of teachers, principals and deputy principles are. Sure, there are some teachers who work in the system that are wonderful people. They actually give a shit about their students. They actually (shock horror!) are able to teach and form a supportive relationship with their students. The others, and unfortunately in my experience the majority of them, are just complete cunts. They don't want to be there. They belittle their students. They have no cross-cultural skills in the fucking slightest. (Hello! Isn't Australia supposed to be a multi-cultural society you fucking insensitive, ignorant, racist pricks!)

Fuck, I'm pissed off!

Teachers are a close knit community. If you dare criticise something they have done in their classroom, you are fair game. They will go out of their way to bring you back into line and remind you that you are just scum. Why? Because you do not have an education degree. You are therefore worthless. You therefore are not allowed to take any initiative whatsoever. It's not just teacher aides they do this to. It's all support staff, from cleaners, to general admin staff, to school registrars (who are in management positions themselves but hey, they don't have a fucking piece of paper with a signature on it that says, "Bachelor of Education"), to school nurses, and to school-based student and community welfare personnel.

I've had a gutful!

Here's the deal, or some of it at least. The whole story would take too long to type out in its entirety. Apparently, as teacher aides who are employed to assist indigenous students, my coworker's and my line manager is the CEC. (Gee, thanks for clearing that up for us on our third last week of working there, you fuckwit of a DP). Except get this, and this is exactly what we were told today when we were hauled into the DP's office for being bad, little teacher aides, we are not to discuss any issues we have regarding what is happening in the classroom with our line manager. Apparently that's breaking confidentiality. *Insert scream of frustration here*

What? You are fucking kidding me! My dear DP, maybe you should take out your policies manual and reacquaint yourself with basic staff management and conflict resolution principals. After discussing any issues you have with the particular person in question, you are well within your rights to discuss it with your line manager. It's not a breach in confidentiality. It's called debriefing, you friggin' ignorant cow.

Furthermore, I know that my position is called a "teacher" aide, but what about the students? Where do they fit in with all this? Well, apparently they don't! My dearest DP told me that I am there for the teachers, not the students. Those were her exact words.

According to what she told me today, I am in the wrong. When students have sought me out to help with their assignments, I have blown off the class that I was scheduled to be in to give the student a hand. However, in the vast majority of cases I have asked the teachers for their permission first. I won't be as bold to say that I have done so 100% of the time. I think I have, but sometimes I don't remember stuff too well.

Of course, where I get all pissy is the vast difference between what I was told today and what I was told in my initial interview for the position. During the initial interview, I was told by the school's other DP (who was the co-ordinator for the program, but went on maternity leave as of yesterday) that because the Indigenous teacher aide was a new position, there was a lot of scope and that I could use my initiative to make the position as beneficial to the students as I could. Now she is gone, this is apparently not the case. *Sigh*

* Several hours pass as I go to have a few drinks with a work mate whom I thought was my line manager up until today and whom just happens to be a good friend *

I just arrived home from having a very interesting "off the record" chat with my old boss. It turns out that the document which outlines the funding and expectations of Indigenous teacher aides spells out quite a different picture to what I was told by my dearest DP today. It turns out that we are there for the students after all. (Big shock there!) Best of all, a copy of this funding document is going to mysteriously fall into my lap by the end of the week. Apparently it is a public document anyway. I also now have an interesting bit of information on how coworker's and my confidentiality was breached this week. Ha! Stick that in your eye you stupid DP.

Anyway, where to from here? (I knew I changed the title of this blog for a reason!) Despite all the anger, disappointment and disillusionment I have expressed throughout this blog entry, I'm actually thinking of rocking up to work on Thursday and acting as if nothing has happened. Given my state of mental health at the moment, I hope that I can actually do so. However, I do plan to arm myself with as much information as I might need. The organisation for which I work kindly publishes their policy manual on the Internet so I have everything I need at my fingertips if I do need to stand up for myself on Thursday.

Ahh, what a day hey! Apart from my stint off work earlier this year and last year due to health reasons, I have worked for this place for five years. I have never had any issues regarding my work performance with management before. It's just wonderful to receive such a kick in the guts today and to finally gain an understanding why the morale in the workplace is so friggin' low.