My new work vent!! kinda long~good update About This Page:

[disneyknut]

You know, I said this year is going to be my 'don't worry be happy' year at work.. (I'm a cafeteria aide at my youngest kids school) I wasn't going to care if the kids yelled, screamed etc.. as long as they wereen't killing each other I am letting the other aide handle it..

Well, now i've got another problem on my hands & don't know how to handle a kinda delicate situation.

Our school is called "THE ACADEMY" in the district due to the wonderful teachers we have & the great test scores that come out of our school.. EVeryone wants to come to our school & some students even bus from the other side of the district to come to our school..

Well, this year the school district implemented a special program to mainstream autistic children into our school.. they have a special classroom along with being in the regular classroom several times a day.. We were told that the special ed was 'governed' by the same rules as the other students etc..

First day of school, the support aides & students came to lunch 10 minutes late ( no biggie) Well, they kept apologizing & I told them it was no big deal to take their time eating after the other kids were excused.. Well, to get the kids attention I blow a referee whistle which signals to the kids to quiet down & start cleaning up... Well, I blew the whistle & one of the special kids let out a scream.. The SA was very embarassed & I assured her it was not a problem.. She mentioned he hated whistles & I told her I would warn her when it was coming etc..

Day two, they come to lunch on time & I happened to blow the whistle right by the special boy.. After I blew it, he smiled & said "I blow my whistle too!" & proceeded to make an almost identical sound.. I thought it was amazing & I think the SA was wrong about him hating whistles.. & I see no problem with him blowing his 'whistle' but maybe i'm wrong as I don't know much about SE.. I figure he's not hurting anyone, let him alone..

I went off on a tangient there ..

Anyway, every day since then the SA has been asking 'favors' of me.. "could you get me a bowl, cup etc" but yesterday was the kicker..

The child she takes care of (whistle blower) was being very obstinant so she was laying on the floor with him.. I tried to tell her nicely what a safety hazard that was but our principal said nothing so neither did I.. Then she called me over & told me about the boy having a debit on his lunch card ( kids have small credit type photo cards & they can have $$ on it for lunch) & she understood SD policy was that he was not allowed to buy snacks if he owed money.. I told her that wass correct but I wasn't in charge of that area & she would need to speak to the manager..told me very rudely" I CAN'T GO TALK TO HER.. YOU GO GET THIS HANDLED..TELL HER HE WILL BE UPSET & I'LL HAVE TO DEAL WITH HIM FOR THE REST OF THE DAY!" After I picked my mouth off the floor.. I became livid about the way she talked about the little boy... ( & in front of him) I went in to the kitchen & got our cafeteria manager & asked her to talk to the SA.. Ruth (manager)told her that if they were governed by SD policy she couldn't override the computer & let the child buy snacks (while charging his lunch) the SA became rude & angry with Ruth as well & finally Ruth said she would let it go that day but the child's Mom needed to pay her debt & she couldn't allow him to get snacks anymore until his account was current..

I could not believe the rudeness of this woman.. My brother tuaght special ed & I have several friends who teach SE & I have never seen a more frazzled person.. It breaks my heart to think how she treats this child when they are alone...

I'm just tired of being her personal servant when i've got 200+ other students to take care of.. She is getting to the point that she will simply yell "Mrs Smith... Get me __________" & 99% of the time the thing she wants is for HER not the student!!

How do I handle this nicely without coming across as mean lady?? .. I will do anything for ANY student but I'm not there to work FOR her .. I don't do it for the regular teachers.. when they come through the line they get their own silverware, condiments etc..

AND to top it off.. both our cafeteria manager & server will be off today leaving only the 2 aides as regular workers so Joan & I will be extra busy & it will be extra chaotic... UGH!!! I dread going in to work this afternoon!

[myles&alecmom]

I am sorry to hear of work problems because really work can be as big of a part of our lives as home. You are in a difficult position. I know this is not a nice thing to say but maybe she should be asked "Do you need an aide rather than be an aide?" But that may not make things better Maybe just a friendly reminder to her today when you will not have as much time for her "I need to give my full attention to all the students." Even that may be a little forward. The other thing could be avoiding her. How big is the area? Staying on the opposite side may not give her the chance to get you. Good Luck and here is some pixie dust to get you through the day Just keep Mickey in your heart and on your mind

[Stephanie P.]

Wow - sorry Ann! I don't have any advice for you but I will send you some pixie dust!

Stephanie

[Colexis Mom]

Sending you tons of pixie Ann

[GATechGal]

It really sounds like this aide is getting overwhelmed working with her charge. You might want to mention this to the principal. And I guess I'd try and stay out of her way as much as possible. If you can see her as she moves through the food line, you might want to smile and say something like "Got all your silverware?" Maybe she'll get the message. Good luck. Lunch ladies have a tough job, but my kids have really enjoyed the choices they've been offered this year.

[katspjs]

Ann, I'm sorry you are having trouble with someone at the school where you work. You should probably sit down with your supervisor and tell her everything that's going on with this woman. She may not be aware of exactly what is going on. If you can you may also want to document it. You may also want to either ignore her request when she's demanding something or tell her "Sorry, I can't right now, I'm busy."

Good luck and hopefully the situation improves for you.

[disneyknut]

Today was much much better with the aide.. She brought her student down a little early before the rest of the students & he spent the rest of the day waving at me & giggling.. He was sooo adorable!!!! the aide told me he kept talking about Mrs Smith..(me) So, her theory of him being afraid of the whistle in unfounded..
A much better day !!

[myles&alecmom]

<font color="red"> Happy to hear the good news </font>

[2princessmom]

I am so glad that today was a better today! I hope they continue to get better and better!

Just a story along the lines of yours: When I was teaching (taught high school science until 4 years ago) I was talking with my department head about the upcoming school year when a woman and her son come into the classroom looking for me. Then right in front of her son and the other teacher she proceeds to tell me her son is ADD and in the special ed department and is Stupid and will need extra time for everything and that he can't do the work etc. I literally had to pick my jaw up off the floor. Her son was an awesome student! He averaged a 97% in my class with very little intervention! He did just fine but he thought he was dumb and when I asked what he aspired to be he said a cashier at the local supermarket because that was all he could do or was smart enough to do!
I just feel for him because he is smart and can do alot! It saddens me what some people think is ok to do and say in front of someone! So I totally understand your fustration!

[snoozy]

You have every right to be upset. First off don't do this woman any more favors it is not your job and she will just have to get over it. I'm sure if you looking at your job description it does not say you have to be the erand girl for the SE aides. You need to let her know that she is on her own unless it is an emergency.



Second if she is being inappropriate in anyway shape or form with the student she is charged with you have the right to complain about. If you notice it becoming an on go problem you need to document these incidents and submit them in writing.



As far as your whistle blowing when I was an aide and did cafeteria, hall,and recess duty at our elementary school the whistle was my best friend. It is a wonderful tool. Autistic kids may be more sensitive to it but it sounds obivious it was a one time thing with this child.



And speaking of kids with Autisism. My best friends little boy has Autisism he is the sweetest person and does have a tendency to cover his ears when there are loud noises. Especially when our dog Hannah barks at him but he just covers his ears and says Hannah hush, Hannah no, you stop that.



And I'm happy to hear you had a better day.