My Science Fiction Pet Peeves

A follow-up to my post about the wonderful aspects of science fiction. So please read that first before you think that I am trashing the genre or am denying my geekness.

Okay - so we know that in order for space ships to be traveling around, they would probably be run by the military. Great, expected, like a battleship but in space.

But apparently no one who is writing for these show really understands how the military works. When you are at war, you must follow orders. I believe the law says that you can defy an unjust order, but that is confusing and during the midst of an operation it is dangerous for someone to say "you know, I don't think we should be doing that" to a superior officer.

But in so many of these shows, the commanding officer is someone who defies authority. Not really sure how anyone like that could raise in the ranks if he was always someone who doesn't "play by the rules." We need the rules!

And noticed I said he. Apparently on other galaxies and in the future, most commanding officers are men. Actually most commanding officers are white men who don't "play by the rules."

The few women who are in charge are much more likely to follow military protocol. (My theory about why people didn't like Janeway - woman and she followed the rules) And there are exceptions to this trend. But starting with Kirk and going up to Firefly, we get these white man rebels.

I had it explained to me that it is more interesting television when people break the rules. But my theory is more about who writes sci-fi. I think most of them are white guys who see themselves as rebels and so the main character or leader looks like them.

I still love the stories and the study of human nature. But as we imagine what it means to be a human being in relation to others, we apparently are still stuck with our own issues of race, sex and authority.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

It has been a long time since I have posted something and now I remember why I wonder about people who have the time to update their blogs so often - when do they work? I have many times thought about writing an entry, but then I had to talk to a student or something.

It's funny (in an odd, not ha-ha way) that usually when I meet people who aren't teachers I get one of two reactions: "You guys are not paid or honored enough," or "what a cushy job, you get the summers off." In neither case do I know what to say.

It's true, that compared to people with similar education, degrees, and experience in the private sector, I make less than they do. But most people who work for the government do, it's just the nature of public service. Am I envious of those people who make more? Heck yeah. I had two friends who bought their first house within 3 years of working. It has taken me 9 years, and that was with the combined income with my husband. But I also realize that the market does not pay for my job and the government cannot afford (or rather the taxpayers can't) to do what the market does. And my job is more stable than those who rize and fall by the economy. I just get bigger classes as they let go the teachers with less seniority.

The summers off thing really chaps my hide for several reasons. One: the first 3 years I taught I temped every summer in order to pay rent and eat - I just didn't make enough. Two: Every summer since then I have taken classes, worked on curriculum and met with other teachers regularly. Three: I usually work 50-60 hours a week during the school year. Every summer I crash - get sick and sleep for days. If I didn't have the summer I would've burnt out years ago.

Now maybe I am not typical. I haven't asked other teachers their hours. Theorectically my working hours are from 8am to 3:30pm with a half-hour lunch. Right. Most of my lunches I spend helping students, talking to students, finding papers for students. I stay for meetings with teachers. I choreographed the musical and the Broadway Revue last year (oh wait - I got extra money for that - a whopping $500 for 3-5 hours every day for 2 months, plus that Saturday rehearsal, etc). I take papers home to grade. All the time. I help students after school. I put files away, make my lesson plans, and enter grades after school. I am meeting every Monday with my school's We the People team and coaches.

I am not complaining about my hours. I love my job. I love kids, I love teaching, I love history, I love law. (I hate grading, but it's necessary) But when people come up to me and say "You guys get the summer off" as their first comment it makes me want to take them through a day or a week and see if they can function by the end, let alone be a good teacher.

You know that's the other thing. I have had other jobs. Ones where you sit at a desk or at a computer and go to meetings. You know those days that you have to give a presentation at a meeting and you are stressed because you want to have enough information? That's my job, everyday. I can't phone it in. I can't say "Hey guys, feeling really out of it today, just talk amongst yourselves." You know what would happen if you said that to a bunch of 14-year-olds? Chaos. It's like being onstage everyday. It takes a certain kind of energy.

So please, don't walk up to a teacher and say either of those things. Just know that I am a professional, I work hard, and accept that I didn't get into it for the money.

And so why haven't I posted recently? Well this week was Parent-teacher conferences. This day I taught my classes, but because of moving things around we got out early, and then parents could come and talk to us. This is so stressful. You have to be very up on your grades, and be prepared to have meaningful conversations with every parent.

Not that it's not great. I think it needs to happen and I want to see parents. But this is like the presentation that you have to give to your boss, not just the regular ones. And it goes all day. And some of the bosses are nice. And some of the bosses are angry. And some of the bosses think you are a young whipper snapper who doesn't know anything. And some of the bosses think you are an overeducated stuck-up umm--person who reminds them how much they hated high school. (Actually this year people were mostly really nice)

So the days leading up to the conferences are grading, grading, grading. And then the conference day is just exhausting. And then the next day you are back to the regular presentations. Which is really tiring after the day before.

So anyway - I haven't made a post. Which is kind of okay because I still haven't told very many people about my blog.