Thursday, September 23, 2010

I wigged on the cafeteria lady

Man I'm a cranky pants today. I knew it was a "bad pancake day" when I woke up. If I didn't have to write sub plans every time I don't go to work, I would have called in. Working when I'm sick or really cranky is just easier than trying to write plans for what ever person ends up in my room. I know that there are really good subs out there. I've had a few. BUT, the majority of the people that end up subbing in our areas are stay at home moms who want to earn a little extra money and have the same schedule as their kids. They treat subbing as "day care" and have no skills what so ever to be in a classroom surrounded by manipulative ten year olds. (And don't get into me for calling them manipulative...they are...especially to subs...they smile and flirt at first and by the end of the day they have the sub teaching them how to make paper airplanes and skipping homework for the night.)

Back to my "wig out" on the cafeteria manager. For starters you should know that every teacher in the building is required to take a lunch count/tally every morning and send their "numbers" down to the cafe so that they can prepare the correct amount of food (with some extras because kids come in late or a parent surprises their kid to eat with them at lunch). I've been teaching at my school for six years now. For five of those years I've had last lunch. At least once a week my kids get the shaft when it comes to lunch. We get down to the "cafe" and the "number 1" choice is all sold out so my kids have to deal with getting "number 2" or yogurt and bagel. Guess what happened today. Yup...they ran out of "number 1" again, and "number 2" was gross. I'd had it. I woke up cranky, I was hungry...and dammit...I ordered "number 1" and  I really didn't want "number 2". (Did I mention I was cranky?) Anyhow, I lost it. I walked into the lunch line and told the server off. She needed to keep a tray with the correct amount for my class to the side and not give it to the other classes no matter how much they whined. I went to the cafe manager (who's new) and told her that I didn't care that her cash register software wasn't working. That it was her first responsibility to feed my kids and that her letting kids change their minds and get "doubles" with out ordering doubles in the morning count caused my kids to not be able to get what they ordered. I told that it was unacceptable and I wasn't going to put up with it. I walked into the main cafe and turned off the lights to signal silence. I laid into the kids about their lunch choices. I told them how my kids won't get what they ordered because they weren't getting what they ordered in the morning. That there wasn't enough for them so that they had no choice but to get the yogurt and bagel and how the rest of them need to be more responsible and remember and get what they ordered. I then went to the Assistant Principal and gave her my sob story. She said she'd try to fix it. She agreed that it was wrong and shitty. I went and ate my yogurt and cold/soggy bagel in my room and let Elvis croon me back to my sanity. Then I did the walk of shame back to the cafe and apologized to the cafe manager. I handled it wrong. I needed to work with her to solve this problem and not blow up at her.

I'm such a freak. Of all the things to blow up about. Come to think of it...I should probably email my AP and make sure she doesn't think I'm phsycho..

1 comment:

  1. Sounds like something I would have done. :-)

    They SHOULD have all the choices for the kids, especially if that is what they ORDERED!

    Crazy!

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