The school where I work has what’s called a plan center, which is slightly different that a teacher’s lounge (in that it’s not meant for “lounging”). We have this plan center because my school has more teachers than it has classrooms. The school simply isn’t big enough for each teacher to have their own room; we’re packed in like sardines, teachers and students alike.

It’s incredibly annoying. If I want to, say, grade papers during my plan time, which is a daily thing, I have to carry the papers from my files in a classroom (where, you know, the students are) down the hall to the plan center and carry them back when I’m done. It gets even trickier when I have to bring any sort of supplies, like colors or rulers or construction paper, from one place to the other. (A lot of our teachers use little wheelie-carts to haul these supplies around.)

Another annoying aspect of having to use a plan center is that the plan center can get a little noisy.

It’s usually just teacher chit-chat, but it’s bothersome at 7:30 in the morning when I’m trying to get lesson ready for the day.

This morning, a bunch of teachers were talking about negotiations between the teacher’s union and our school district. Apparently, our union is pushing for smaller class sizes, which is something of which we are in dire need. (My biggest class has 36 students, which is incredibly difficult to manage.)

The district, in its infinite wisdom and remembering that education is a top priority for 90% of voters in this country, is pushing for pay cuts and maintaining that a student/teacher ratio of 36/1 is just fine.

Who, in good conscience, can possibly argue for bigger classes and less pay? I cannot fathom these fucking clowns. You could pack them into a car.

It makes me want to say thanks for the support, guys! I can really see why American schools are considered “the best in the world.”