I Used to Like Thursdays!

Same as usual, I dreaded going to school today, and the truth is, I had no reason to. This was supposed to be the most stress free day of my week. The girls were presenting their projects today, and all I had to do was watch them, and the 12th graders were still giving speeches, so I really had no pressure.
The girls performed beautifully! Their projects were magnificent, and you could really see the amount of work, (or not) in each group.
The last group to present in 7b was L.K., T.K., E.T., and C.S. T.K. was a huge kvetch the entire time the project was boring worked on, and today was no different.
The group had made this beautiful banner, I kept looking at it during the times I was bored with the other groups. I finally called them up to the front and only L.K. came up.
She took out 11 pages of notes (that's longer than the entire chapter!!) and began to read. She was not familiar with the material and she kept stumbling over her words. The class felt so uncomfortable.
I stopped her in the middle and called up another girl from the group to read. Not a single girl stood up. That all looked at each other and refused. They didn't answer me, just stared. L.K. was ready to bury herself.
I spoke to a sobbing L.K. during recess and asked her what had happened. She told me that she had been sick the night before, and she hadn't been able to get together with the group to do their banner. Therefore, the group made her do all the teaching and presenting.
I was disgusted. The girls had no sensitivity toward each other. I was actually quite surprised at C.S. She's not at all the type to have sat there and done nothing. I really must look into this further.
I promised L.K. that her mark would be different than that of the group, and I spent some time calming her down.
In 7a, the principal came in to watch some of the presentations, and horror of horrors, my cell phone rang. I just calmly shut it off, but I was ready to cry. My phone is always off in class (unless I'm waiting for an important phone call) and even when I leave it on by mistake, it never rings! Today of all days, when the principal herself was in the class my husband had to call.
The principal stood up asked to speak to me after school, and walked out.
As she walked out there was the sigh of relief I have already grown used to hearing from the class. The funny thing is, A.L. who was taping the entire presentation, got the sigh on tape. Heehee.
M.R. who was doing her presentation when the principal was there, came over to me crying and begging to do it again. She was supposed to speak ion a British accent, but lost her nerve in front of the principal.
What I don't understand is, if the girls don't like her, and the parents don't like her, and we don't like her either, who does like her?
I went to the principal after class, and she took me right in. She told me straight to the point that she had gotten regards that my cell had rang in class and I had picked it up. I didn't deny it, (when my niece got engaged) but I told her that it only happened once and that it wouldn't happen again.
She skeptically asked me why my cell rang in class today.
Try convincing her that this NEVER happens! I gave up pretty quickly.
She then went on to berate me for L.K. coming to cry to her earlier. I was shocked that L.K. still went to the office to call her mother after I had spoken to her, but I kept quiet. The principal told me it was my fault that it got so far. I should've come to he when I noticed there was a problem.
I exploded at her. "I did come to you! I came a couple of times. But every time I come, you're so busy criticizing what I did or didn't do, that you don't even pay attention to the problem itself!"
She was shocked, and she asked my why I felt so strongly about coming to her. I continued by telling her that I don't feel that I accomplish anything with her. The students do not respect a teacher who has to keep running to the principal.
Now I don't really believe that's true. A teacher and a principal should be able to work together, but I can't work together with her.
The principal said calmly, "Well that's paranoia. The students don't have to know when you come to me. You're embarrassingly young, you have a lot to learn."
-Right, like you don't call up the mothers who complained right after you yelled at the teacher. And "embarrassingly young"? What's with that?
She continued, "I think it's quite a shame. A teacher and a principal must be able to work as partners, together. I cannot invalidate your feelings, but if you really feel this way, maybe you should begin looking into other options."
Basically, "Find a new job."
I don't know how I got through 12th grade. I was in such a daze and in a bigger mess.
I wasn't fired, but I was being told to shape up.
I called Mrs. L.K. and the funny thing was, I didn't get the washdown I expected to get from her. Instead, she kept me on the phone for a long time to rant about the principal.
She was very disturbed by the fact that there was a problem in the class regarding the girls respecting each other, but she was more upset about the fact that the principal didn't even care.
She couldn't understand how the principal, who was so involved in all the nitty gritty details of the school, could overlook something this big.
I mentioned to her that I would do all that I could to help this problem, but she would have to talk to the principal herself. For me to do that could very well cost me my job. (I'm already half out the door.)
Mrs. L.K. said that she understood but every time she called the principal, she wouldn't give her the time of day.
"Who am I supposed to talk to in this school if not you?" She asked me.
I didn't know what to tell her, but I was thinking along the same lines. If the principal would just trust her teachers just a little more, and not get involved in every little thing going on, then maybe she'd have time for the big, important things.
I'm not the one with 30 years of experience, but I am the the one who's open to learn. By being open, I've discovered that I don't like this school system at all.
But then again, I didn't have to open minded to see that.