| What Is Your Bottom Line? |
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| Monday, 20 October 2008 05:25 | ||||
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Where do you draw the line? I was at a conference recently, and overheard this conversation:
That got me thinking: When it comes to applying for, and then staying in, a job, what’s your bottom line in terms of working conditions? In other words, what would have to be there in order to induce you to take on the job in the first place, and what would induce you to leave if it were missing? That may sound like an odd way of looking at the job-seeking process. However, the way I view it is that when I go for an interview, I’m interviewing them as much as they are interviewing me! For me, the bottom line is in the form of both technology and the attitude of the boss. These things are actually more important to me than factors like staff attitudes to educational technology or the behavior of the students. So let’s look at my list. TechnologyI would not take on a job unless the following were in place:
AttitudeI expect nothing less than the following from the senior management:
Promises, promisesIn my experience, it is unwise to accept an offer of a job on the basis that “Next year, we hope to have wireless-enabled the entire campus”, or “We intend to convert this post from that of Tech Co-ordinator to E-Learning Supremo at twice the salary." Strangely, when the time comes, priorities have changed, the budget projections were optimistic, etc, etc, etc. I’ve heard it all before, and there would have to be a very compelling reason for me to take a job when all I could “see” was hot air. Yes, But…When I was discussing this article with my wife, she said I was being unrealistic. Here in England, and I’m sure where you are, too, people are being made unemployed because of the credit crunch. Combine that fact with the reality that we have a teacher shortage, some people are suggesting that unemployed bankers could take up teaching. So, does that not mean that if you go for a job you’re in a buyer’s market, and therefore at a disadvantage? Well, I always take the view that sensible people realise that they get what they pay for, and I’m using the word “pay” in a wide sense. To me, the conditions I’ve listed above form part of my total remuneration. It may be that someone who has just been made unemployed will accept anything just to keep a roof over their head, and who can blame them? But that doesn’t mean that you have to accept anything. I have a strong belief that if you have high standards, and stand by them, it won’t be long before you find a potential employer who will recognise your worth. I’d be interested in your opinion on these issues. Do you think I am right, or am I just a dreamer who does not “get” what the real world is like these days?
POSTED ON HOTCHALK.COM
Comments (5)
My responses
written by Terry, October 23, 2008
First off, let me just apologize for not having responded until now. I've been on a bit of a treadmill lately, and I forgot to check if anyone had commented!
Alan, I can see where you're coming from, and to some extent I agree with you: it can be good to work with a school that is willing to go in what I regard as the right direction. Indeed, I have done so: in my last etaching job, the principal impressed me by his dedication to getting ed tech going throughout the school, and his willingness to accept the advice of an expert, so I took the job. But that was several years ago, and in your own case it was 12 years ago. Do you not think it reasonable to expect, in this day and age, that all of those things that took over a decade to achieve should now be in place? How come that, broadly speaking, the least technologically-imbued environment is to be found in schools, the very institutions that are supposed to be preparing kids for the future? On a personal level, I simply could not work in a place in which I could not do things as easily as I can at home. That's my bottom line! I think this ties in with what Leon says. In the latest post that I've just submitted, I've talked about a Head of English who didn't like technology. Presumably she writes with a quill. How come education is full of these people who appear to be stuck in a 19th century timewarp? We, as an educational profession, SHOULD be demanding, otherwise we get the facilities we desrever! I also agree with Jen. I liken it to house-buying. When my wife and I bought our house after we got married, it was run down and it's taken us pretty much all this time (17 years) to sort it out, because we could only do stuff when we had the time or money. It's been a great sense of achievement -- but we've both agreed that if and when we move, we want a modern place that needs absolutely NOTHING doing to it! report abuse
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Our line is still moving
written by Alan Lutz, October 20, 2008
Terry,
In some schools your "demands" may look like pie in the sky. But at my school, I have been patient and over the last 12 years, we have come through to the level where we would meet most of what you would need. When I started it WAS, "we'll make you Tech Coordinator when we can, and after 4 years still in the classroom, they DID. I started with one Pentium lab of 25 computers and a Novell Server. Internet? Still had modem connected to my computer. Now, 12 years later, I have campus of 175 stations, all wired or wireless, 4 or 5 servers, I forget which, Broadband (7MB) Internet, all teachers have desktop or laptop, their choice, Interactive white boards are coming, and most of all, the budget has been raised each year, 3 year cycle on computers, and the Principal is the driving force helping me make all these changes. Many other Lutheran schools in our district are not so fortunate. Lack of enrollment and hence funding, make them struggling to get up to speed. But without the administration pushing, I would have been a lone voice and not very happy. IF I were going to teach in a school, I would look for a school like mine with all these things already in place. But as tech coorinator, I might just look for a school that has the potential and HELP them, with the help and support of the Principal, to get to this level again. Alan (aka OCTechguy on Twitter) report abuse
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My additional thought...
written by JenWagner, October 20, 2008
Though I would love to walk into a perfect world..........
there is a lot to be said being a catalyst of change. Jen report abuse
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Where do you draw the line written by Leon Cych, October 20, 2008
Terry,
In commercial companies in the states and increasingly here - anyone who doesn't make those demands is not really rated as suitable to work in highly dynamic environments. And possible job applicants always check out the company's Wiki, Website and the Directors on Facebook. Education cultural change still has a long way to go. report abuse
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As I gradually switch posts from a pure techie to a curriculum focussed role I'm making it my mission to try and achieve *exactly* what you mentioned. There'll be many obstacles in the way but they'll be bypassed and literally kicked down if needs be
You're bang on with the 'promises, promises' bit too. Too much is talked about at 'strategic ICT committee' meetings etc yet little is actually done. Hundreds if not thousands of pounds are spent on 'information gathering' visits to other schools (in my school at least) and a lot of talk takes place immediately upon return but nothing ever comes of it. It saddens me greatly. We tick boxes, meet quotas and that's about it.
Effective provision of ICT is almost always confused with quantity of PCs and IT kit. What is the value in having a 2:1 pupil
I like to class my self as one of the 'new breed' of IT techies - I have all the IT skills needed to build, develop and maintain a rock solid IT infrastructure - but I also clearly see, and deeply passionate, about the 'hard bit' i.e. the teaching side and how to implement IT in a creative, effective and value adding way.
Reading your post, Terry, has raised my spirits tremendously.
* as a techie I'm not overly keen on having 1 teacher 1 laptop though