New Post - Same topic

A while ago I talked about being visible, and creating relationships with your administrators. I am going to reiterate this again. This week, we were charged with helping complete the FitnessGram. WOOOHOOO!!! For those of you that don't know about the FitnessGram, I will brief you. Dr. Cooper of the Cooper Institute felt it necessary to lobby for fitness testing of all students in the public schools in Texas. So the Texas congress again mandated another "Test", more work, more expense, and didn't give any additional funding to complete it. (jumping on a quick soap box) Just FYI, this is just one way your tax dollars, and children's education are being wasted. So much time and money are being wasted on worthless requirements(i.e.Steriod Testing, how about just Drug Testing) its a wonder schools accomplish anything meaningful anymore. If you want you can contact me directly and I have no problem expanding on this subject(Stepping down now).

Back to the topic at hand. When we(FRHS Athletic Trainers) are given a task like FitnessGram, we do it to the best of our abilities and with a smile on our face. Our principals know that they can count on us. We send a representative to every faculty meeting. We stand outside the doors between classes to be visible. We have recently been asked to do a lunch duty that takes all of 15 minutes, every other class day. So yes, I put a smile on my face and check kids into lunch detention for 15 minutes of my day, every 6 class days. When TAKS testing comes around, we deliver lunches, dictionaries, and baby sit kids in the cafeteria. Those days we typically don't have anything to do before 10:00. Pretty sweet gig I think!!!

My point is this. Yes, these are things that are "not my job". But if you look in your job description, "other duties as assigned" typically shows up somewhere. Yesterday a co-worker asked if our principal was always on our case like she was his. We told him no. He just couldn't figure out why this principal was always getting on to him about something. This person didn't go to any faculty meetings for years, shows up late to in service, complains about his 3 class load, and gripes about getting assigned an easy duty like FitnessGram(which got him out of the classroom for a few days). So when TAKS testing comes around, you know where he is? He is in a room where he has to sit quietly and do nothing but stare at kids and not talk to anyone, no computer, no IPhone, for hours on end. You know why? Because if he did what we did during TAKS, he would be bugging us and the administrators about how much time of his was being wasted. So they give him the "crap job" so they don't have to be around that kind of negativity. They give us the sweet gig.

Long story short(if you made it this far), if your higher ups give you a task to do that, "is not your job", do it to the best of your ability and with a smile on your face. Let them know you are a team player. Do not run and hide, or walk the other direction when they come your way. Walk up to them and greet them. When they ask "how are you today?" I always say "Wonderful! Busy, but we are doing great. Yeah, we have treatments, 2 classes, 5 events tonight, and track is starting up. So we're busy but making the best of it. Is there something I can do for you?" Most of the time the response is, "No, but have you seen ___, I need him to do ____ and I cant ever find him." We come out smelling like a rose!!!! Our adminstrators love us, and will stand up for us no matter what.