Why can't the management just get it right?

Why do managers get things wrong all the time? Why does everything have to be done illogically? Can't people just make things easier for their staff! Here are some reasons I am extremely frustrated with my managers.

1. My timetable has been changed today. 

I started teaching two weeks ago, getting course files ready and preparing for my groups. My timetable has been changed... today. This means my preparation has been completely wasted time.

2. Lesson lengths.

1.5 hours a week to teach a GCSE in English is half the time I actually need. We're a laughing stock among other colleges. And yet, no one does anything about it, and I am the one who will look bad with poor results. 

Also, 1.5 hours a week is too long to teach Functional Skills. Teenagers don't want to spend 90 minutes learning about percentages. Particularly in classes at 3:30-5:00. Again, I will be the one left with the poor results due to bad planning!

3. Feeling ignored.

I have worked for my line manager for over a month now. She has failed to respond to numerous emails, and never tells me information directly, only through other people. Does this make me feel like a valued member of staff? No.

4. No decisions at crucial times.

This may be linked to why I am being ignored, but decisions are being pushed to the sideline so I don't know what my groups are supposed to be learning, or which students I am teaching and when. But, you can guarantee if I ignored a problem in this way, I would be held accountable later.

5. Poor staff moral.

When everyone in a department is feeling undervalued and over worked, it can lead to a stressful working environment. Many of my colleagues are either leaving, or thinking about leaving, and it is this that is the big worry. If people are finding it that upsetting to work somewhere, and feeling demoralised, it's sure to have a knock on effect on others. There's no one to give others a little lift or get them through the difficult days. Unfortunately this is the situation I find myself in now, and it makes me want to abandon ship too. 



To get me through each day I have two mantras:

1. I'm good at my job, so they can all go fuck themselves. (Not the must P.C. phrase, but helps when I'm feeling completely stressed and undervalued)

and

2. This is a stepping stone. It's not forever.

It's unfortunate it's come to this, but this is the reality of teaching in a poor managed institution. And to think, they're hoping for a grade 1 at Ofsted. Definitely not deserved if you ask me.