Teachers-- kind of off topic

[rainy_lilac]

Original Yahoo! HPFG Header:
No: HPFGUIDX C3431
From: rainy_lilac
Subject: Re: Teachers-- kind of off topic
Reply To: [Yahoo! #3425] Re: Teachers
Date: 7/6/00 10:04 am  (ET)

What to the dorm heads do?? Oh God, I used to have this job! LOL!!

Years ago I taught at a prep school in Vermont, and one of my duties
was what was called by the teachers "Dorm Dealage." I had a suite of
rooms in the girls dorm, served as sort of their in-house "Mom" and
all-purpose adviser, and on certain nights was in charge of keeping an
eye on things. There were two teachers assigned to each dorm.

I think my main job was simply to make sure they were in bed-- and in
their own beds-- at the appropriate hour, and to see to it that they
actually woke up and made it to breakfast and their morning classes
(breakfast was required). I also organized evening activities and
special field trips for "my girls"-- berry picking, concerts, movies,
camping or what have you.

The big hit was the semester I taught and evening activity on fortune
telling-- every kid in the school wanted to get into that one! I have
no trouble understanding why Harry Potter is such a hit with kids! We
had a blast. By the end of the semester my girls were trying to teach
themselves levitation.

Oh, I was alo in charge of belly-button inspection to make sure that
nobody was piercing their own navel with a safety pin. (A big issue,
I kid you not!)

I was sort of casual about bedtimes (my style was way more Hagrid than
McGonnagal!) I would just wander into the common room at about 10:00
and announce that it was time to start thinking about bedtime. As long
as people were in bed within a reasonable time span, I was fine. The
other teacher in the dorm though was called "Fearless Leader" behind her
back and insisted that the common room be cleared and all light out at
10:15 on the dot. She would run around with a flashlight looking under
the doorcracks to see if any lights were still on. Poor thing, she was
really ready to crack by the middle of the year! I always foudn that if
you are reasonable and willing to bend small rules, the kids make up
for it by being very cooperative and agreeable. The three girls that
everyone warned me would be the "bad girls" turned out to be absolute
dears and no trouble at all-- it meant something to them to be given
the benefit of the doubt. (Of course for all I know they may have been
smuggling dragons behind my back....)

At the end of it all, I was voted favorite teacher! :-) That was something
I was very proud of! I treated my whole dorm to suckers that turned
their tongues hideous colors, and which they all loved for that reason.

My new profession pays the bills better than that one did, but it is
nowhere near as satisfying....

Excuse my typos-- I am typing VERY fast these days....

--Suzanne