AJC.com > Blogs > Get Schooled > Archives > 2006 > May > 19 > Entry
We Interrupt This Class …
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Do intercom interruptions drive you crazy? When I’m a guest speaker at a school I don’t know if I’m supposed to keep talking over the intercom announcement once it is made clear it is not applicable to the class I’m speaking to. Or should I stop talking and wait for the intercom spiel to end?
It seems like a little thing, but … it’s the little things that make you nuts, you know?
Today I’m off to Providence to watch my best friend from high school graduate from law school. She started out a teacher. Her first school was a Chicago middle school, one of those schools with an academic-sounding name that belies the harsh reality of what goes on inside. She got the “low class” of seventh-graders. I think she taught them all subjects. There were no activities at the school, no clubs, no sports. To say she had no support would be an understatement. When one of her students was murdered, she had no idea what to do about the girl’s desk and no one to turn to for advice. When I saw her over Christmas break, we laughed about how at age 23 she was coloring her hair to hide the gray even though it wasn’t really funny.
When people asked her what was wrong with the school, she didn’t talk about her murdered student or the schoolwide assembly when the guest speaker encouraged the kids to rise up against their white teachers. Instead she talked about that darn intercom interrupting her class all day long. Sometimes, the secretary would announce that a salesman was in the office peddling cell phones and anyone who was interested should come down. Really!
It’s a little thing, but it says it all.
Teachers, does the intercom blare into your classroom all day long? Or has your administration reeled it in in some way? Do you teach through it, or do you stop talking for the duration? Do you get do you don’t notice it?
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Comments
By Robert
May 19, 2006 08:36 AM | Link to this
The first principal that I was under did blare on the intercom and interrupt class. At the time, I hated it because I only thought of the instructional disadvantages.
However, the current principal that I am under rarely gets on the intercom. I pine for the old days. The first principal would ramble on about student behavior issues and state warnings/consequences about their actions. By the way, he would also follow up on his promises. Students knew exactly what was expected of them and they knew the consequeces to any of their mis-behaviors. My current principal wants to be the students “friend” and so he doesn’t do this.
By been there
May 19, 2006 09:28 AM | Link to this
Congrats to your friend for graduating from Law School. Glad she was able to get out of teaching and not feel “stuck.”
I too began teaching at 22. I really did get grey hair from it! I started looking horrible. And turned into a mean bitter person. I decided I wasn’t doing the students a service being that way, so I quit after one year.
Hats off to teachers who put in 30 years.
By high school teacher
May 19, 2006 10:03 AM | Link to this
I have had intercom nightmares, where the asst. principal would interrupt the middle of class with a list of 20 or so kids who needed to come to the office for discipline purposes!
My recent and current experiences are much better. Announcements are made before and after school or between class change. Only in rare circumstances are announcements made during insrtuctional time.
By Dekalb Educator
May 19, 2006 11:49 AM | Link to this
Oh my…my pet peeve. Our morning announcements go on FOREVER (10-15 mins) with MUCH of the SAME info over and OVER! And since we house 2 grade levels from another school..we have to listen to their announcements too.
Along with that are the BELOVED telephones in our classrooms. I have never heard nor seen the phones used as much as they are under the current adminstrative team. I’ve gotten calls in the middle of a lesson about WHATEVER..or they need me to email this or do that..(umm so what do I do with the students while I am accomplishing the new telephoned in task?) Oh, and the secretary has even called me to ask about an Avon order she gave my sis n law…
its a shame…but PLEASE…can we stick to some time on task..and limit all classroom disturbances that are NOT emergencies?
By Teacher Teacher
May 19, 2006 12:34 PM | Link to this
An unprofessional thing that some administrators do is read lists of teachers’ names over the intercom when the teachers fail to turn in some hardcopy of a worthless report that could just as easily have been submitted via e-mail. Of what use is that except to hold the teachers up for ridicule.
By SET
May 19, 2006 12:43 PM | Link to this
While I’m reading this thread I keep going back to what I said earlier in another post:
What is the mission of these schools? Not so much what they say they’re in business for, but what their day to day actions say they are in business for…
By jeg
May 19, 2006 01:11 PM | Link to this
We don’t get many interruptions by the intercom, but my phone does ring-constantly. It can drive me crazy, especially when the class is working and focusing well. I don’t answer the phone-one my students-normally a leader in my band, answers it, and takes a message. I figure if they really want to talk to me, they’ll wait for me to return their phone call.
By MMM
May 19, 2006 02:01 PM | Link to this
My charter school has NO MONEY, NO INTERCOM, NO School bells. But we do have an endless stream of visiters that we are trying to beg money out of to keep it afloat. I’m sure that is plenty irritating.
By zc
May 19, 2006 02:07 PM | Link to this
I did the announcements when I was in High School, and I had a blast!! I only did the morning and evening announcements. But I think the main point is those impromptu announcements that occur during the school day by someone in the office.
I don’t remember them as particularly lengthy, but it was a hundred years ago.
By V for Vendetta
May 19, 2006 02:51 PM | Link to this
Not at my school. They last five minutes tops in the morning. We have video announcements that come on in the middle of the day, but they are usually reasonable. Heck, that’s about as close as we get to recess so the kids enjoy the break.
Some have echoed this idea already… If your school is blabbing on the announcements all day, then what in the world is their reasoning behind it? What are they trying to accomplish? I think most people with half a brain know what the limits are when it comes to interruptions. If they don’t, well, then I’m sure that school has problems far worse than the announcements interrupting class.
By parent
May 19, 2006 03:03 PM | Link to this
I do not know about the announcements but…I went to my son’s school shortly after he was injured on the playground. Well they used the intercom for his class to let him know I was there. There was no teacher in the classroom and the students were giggling answering the page. So in my opinion, if the intercoms help the administrators listen to what is going on…keep them on!!!!
By Joan Todd
May 19, 2006 03:08 PM | Link to this
I was a substitute for 2 years and I know all too well the irritation of a pricipal who can yammer on over the intercom. One morning she made the announcement (for over 15 mins) that we were VERY short staffed with security, and not to call down to the office unless it was a true emergency. Little did she realize (or care) that quite a few of our most notorious trouble makers were serving morning detention, and they got that little annoucement as well. Needless to say, by lunch time, it was a goat rodeo at best. Keep it short and sweet and know who your audience is.
By Elane
May 19, 2006 03:18 PM | Link to this
Wow, this sets a wonderful example in schools where there are serious penalties for kids carrying cell phones. I think some people just love hearing the sound of their own voice and they never grow out of it.
I’ve observed something similar happening during that controversial “moment of silent reflection.” In nearly every class I’ve visited, the teacher chooses that time to strike up a loud conversation with someone about administrative issues. Again, you may endorse the idea or not, but if it’s a rule, why isn’t everyone following it and setting an example for those who are most bound by the rules?
By frank
May 19, 2006 04:41 PM | Link to this
In our Catholic school years ago, I don’t recall it being a problem.
Anyway, with email I am sure the intercom will be used less and less.
By New Teacher
May 19, 2006 04:56 PM | Link to this
As a soon-to-be first year teacher I am very annoyed by intercom announcements. The school I did my internship at made these announcements over 5 times a day (they were pretty lengthy too). It was incredibly disruptive. The ever so famous “Send little Johnny to the front office” gets an asending “oooooooooooo” which is guaranteed a 5 minute calm down period. I just think life in the classroom would be much better with private phones. That way you can select which calls you want to answer and even have a student play secretary (like a previous response mentioned). Not to mention the ease of calling Mrs. Smith, the veteran teacher, next door with a quick question. Well that felt like one of my old college “reflections.” hahaha
By Leia
May 22, 2006 08:24 AM | Link to this
Intercom interruptions are a necessary evil, and probably the very least of my concerns right now!
Even with email access, one cannot expect that a teacher would be sitting in front of her computer checking emails all day.
Additionally, I cannot imagine the interruptions if I had a telephone in the classroom. Parents would be calling all day long. Don’t answer it, you say? Well, what about the non-stop ringing? And we probably would not be allowed to turn off the ringer - for safety and security purposes.
And finally - I would NEVER have a student play “secretary” for me! All calls should be confidential, and, all I need is for some important message to be left with a student who blabs this information all over the school, and I’d end up on the news defending myself and trying to keep my job!
By Zoe
May 22, 2006 08:43 AM | Link to this
The numerous assemblies our school has scheduled this year are worse. We had at least 6 assemblies during 2nd period. The school NEVER scheduled one during another period and most were a waste of time. My students hated them because after the first two, I started making photocopies of the lessons and the assignments missed for the assemblies and made them do it for homework. Schools talk about accountablity, but no one in our central office seems to realize that pulling students out of class for useless assemblies is much worse.
By Dekalb Educator
May 22, 2006 09:24 AM | Link to this
The only way our classroom phone rings is if an adminstrators transfers a call from a parent to us..OR..they call us.
Take this morning, we had to listen to 15 plus mins of announcements (sighs) MUCH repeated info (like posting your smart web attendance by 9am) and then the school that has 2 grade levels housed in our school announcements..which included part of the song “survivor” by destiny’s child..(a song that I HATE) congratulating xyz for passing the CRCT…(sighs)
off to work i go…
By Beccaann
May 22, 2006 10:03 AM | Link to this
Thank goodness our announcements are limited to once in the morning and once in the afternoon; unless there is an emergency. We have phones in the classroom and I appreciate it when the office calls on these for a student. The biggest problem is when other teachers call and want to just talk when I am trying to teach. I have had to learn to be rude to get some of them off the phone.
By V for Vendetta
May 22, 2006 10:57 AM | Link to this
Possible blog topic:
Where to draw the line between funny and inappropriate. Examples…
Girl singing “On Top of Old Smokey”
Kid making comments on MySpace
Girls suspended for singing Spice Girls song
Which are deserving of punishment, which are idiotic overreactions…
C’mon Patti, we cant let you do ALL the work now can we? :-)
By Jeff
May 22, 2006 12:01 PM | Link to this
V,
I would like to discuss as well. Heard Bert Show talking about the Spice Girls issues this morning, but my cell was out of juice!! My biggest point with that one: you’ve got 13 and 14 yr old girls singing about “if you wanna be my lover”. How can you NOT have a problem with that, particularly with Ga teen pregnancy rates????