Star Q
As the duration of your services as an employee draws to an end, you tend to notice a few peculiar things that you previously ignored or thought would never happen to you. As for me, even though I still have a few more years to go, I too am getting these feelings and it is not because I am inferior or paranoid. My colleagues and my families will say that I am paranoid (even though they will not say it straight to my face!) and that no such thing is happening.
However, I really have noticed these changes, especially in the delegation of tasks by the administrators at my work place as early as one year ago. The first of these changes was my task as the delegated master of ceremony every time we organised functions, be they at district or state level. It was by pure luck that my late principal in 1996 plucked me amongst the teachers to stand in for a colleague who was supposed to be the MC but had been taken ill. From that moment on, I was never left out as the master of ceremony for every event or function, big or small. But recently I seem to have fallen out of favour with the administrator since he had gone out of his way to recruit a new MC.
Another disturbing turn of event is my exclusion from teaching certain classes. Not that I haven't been performing or that the classes I taught, hadn't been doing well; in fact 100% passes for the classes that I taught, two years in a row, should be some kind of indication that I can still teach these classes. Sadly, my services with these classes is no more needed and is delegated to 'shepherd' the submariners; the ones that most teachers wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole! And all the brilliant students in the brilliant classes are taken by the brilliantly young educators. True, wisdom comes with age; but definitely not opportunity.
One more thing that I have noticed is that I have also been excluded from the list of teachers to attend courses. I have noticed that the administrators have been leaving on the side-line when there are courses that need to be attended. In fact, they have even ignored me when I personally requested to attend some courses. So, it is the young ones who get to go for courses and at the end of the year are able to write glowing reports for their achievements for the year.
I read somewhere that you should not give 100% to your employer because at the end of the day, he will give you nothing. Instead, give your family 100% because your family will give you back all that you have given them, and more. I suppose, it's time I learn my lesson.
