Wow embarrassed and really ticked off...

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Sorry just need to vent.

Since school started in August I have been in contact with our Dept of Ed. to get a program to come to our school that promotes physical education and getting children up and moving in the classroom. It has been very stressful trying to get everything in order for them to come and it is a BIG DEAL. Schools are on a waiting list to get them to come and do a live show. Anyway the whole point is to show teachers how to integrate the 5 min videos into their classrooms to get children to move around and let some energy out. They have a presenter that is a coach and he leads the students in short 5 min videos to exercise.

My 1st and 2nd grade teachers dropped their kids off in the gym and went back for their "planning period". The speaker was there to talk to them just as much as the kids. So I asked the principal to call the teachers to the gym which she did and after the speaker raved and thanked teachers for all they do they got up right in the middle of it and left! They stayed barely 3 minutes. I was mortified. Some of them even expressing how they didnt have time for this and this was their planning period. Needless to say I was HOT! I understand that was your planning period but one day isnt going to kill anyone and what an example you set for your students that someone trying to teach them to be healthy and how to do better in school isnt worth the time. Do I get a planning period? Do I get to eat my lunch most days without interruption? NO! And on top of it this presenter was at our other local schools and all the teachers were raving about it. So of course my school has to be rude.

This program when implemented daily in the classroom has been shown to aid in higher test scores, better focusing, less test anxiety, and a drastic decrease in behavior problems. So it was worth the 30 min to be present. And some of the teachers couldnt even do the little movements with their students and just sat there. Which is a whole other rant so I wont even start.

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Specializes in ER.

That's pathetic.

Back when I went to elementary school in the 1960s, we didn't have unstructured recess or lunch. We had a myriad of organized games, with a multitude of courts drawn on the blacktop of our playground.

At the beginning of each day the teacher would spend time explaining the rules for 3 games, 2 20 minute recesses and one lunch recess. No one was left out, and we supervised ourselves, with coach out there monitoring the whole school at once. He had a crew cut and we all were intimidated by him.

If someone misbehaved, they were sent to the bench.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I'm not a school nurse ... but I am a Professional Development Specialist ... and from you original post, it appears you made a big "rookie" staff development mistake. The teachers are adult learners, and in order to get adult learners to engage in a learning activity, you first need to get their "buy in." It looks to me as if you arranged this class for them without their input at a time that was not convenient for them. They don't even seem to have realize that it was supposed to be a class for them: they thought it was something for the students.

If you want to do an inservice for the teachers, then you will need to label it and advertise it as a class for them -- and work with them to find a time that is convenient for them to attend, etc. You may also need to do a little "pre-education" to stimulate their interest in the topic. That's nothing unusual, that's just the way adult learners are. They choose their own priorities and have to see the value of something before they will invest in it.

I'm sorry this attempt to change their practice didn't work out well for you. Next time you want to have a program for them, get their buy-in first and work with them to plan the program so that it meets their perceived needs, not just yours.

I know my post will not be popular, but Professional Development is often harder than it looks. You can't just plan a class and expect everyone to come and engage in it.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

It is pathetic but you see it every day in a myriad of representations. A few years ago our 4th grade teachers threw a fit because they couldn't have their planning period in the middle of a freakin tornado shelter in place! Every year we have a bike rodeo. A grade level competition put on by the PE coaches during the kids PE time, great fun for the kids, PTO sells concessions, music playing, parents are there to watch their kidlets ride their bikes in the rodeo; a great time to interact with the parents and cheer their students on...nope, the teachers dump them off at the door and haul ass until they come pick them up at the exact second the period ends. Grandparents Day is for Thanksgiving. Some kids don't have grandparents or relatives to come eat lunch with them. Last year ONE teacher out of the entire school had the compassion to sit down and eat lunch with her students who had no family to visit. I could provide hours of reading with the multitude of examples.

So ABRN, I'm sorry this happened to you but I completely not surprised.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
I'm not a school nurse ... but I am a Professional Development Specialist ... and from you original post, it appears you made a big "rookie" staff development mistake. The teachers are adult learners, and in order to get adult learners to engage in a learning activity, you first need to get their "buy in." It looks to me as if you arranged this class for them without their input at a time that was not convenient for them. They don't even seem to have realize that it was supposed to be a class for them: they thought it was something for the students.

If you want to do an inservice for the teachers, then you will need to label it and advertise it as a class for them -- and work with them to find a time that is convenient for them to attend, etc. You may also need to do a little "pre-education" to stimulate their interest in the topic. That's nothing unusual, that's just the way adult learners are. They choose their own priorities and have to see the value of something before they will invest in it.

I'm sorry this attempt to change their practice didn't work out well for you. Next time you want to have a program for them, get their buy-in first and work with them to plan the program so that it meets their perceived needs, not just yours.

I know my post will not be popular, but Professional Development is often harder than it looks. You can't just plan a class and expect everyone to come and engage in it.

llg, I hear what you are saying and you know we are on the same page on a lot of topics, but you would have to experience this environment day in and day out for you to witness the jaw dropping realizations of incidents such as this. It has nothing to do with getting staff to buy into anything and everything to do with infringing on the sacred planning period...wherein many times there isn't any planning going on at all. The educational institution is a completely different world from real world reality "out there." I am not a rookie and I had a similar incident happen to me yesterday...simply asking teachers, with the blessing of administration, to attend an information session about scoliosis screening with their 5th grade girls; 10 minutes. It was at the beginning of PE, which of course is their planning period; 2 of 5 were there the whole time, 1 was there 1/2 the time, and 2 didn't attend.

Sad, but true.

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But teachers will interrupt our lunch (the 3 minute one we have at our desk) if they want the mole they have had for 26 years looked at.................

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I'm not a school nurse ... but I am a Professional Development Specialist ... and from you original post, it appears you made a big "rookie" staff development mistake. The teachers are adult learners, and in order to get adult learners to engage in a learning activity, you first need to get their "buy in." It looks to me as if you arranged this class for them without their input at a time that was not convenient for them. They don't even seem to have realize that it was supposed to be a class for them: they thought it was something for the students.

If you want to do an inservice for the teachers, then you will need to label it and advertise it as a class for them -- and work with them to find a time that is convenient for them to attend, etc. You may also need to do a little "pre-education" to stimulate their interest in the topic. That's nothing unusual, that's just the way adult learners are. They choose their own priorities and have to see the value of something before they will invest in it.

I'm sorry this attempt to change their practice didn't work out well for you. Next time you want to have a program for them, get their buy-in first and work with them to plan the program so that it meets their perceived needs, not just yours.

I know my post will not be popular, but Professional Development is often harder than it looks. You can't just plan a class and expect everyone to come and engage in it.

Thanks for the input but I am not a rookie. I do staff developments several times a year and they are always good. The point of the post was not that it was for staff development but that they should have stayed with their students like they do for most assemblies. I was not the one who had an decision making in their having a planning period during that time. That was the principals decision and she asked them to come back to the assembly and they left after 2 min. My point was if you are trying to be a role model for your students I wouldnt think leaving during an assembly while a speaker was talking to you is a very good decision. But again thanks for your input.

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It is pathetic but you see it every day in a myriad of representations. A few years ago our 4th grade teachers threw a fit because they couldn't have their planning period in the middle of a freakin tornado shelter in place! Every year we have a bike rodeo. A grade level competition put on by the PE coaches during the kids PE time, great fun for the kids, PTO sells concessions, music playing, parents are there to watch their kidlets ride their bikes in the rodeo; a great time to interact with the parents and cheer their students on...nope, the teachers dump them off at the door and haul ass until they come pick them up at the exact second the period ends. Grandparents Day is for Thanksgiving. Some kids don't have grandparents or relatives to come eat lunch with them. Last year ONE teacher out of the entire school had the compassion to sit down and eat lunch with her students who had no family to visit. I could provide hours of reading with the multitude of examples.

So ABRN, I'm sorry this happened to you but I completely not surprised.

Yeah truthfully I shouldnt have been surprised but I guess it caught me off guard that the other two schools in the county had their teachers not only present but literally so excited and thankful for the experience. But of course my school is different. And I have seen the same things go on at "grandparents day" or any holiday event. The lunch ladies and office staff along with myself will sit with those students without anyone but very rarely is there a teacher sitting with one.

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I'm not a school nurse ... but I am a Professional Development Specialist ... and from you original post, it appears you made a big "rookie" staff development mistake. The teachers are adult learners, and in order to get adult learners to engage in a learning activity, you first need to get their "buy in." It looks to me as if you arranged this class for them without their input at a time that was not convenient for them. They don't even seem to have realize that it was supposed to be a class for them: they thought it was something for the students.

If you want to do an inservice for the teachers, then you will need to label it and advertise it as a class for them -- and work with them to find a time that is convenient for them to attend, etc. You may also need to do a little "pre-education" to stimulate their interest in the topic. That's nothing unusual, that's just the way adult learners are. They choose their own priorities and have to see the value of something before they will invest in it.

I'm sorry this attempt to change their practice didn't work out well for you. Next time you want to have a program for them, get their buy-in first and work with them to plan the program so that it meets their perceived needs, not just yours.

I know my post will not be popular, but Professional Development is often harder than it looks. You can't just plan a class and expect everyone to come and engage in it.

As a matter of fact, I agree with you 100%.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

Thank you to everyone who maintained a positive professional attitude even though you didn't agree with my previous post. I appreciate that. But I still have some sympathy/empathy for the teachers in this situation. I talked to my sister about it to get her perspective as a retired elementary teacher -- and I can see "their side" of the situation. Their planning periods are not "goof off time," but rather scheduled time during the day when they have work to do. If you want them to give that time up to attend a health-related class, they need to know ahead of time etc. It sounds as if the teachers in this situation were not aware that the class was intended for them and that it was not planned with their needs in mind. Therefore, it is not surprising that they had not planned to be there.

If you want people to come to your classes, you need to tell them about the classes ahead of time and make sure they know why it is important that they come. If you don't, it's not reasonable to expect them to come.

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Thank you to everyone who maintained a positive professional attitude even though you didn't agree with my previous post. I appreciate that. But I still have some sympathy/empathy for the teachers in this situation. I talked to my sister about it to get her perspective as a retired elementary teacher -- and I can see "their side" of the situation. Their planning periods are not "goof off time," but rather scheduled time during the day when they have work to do. If you want them to give that time up to attend a health-related class, they need to know ahead of time etc. It sounds as if the teachers in this situation were not aware that the class was intended for them and that it was not planned with their needs in mind. Therefore, it is not surprising that they had not planned to be there.

If you want people to come to your classes, you need to tell them about the classes ahead of time and make sure they know why it is important that they come. If you don't, it's not reasonable to expect them to come.

I think that we all agree with what you're saying. We know how important "buy-in" is. The frustration lies in the fact that the teachers could not care less about our, the nurse's time. We generally do not get a planning period, we rarely get lunch, and most days I don't even get to pee until after 2:30. With all of that in mind, a teacher has no problem (this happened last week, btw) KNOCKING ON THE RESTROOM DOOR to tell me so and so needed HER EARRING PUT IN!!! They interrupt our lunches daily, complain about screenings, moan about treatments inconveniencing them, send droves of kids for issues that are in no way nursing related, get mad when kids don't get sent home, get mad when you send a kid home, blame you when you "miss" an injury that wasn't sent to you, and just generally wear you down day after day. But GDI, don't ever mess with their planning period:rolleyes: A lot of work when into OPs program and I doubt that the teachers were uninformed.

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Specializes in Case Manager/Administrator.
I'm not a school nurse ... but I am a Professional Development Specialist ... and from you original post, it appears you made a big "rookie" staff development mistake. The teachers are adult learners, and in order to get adult learners to engage in a learning activity, you first need to get their "buy in." It looks to me as if you arranged this class for them without their input at a time that was not convenient for them. They don't even seem to have realize that it was supposed to be a class for them: they thought it was something for the students.

If you want to do an inservice for the teachers, then you will need to label it and advertise it as a class for them -- and work with them to find a time that is convenient for them to attend, etc. You may also need to do a little "pre-education" to stimulate their interest in the topic. That's nothing unusual, that's just the way adult learners are. They choose their own priorities and have to see the value of something before they will invest in it.

I'm sorry this attempt to change their practice didn't work out well for you. Next time you want to have a program for them, get their buy-in first and work with them to plan the program so that it meets their perceived needs, not just yours.

I know my post will not be popular, but Professional Development is often harder than it looks. You can't just plan a class and expect everyone to come and engage in it.

I understand the need for buy in completely however....

This group is a leader in developing young people, although they may not have had any buy in with this special presentation, what they should have done was shown some professionalism, and stayed if only to learn something that could possible help their teaching methods (new tool in the tool box), been there to support their fellow co-worker. What they did was shown their side of incivility.

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