I call BS

No get out of jail free here
Originally uploaded by salgal.

I got an e-mail (a mass mailing, not just to me) this morning about how we shouldn't be checking our personal mail from work. You know what? F--- that. Here's why:

1: My calendar is linked to my e-mail account. I can keep track of field trips, appointments with students, meetings, etc. THROUGH MY E-MAIL ACCOUNT. I am not organized enough to write stuff down in one place and carry it with me, and this is the best method I've found for me.

2: Just because I am at school doesn't mean I'm working. I arrive here at least 30 minutes prior to the time my contract states, ALWAYS stay at least 15 minutes late, and my 40-minute lunch is my own. You mean to tell me I can't access my personal life during those times (which add up to about 200 hours a year that I am on campus, mostly working, entirely for free each year)?

3: Who is it hurting? If I take 30 seconds during a passing period to tell my husband I'll be home late, what harm is that doing? Yes, I could be out in the halls watching kids, but we've been specifically asked not to this year. Nope, administration told us to be in our rooms.

4: It's a double-standard. No one has been told not to bring cell phones to school. Yes, the cell phones are ours, not school property, but that's the sole difference. Why does it matter if we're connecting with someone electronically rather than cellular-ly?

5: I conduct school business using my personal e-mail. It's much easier to check from home, and it's way shorter. My home e-mail is myname@sbcglobal.net. My work e-mail is something like My_name@FHHS.CA.SCUSD.post-office.internalservererror/stillreading?.shutup. Even I don't get it right half the time when I try to send something to my work e-mail. I give the e-mail to my kids to turn in assignments or ask questions. I communicate with parents via e-mail. I send myself useful links, articles, and documents. I keep in touch with the community about school events (like an upcoming student poetry reading)... Yes, when I check my mail, it's a mix of personal and school, definitely leaning more towards personal, but I do use it for work.

Anyway, I really don't plan to stop checking my e-mail from work unless they come have a personal chat with me about it. And if they do, I plan to tell them about those reasons above. Hmph. It just put me in a grumpy mood.