Thursday, April 08, 2004

The Sound of Silence

It's past 6 and I'm still in school. Finished teaching at 3 but have had to do absolutely farcical things in the name of my job.

It's called the EPMS- Enhanced something something something. But well, enhanced PMS is what I have now having completed the damn form. It's what we in the education service and I suspect in the rest of the civil service are assessed by. You set targets at the beginning of the year and it's reviewed in the middle and at the end of the year, which it's most basic of ways, isn't a bad thing. It's like making resolutions at the beginning of each year. Except in this case, grave consequences will descend upon you if you fail to meet your targets.

And very unfortunately, going for a holiday four times a year is not a target that I can put on the form. Neither is "maintaining or improving on current weight". So, I'm stuck with things like "To engage in continual learning to develop deeper understanding of own subject area and teaching expertise". Uh huh. I also found out earlier this year when I did the Big Five personality test that I'm bad at listening, but still, I have to go for 100 hours of courses at least- that's what I'm entitled to. That's a whole lot of hours to sit there and not be listening very well. But that's what has to be done so that's what I have to do, my eventual promotion 2 1/2 years down the road depends on it.

I was once again reminded of the gender inequality in wages today. My colleague R, who entered the college at the same time as I did will be promoted in October, for no other reason than the fact that he has a penis and I don't. The fact that I don't have an appendage hanging from between my legs and the fact that I did not serve national service when I was 18 means I'm not in line for the automatic promotion that these guys get. Sigh. I guess I have to wait patiently with the rest of us, none appendage endowned individuals.

It's been said many times in our extremely patriarchal male dominated parliament that women should serve national service and it should be in the form of having babies. The ironic thiing is having a baby would probably set me back in terms of promotions. I know bonuses and stuff become pro rated when women go on maternity leave, so by extention, promotions as well.

Anyway, it's very late and I'm going to leave for the fear of the school attendants locking me up in the staff room and I will be here with nothing but my nice blue lava lamp for company. I'm going home to Dan.

Ondine tossed this thought in at 15:22

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" Far in the stillness, a cat languishes loudly"