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O/T Stupidity

DaizyDuke's picture

I can't do stupid.  I just can't.  Let's laugh about the stupidest shit that people have done at your job.  Here are a few hum dingers from my world.  I coordinate home schooling and tutoring in my school district.  I have over 200 home schoolers.  Most do an acceptable job, but some are clearly dumber than 12 boxes of rocks and I wish I could tell them "NOOOOO!!!  You must be smarter than a 5th grader to home school!!!"  But alas according to home school regulations, there are no education requirements in order to home school.

I had to send some nasty grams last week because some parents haven't submitted quarter reports for the past 4 months.  This is EXACTLY word for word (other than where I changed school name) what the letter says and the letter is on my letterhead with address, phone, fax and email.  "All home instruction documents can be e-mailed, mailed, faxed or put in the drop box at the main entrance of ABC School."   Just had a parent leave a VM and said she got my letter, but wasn't sure where she should take the reports.  W.T.F? 

I once had a letter requesting to home school come in addressed "Dear Super Attendant" W.T.F?

I have called to schedule students for tutoring and I tell the parent that they can come from 9-11, and more than one has seriously asked "9-11 at night?"  W.T.F?

Seriously how do these people function in the world??

 

Comments

I love dogs's picture

I don't know what to say other than that these people are shaping our future generation. I don't mean to sound like a snob, but this is why kids need real teachers.

Simpleton21's picture

I'm going to be a bit judgmental but every person that I have known that home schools are usually a bit off/crazy.  My own mother has custody of my nephew and recently started home schooling him b/c he has some health problems (not that would actually prevent him from going to school but I think my mom decided it was to much work and she hates the testing/state testing/yada yada yada).  I also think my own mother is a bit crazy.  She was definitely a HCBM with my dad and she still complains about my SM who didn't even enter our lives until 20 years after my parents divorced!!!! Oh and the other person I know that homeschools is the lady down the street whose daughter plays with SD.  She is constantly going off on people/neighbors for stupid crap.  SD is like the only kid she likes other than her own daughter so there is def something wrong with her!  

DaizyDuke's picture

To be honest, the majority of my home schoolers do a good job (at least they are reporting they are on paper!) The ones I generally have problems with are the ones who can't/won't parent (i,e. kid refuses to go to school, kid is being a bully and is religiously getting suspended every day, they want kid at home to babysit siblings or the dreaded Munchausen by Proxy where they want kid home to hide something) These are the people who are home schooling for all the wrong reasons and who are generally the biggest problem. 

And don't even get me started on the "unschoolers"  Ugh

Simpleton21's picture

Well I only have the 2 cases to compare it to so I'm sure you have a better idea.  I honestly would like to homeschool b/c of all the school shootings but I don't think I would be of help to my children.  I don't have any experience in education.  My mom does at least have a degree in early childhood education but I still question some of her "assignments" she gives my nephew.  I'm not sure the background on crazy neighbor lady but I do feel bad for her daughter being stuck with her ALL THE TIME!!!!

Steppedonnomore's picture

Co-worker called me while I was on vacation.  The office printer had run out of paper and she had documents to print.   It got to be standard that she would call every time I was off with some similar "emergency."  Then one day she happened to mention to the boss that she had called me with a question.  He told her, "Stepped works very hard when she is here and so we don't bother her when she is away from the office." 

thinkthrice's picture

OFFLOADERS. . .dangerously UNqualified, lazy people who have egos the size of Jupiter.   Who like to suck up to NEW bosses who don't know any better (they soon find out) and are always asking ME to do their work for them.

These people make EXHORBITANT salaries (county IT) have no skills past 1985 computers and always ask me the stupidest questions:

1.  What's the number to Dell support?

2.  Can you run diags for me on so and so's hard drive (user that THEY are supposed to be handling)

3.  I've never been trained (have never done) this or that  (SERIOUSLY???!! Neither have I--JUST.DIVE.IN)

They expect ME to be a walking GOOGLE for them.      LMGTFY.com   !!!!

The most recent boondoggle is that they got rid of the administrative assistant in our office (who was doing a LOT of the work) answering phones, assigning trouble tickets, inventory, paying bills, answering the front door, ordering supplies.  Instead they promoted a woman in the office to computer tech who is not qualified to be an administrative assistant, let alone be in IT.   But the men of IT are falling all over themselves "helping her" because of certain "attibutes" she has.  I have to tell her about 4 or 5 times how to do something and it still doesn't stick!  They are just now starting to see the light (her now immediate boss who used to flirt with her--fun for flirting but not so great as an actual employee--who knew?)

Meanwhile the phone goes unanswered, users are calling me DIRECTLY because the helpdesk line never gets answered, bills aren't being paid, tickets aren't being assigned.  The wheels are falling off.

Simpleton21's picture

I worked at on office that sold copiers.  For my admin/supply order clerk position there were 2 of us that did the same jobs (similar to the admin duties you just described as well as ordering copier toners).  We went through several people in the position and I had no problems training them.  Then they decided to hire a really attractive dim whit like you also described.  I had been there going on 6 years and finally got so frustrated with fixing all of her mistakes and doing basically the entire job myself that I suggested my boss send her to corporate for training (which she ignored).  A week later I found a new job and handed in my 2 week notice.  My boss was so stressed figuring out how they would function without me and the dim whit being the only one up there....hmmmm...maybe the fact that she failed the basic logic test you give to every person before you hire them was a clear signal that she wasn't capable!  I hope they enjoyed her cuteness and all the extra work after I peaced out Wink LOL!  I honestly liked the girl she was very nice but dumber than a box of rocks for sure!

thinkthrice's picture

She has nice curly red hair but it's on a Scott Farkus face.  She is my age, fairly slender with HUGE headlights.  I forgot to add that she is a BM to an only daughter (who doesn't look ANYTHING like either her or her husband)  She helicopter parents her 20 yr old DD and they are BFFs.  She actually goes to DOCTOR appts with her.  Every time her DD20 has a doctor appt, mommy must go with her.  I find that strange IMHO.

Simpleton21's picture

I had to google Scott Farkus! LOL!  I have bigger headlights than the dim whit they had hired to work with me but I'm hoping that isn't the only reason I was hired! Who knows with that place.  I know I at least passed the simple logic test they required.  I was young and naive.  There were a lot of inappropriate things going on that could have really got the company in trouble!  Oh well!  I moved on!  

Um, yeah, I think it is weird too!  Helicopter parents drive me crazy!!!!  I hate going to the dr so I certainly wouldn't drag someone else along for that misery unless I was getting drugged and needed a ride home or something!  

thinkthrice's picture

Are those the GUBMs who think that going to school  is optional, period?  Like the Girhippo's brood; all three of which especially SD and YSS were chronically truant?  Their children as sooooo "special" that they will have the world handed to them on a silver platter if they can just find the right victim like mommy did.

DaizyDuke's picture

Ugh.... yep!! Both SS AND SD!  That's the whole reason SD moved in with us at 14... she wasn't going to school and realized that she was going to fail 8th grade because of it so she begged to move in with us so she could switch school districts and get a free pass... and she did.  Then she went back to BM1 and for 6 months or so and it was the same thing all over again. Wasn't going to school, nobody was making her so she was going to fail 9th grade.. only now you are earning credits and there is no :"getting out of it" but stupid DH let her move back in with us and she had to double up her 10th grade year on all the classes she failed in 9th grade.  I will give DH kudos for making her go to school, she just knew it was not an " option" at our house.  She still ended up in danger of failing her 10th grade year for simply not doing any home work assignments her grades were in the 20's and teens in at least 4 classes... then she  moved off with Aunt J and Aunt J held her feet to the fire on attendance AND homework and miraculously got her graduated. 

SS started having attendance issues in about 5th grade.. BM2 never checked him and wouldn't allow DH to do it, so the attendance issues just progressed and progressed and he got further and further behind and now he's a high school drop out.  Go figure?

thinkthrice's picture

They "pity passed" OSS and SD.   They were getting too old and too huge to continue in HS so they graduated with a what was once called 65/66 average; on the cusp of failing all subjects.  YSS remarkably is doing the same thing!

DaizyDuke's picture

That's the thing... it's really quite difficult now a days to actually NOT graduate!!!  Because the schools don't want high drop out rates, because that effects their state aid.  So the pity passing and cover your ass passing abounds.  So basically if you show up, you will graduate. That was SS demise.... he stopped showing up, and now he's a proud drop out.

GhostWhoCooksDinner's picture

OMG, this is totally OSS! He does really well the first quarter, puts in zero effort the next three quarters, goes to summer school three hours a day for six  weeks, passes all his classes with a 65 (never a point higher- it's the "push 'em through" grade), and moves on to the next grade. Been that way since sixth grade, and (we think) he's a senior now. Why put forth the effort and actually learn something when you can coast? It's sickening. The schools are churning out a bunch of illiterate fools.

thinkthrice's picture

Here.   YSS's lates and absences through this entire school year add up to about 40 or 50.  He'll go to summer school for a few hours of snacks and then pass.   OSS actually didn't go to summer school every year but SD and YSS have since kindergarten.

momjeans's picture

Interesting in regards to homeschooling communities.

In my state, homeschooling isn’t difficult to do, but there are laws and standardized testing, of course. It’s also a southern state with very low public school ratings, so a lot of people choose to homeschool if they want to provide their child(ren) with a good education. Other option being private school. 

In my experience with people / children who homeschool in my city, it’s a good bit of doctors with 5 or 6 children in the home. The children tend to be more outgoing, mature, and above average intelligence, too. 

 

GhostWhoCooksDinner's picture

OMG! Super attendant! BM actually once wrote a letter to the Super Attendant of our school district! She cc'd DH in to show him how important she is, stepping up as a parent to get the boys tested for learning disabilities (which they don't have- their problem is shitty parenting).

I work for a social services agency, and I can't even begin to describe the level of idiocy I face every damn day...and not from my clients, but from the staff!

One of my coworkers recently called in sick because her kid's parakeet died and she needed to make burial arrangements. *ROFL* 

Another called in because she couldn't start her car.... She lives three blocks from the office. Guess she thought the boss wouldn't know that, especially when she walks home for lunch every day?

 

I shake my head daily.