Schedule Conflict

[nafmeadmin]

This is something I never thought I would have to deal with on the middle school level, but it has happened. My schedule is set up so that I have 3 advanced band classes, 3 beginning band classes, 1 percussion class. I have 3 advanced classes to avoid having any schedule conflicts with the honors/advanced classes that my school does. My schedule looks like this:

1st hour- Intermediate Band
2nd hour- Beginning Band
3rd hour- Advanced Band
4th hour- Advanced Band
5th hour- Planning/Break
6th hour- Beginning Band
7th hour- Beginning Band
8th hour- Percussion Ensemble

Now with 3 slots to place my 2nd and 3rd year students in, I thought they would make sure that the 7th and 8th grade advanced classes would clash with one of those hours, but don’t you know they made it where all 3 of my advanced band classes clash with the an advanced class. I guess the guidance counselor didn’t notice this, but basically I am missing 12 high playing level students off my roster!!!! After examining the schedules, I noticed that we have a very simple fix, switch out my 3rd or 4th hour advanced class with the 2nd hour beginning band class, which would allow her to place all of the advanced band students in that class. I checked on our system, and there weren’t any advanced classes scheduled for 2nd hour. It won’t cause any problems for the beginning band schedules because they don’t have advanced classes(to my knowledge at least) and the only schedules that she has put in the system were my advanced band students. My question is, how would you go about presenting this to your counselor? I don’t want to seem pushy or come off as telling her how to do her job, but I really need those 12 students.

[nafmeadmin]

If you don’t stand up for your program and your students, probably nobody else will. Being proactive is not being pushy. Go directly to the guidance counselor, and present your problem and its solution. If, in fact, the schedule is easily changed, you will have protected your program, and saved the counselor from some irate parents. If you get no resolution through the counselor, go to the principal [not the principle].

[nafmeadmin]

Haha thanks, Paul, for catching my error- one I hate. Unfortunately this forum does not allow you to edit comments like the old one did, which led me to inadvertently deleting my previous post.

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