Who needs weight loss pills when you’re a coordinator?

The bulk of the work that subject area coordinators in school does is given not during the school year but during summer vacation, when everyone else is relaxing and getting fat.

No, I’m not trying to complain. How could I? There are several perks that come with the title. First, coordinators have flexi-time. We supposedly have no regular schedule for log-ins and outs so long as we fulfill a 40-hour per week quota. Second, we have less subjects to teach, therefore we supposedly have less preparations than others. Third, there is a substantial amount added to our pay for the extra responsibilities that we’re given.

However, just like any other position, being a coordinator comes with several banes as well. First, the supposedly decreased amount of paperwork (for lessons), is replaced with logistic paperwork – letters, circulars, proposals, sponsorships, budgets, requisitions, schedules, etc. Every time there is a science-related activity, may it be a contest, a field trip, or a science week, letters, circulars and other logistic concerns are made by coordinators. Second, yes we do have less subjects to prepare for, but we have to check all the papers – activity sheets, quizzes, test drafts, of all the other teachers in the department. How’s that for a trade-off? Hehe! Third, because we constantly receive and send stuff to and from other teachers, our work doesn’t really stop after logging off from school. Most of the time, I email instructions and materials to co-teachers in the department. Other times I receive and check stuff from them. So we may log-off early in some days but we never really stop work early. In fact, I can’t even help working during weekends.

So why did I agree to become a coordinator? Well, why shouldn’t I? First and foremost, being asked to handle such a huge responsibility means people see my potential to handle more. Second, it’s an excellent opportunity for growth and development, to see how much more I can learn, to test how much I can handle. And I’ve learned so much from two years of leading the department. So for as long as I can, and so long as people want me to, I’ll continue to handle the science department. After all, I’ve got a lot of good teachers to help me with the whole program.