I am going batty. Teaching remote summer school happened this week instead of next, and I was only notified this week that it was...😬 My new immediate supervisor just keeps making me so mad. She doesn’t seem to read my questions because her answers are often copying and pasting an old email to me that might be somewhat related to the topic but is absolutely irrelevant to the question. Her other, big go-to is to tell me to re-attend trainings or ask questions at office hours run by higher ups. When I do so and I am repeatedly told by higher-ups that what she’s asking is the exact opposite of what they want, I politely let her know that’s what I was told, but that I’m willing to do whatever she wants/needs. She then seems to berate me with her retorts, though I am really trying to remind myself that she is also under a lot of stress right now and subtext is lost in email. On the one email amongst dozens where she used overtly kind language, I read it as though it was a fresh start with her. It was unfortunately followed by more curt, unhelpful, and contradictory emails. She mentioned that we were given 2 extra paid hours for planning “over the weekend”. Since I had only gotten my class rosters this week, and she discussed this at our end-of-the-week meeting today, (we don’t work on Friday), I thought how nice it was that we would be paid for some of the extra time that would be needed for all the extra work this holiday weekend, mainly of re-doing things as all these supervisors keep telling us to complete tasks differently. (Really, I can’t wait to actually spend my prep time on my students instead of illogical forms!). When I asked if there was a specific way she wanted us to record those two hours on our timesheet, she told me via a midnight email that those 2 hours extra were for last weekend, copied and pasted something about our regular teaching hours, said that I needed to relearn how the whole system worked again, and yup, should watch more self-training videos. I replied that I understood our regular teaching hours and thanked her for letting me know those extra paid hours were for last weekend. I wanted to ask if I could borrow her time machine, because how on earth could I have used hours last weekend that I was only made aware of today to make lesson plans for classes and grade levels I hadn’t yet been assigned? I refrained from asking her that, but that’s where the OCD comes in. It’s so hard not to ruminate about her. As soon as I meditate or move on to a cool, new lesson for my students, ::bing::, another email from her asking to redo something in the way I have been thoroughly trained NOT to do it. At least when this turns my uncontrolled thoughts into scenes from Office Space I can laugh even while living the asinine reality. Thanks for letting me vent. My mind already feels clearer. 💜