All That I Ever Needed To Know...I Learned in the Rubber Room (Mental Preparation)
1. Most people don't like air conditioning.
2. The world will never stop for you. Husbands get sick, children graduate, parents die, the mortgage must be paid, birthdays are celebrated, people get divorced and Jury Duty notices still arrive in the mail-(hopefully)...all while in the rubber room.
3. Good people won't steal your stuff. Find one decent person whom you can trust to watch over your stuff while you're in the bathroom.
3. If you don't want anyone to know your business, don't be the FIRST to share it!
4. Racism and prejudice are alive and well in the Rubber Room. Respect and tolerance isn't.
5. There is another rubber room. It's called the "Teacher's lounge".
6. No one ever gossips about other people's 'virtues'.
7. There are some things that aren't even worth explaining to your BFF. (Reassignment is one of them.)
8. The UFT is NOT your friend. (If you're disappointed with their inaction, it's your fault for having expectations.)
9. A friend is someone who doesn't want to see you fall flat on your face. Deal with a major life crisis and then take a good look around. Real friends don't get spooked.
10. Your principal doesn't really like you. You're just young and underpaid.
11. If you think it can't happen to you, it probably will.
12. Being in the rubber room is a punishment designed to get you so frustrated that one day you will just get up and quit. Being guilty or innocent is not a factor here.
13. If you still "don't get it", you are correct.
14. There is no logical answer to, "Why?" when dealing with the DOE.
15. My own chapter leader thinks that the UFT is "useless" and she couldn't be more right.