Auxiliares updates

It's been a while since I've said anything about my auxiliar job here on the blog.  This is mostly due to the fact that this blog is public, and any student or colleague/boss could easily find it at any time.  Thus I'm mostly keeping my thoughts to myself, or at least out of the public scope for now.

With that said, here are some facts to update you on the program:

• I still have not been paid from either school for the month of January.  This should have happened at the end of January, beginning of February.  After how long it took to get November's paycheck, I'm really not surprised.  I kind of expected it.
• There was a required jornada (program meeting) in January for all auxiliares except those that teach in a non-bilingual instituto secundario.  
• I teach in two non-bilingual institutos secundarios; thus, I didn't have a meeting/orientation with the program in January.
• Via the auxiliares' facebook group, I learned that at this meeting they explained how to renew for a second year in the program, should auxiliares desire to do so.
• (They apparently also told auxiliares not to bring water bottles to class, nor to take naps at their schools, among other important information)
• Apparently the directions about renewing weren't clear at the jornada, since the facebook group has exploded with renewal questions since that meeting.  For people teaching in an IES non bilingual, however, we were still told nothing about renewing.
• Yesterday on February 8 I received an email whose subject line was "renovar - DAT Capital".  The email said:

Please DO NOT REPLY. 

Find attached information about RENOVAR para el curso 2012-13.

• (Which I thought was kind of ironic, because my secretariado class this week learned about polite business email correspondence, and how you shouldn't use CAPS...)
• If you want to renew, you must reapply to work at your current school for another school year.  No switching schools unless you apply in a different comunidad  (for example if I applied in northern or southern Spain, and didn't renew in Madrid).  I have decided not to renew my current position.  Time to make some real money and teach those interest-accumulating student loans who's boss.
• On Tuesday we were surprised to find a printer in our English class at my Tues/Weds school.  We finally have somewhere to print?!
• Nope.  There's no toner.  So the printer's out of commission, but now it sits on a desk in the front row, behind the computer, taunting us every day.
• From small talk I've heard between the English teacher and students at my Mon/Thurs school, it sounds like our two classes of students will finish the year in March.  I have no idea what this will mean for me come April, May, and June.  No one's said anything to me about it yet, so I'll cross that bridge when it comes.

The English classroom at my Tues/Weds school