I expect my teenage employees to work…AITAH?
I am an after-school director. The majority of my employees are between the ages of 16-22. I never want to be the “Young people today blah blah blah” guy, but…these kids just do NOT want to work! They often choose to be more social with each other than with the kids they are supposed to be engaging with. In addition, daily tasks like taking attendance, having their kids walk in straight lines, playing circle games during down time, and cleaning up after snack are approached as inconvenient and annoying…which maybe they are…but every job has those necessary annoyances. It’s important to note that I pay very well compared to similar programs, and as such, I expect excellence. On top of that, when I give them strategies to use to help them set a positive tone and, overall, make their lives easier, they scoff at it. I’ve been an educator for over a decade and I work hard to treat my staff with respect and I take on the more challenging parts of the job (discipline, communicating with parents, etc) but it seems like they won’t be happy unless I’m doing literally everything. Am I the asshole here? And if I am, please lord someone tell me what I need to do to make sure the work gets done without these kids rolling their eyes at everything I ask!