Spitting Chips

This appears to be a distinctly Australian expression which basically means "I am so angry that I can't get an articulate word out and can only spit". Apparently it once meant "I'm so thirsty that I can only spit dry" but over the years it has changed and now if anyone were to say they were "spitting chips" you'd know that now would be a good time to make your exit unless you wanted to be on the receiving end of a severe tongue lashing!

Anyway today I'm spitting chips. I'm so angry that I want to cry - but I'm too angry to actually cry. What has brought this on?

Money. Or to be more exact, pay rises. All early childhood teachers have just received a pay rise. Cool - except that my organisation has apparently decided that they no longer need assistant supervisors and so are not going to pay the assistant supervisor rate. Instead, I'll get paid the same rate as teachers. I'm still expected to fulfil the same responsibilities I did as assistant supervisor - I just won't get paid for them.

What has me spitting chips is that no one told me. I found out through lunch-room gossip. I had noticed that my pay rate hadn't gone up to the expected pay rate and had assumed that someone had made an honest mistake. But no. No mistake. The other assistant supervisor had at least been told (although she was not happy about the change or the explanation she received) but no one had bothered to tell me. And when I told my supervisor she obviously hadn't known anything about it either.

Right now I'm trying to deal with it. And with my reaction. I can't help but wonder about a verse I read last week and which seemed especially for me: Do violence to no man [well I wouldn't actually hit anyone but I feel like it at the moment], neither accuse any falsely [I hope I haven't - DH always tells me to get my facts correct]; and be content with your wages [ouch]. Can you believe that's actually in the Bible? Well it is. Luke 3:14b where John the Baptist is talking to soldiers. Look it up if you don't believe me. Meanwhile I'm going to remove the chips from between my teeth.

Comments

April said…
Hmmm... I don't know what to say about the pay inequity, but I don't think it was very considerate of them to not tell you before the fact. That's just wrong. I'd be spitting chips too! (My mother always said she was "mad enough to spit", so that might stem from the same old saying).
SchnauzerMom said…
Wow I don't blame you for being upset.
Sparrow said…
Ohhh, that's frusterating!

Here in the US we use the expression, "Spitting angry." I guess "spitting chips" is one step more angry? :-p
Unknown said…
Oh wow, that really stinks. I don't blame you for being upset! I hope that things change and that you end up getting a pay raise after all.
bunches of yarn said…
Hey Jules, in beautiful far eastern Kansas we 'spit nails' which is meaner than chips...
on the other hand, did you not say--not too long ago--that you passed up a promotion that 'they' offered you? This may be the four-year-old-bad-attitude way that 'they' have of showing you that 'they' are not happy with your decision: "you want more money, suuuure lady, take that!"

Now back to the Christian way of doing things: Work harder, and bring 'them' a plate of cookies.
"If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:
For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee." Pro 25:21-22

AND
"Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Rom 12:19-21

When God does things, He is so very thorough. ^__^
Jules said…
Hi, I appreciate your comments so much - they're the hugs I need right now.

The anger's slowly going. I've done some more investigating and I have to question if some of what has happened is legally, morally and ethically right but I also want to be careful that I don't falsely accuse.

The hurt is still present. Not just for myself but for the others it also affects. I'm also struggling with feelings of not being valued - both professionally and personally. I had a staff appraisal less than a month ago and not one concern was raised about my work. In fact I received a glowing report so I know it's not because of my work that I've not received the pay rise. However I suspect I know the real reason behind it all which just makes me sadder still.

At present I've been robbed of a lot of the joy I usually find in my work but I believe that the Lord God has placed me there and that I'm there to serve the children and their families - not myself. The Lord might move me on to something new in the future (right now I desperately hope so) but right now He has a job for me to do where I am and perhaps something to teach me as well.

And as for 'heaping coals of fire' - it's so hard but I know it's the right thing to do. I've struggled over the past day or so just to be polite to the person who should've spoken to me about all this (and makes the decisions) and to act as if nothing has changed. I'm just hoping that when I finally get to talk with her about this issue she will listen and I'll be able to speak in love.

How funny that there are similar expressions between countries! My research led me to believe that it was uniquely Australian but it seems there was a common denominator somewhere in history that the various expressions all arose from!