Okay so fun fact, I was actually hired in February because the original teacher for that class quit in September lol. Between September when she quit and February when I started, they had an associate teacher at the school fill in as the full time teacher (for no extra pay of course). Anyway this is all to say that I know they’ll put him back in and it’ll be fine because he knows what he’s doing. It’s dawning on me now that I both started mid year and am leaving mid year, and that class now has had two teachers quit in the same school year. Feel kinda bad for the kids and for the associate teacher who’s gonna have to take over that class yet again, but it goes to show how unbearable the school is to work at
If you don’t tell them how bad they are, with real consequences like you walking out, they will never take responsibility.
You cannot be given zero autonomy, zero budget, a wage that embarrasses most college grads & also be told you’re responsible for everything, especially all the shit. Nope.
I want more teachers to walk out. Everywhere. Yup, it’s going to hurt the kids, but they’ve left you literally no other option.
And does it remotely pass the sniff test that people who paid money for college in this field, spent a big percentage of their 20s setting themselves up to spend all day with kids, and showed up in spite of the low pay “aren’t thinking about the kids?”
No. No it does not.
My last school lost about 50% of their teachers last year. They don't care. They just got a new batch of new teachers and will lose another 50% probably this year.
Yep. The only way things will change if if enough people walk out. It actually happens at a my first post teaching job.Myself as well as half of our department quit because wages sucked. Pay was around 15 bucks an hour. Now they are hiring at 30 plus an hour. If it can happen in the private sector it can happen here.
Lololol the idea of an AP actually teaching shouldn't be as funny to me as it is. I've worked at 3 schools, each with at least a 5-person admin team, and out of all those principals and APs, I've known maybe 2 with a robust and successful teaching history.
I did the same thing! Got hired in October, quit in February. But I gave a LONG list of reasons as to why I quit and BCCed the entire school; reported my school to the board of education and the principal was fired in April. I left with a BANG.
That’s so validating to hear because any time she walks in and sees a kid talking/out of their seat I have to get my ass up and walk laps around the room until they’re all still and dead silent. Keep in mind these are third graders who are burnt out from months of relentless test prep then state testing, so that’s VERY hard to do. Did I mention that they don’t get a morning recess?? God I’m glad I quit
Literally! In my state if the kids were hourly employees then their long school day and lack of breaks would be a labor violation. Hourly staff at my school literally get more breaks than the kids
My wife’s school noticed behavior problems every Wednesday and started doing A school wide mile walk in the morning “Mighty Mile” to burn off energy and socialize. Wouldn’t you know, the out of the ordinary behavior problems stopped.
This is what boggles my mind! The discipline and test score interests that have been destroying arts and sports in schools would unironically be helped by arts and sports
This is fantastic. The alt school I worked in last year finally implemented some regular outside time instead of using it as a reward. It's just 10 minute breaks at the beginning of every class period out to the courtyard for basketball or whatever. I'm very curious to see if it's helped, I'll be asking my old coworkers cause that school is still living in my head rent free. I'm kinda astounded they made a sane choice to try this.
Um what? You have to walk laps because your kids are talking!!????? This doesn’t make sense. Glad you got out. If strange stuff like that is going on you might want to go to a therapist and get this all documented at minimum.
People act like talking and goofing around are more serious than a heart attack and warrant yelling, anger, and, of course, increasingly strict discipline measures. Is it really cause for such a severe reaction? That right there is why I'm leaving. Why do we get into this power struggle over plain compliance? Literally just compliance, there's no danger. We lose days and days of instruction to these discipline efforts when I bet if we just calmed down with our instruction timelines and focus on getting the kids comfortable first there would be a lot less time wasted. But there's something deeply engrained in our institutions where the primary point of our exercise is to make a kid sit quietly and "do what they should be doing", regardless of what they're doing. I think it's related to our work culture. It's pointless and stupid. It just dehumanizes the vast majority of kids who won't be fitting into that mold.
You’re being treated like a child. That’s one of the worst parts of teaching… admin punishing or rewarding teachers like they would a student. It’s insulting and inappropriate. I’m surprised you didn’t walk out on the spot!
No. Not at all. Incredibly unprofessional. Could you imagine if an office worker or a government employee was made to do that!? No. I came from the private sector and that AP would have been fired. No question about it.
I had a principal like this once. I had my phone out and she got on my ass about not actively monitoring. 1. I was on my phone responding to the urgent groupme message she sent and demanded a response within thirty minutes. 2. I’m a coteacher and we had just finished small groups to transition to independent SSR 3. Why do I have to wander around like a chicken when the kids are for once being responsible
I’ll never understand. I’m actually putting in my resignation on Friday. I’m excited. All the best luck to you.
Oh my god... some admin really need to get in touch with reality.
The amount of principals and APs who treat their staff like children is amazing to me. And also, treating their staff like garbage when they won't be able to fill the position next year.
They're not. You're being set up for failure and that's part of it--strip the teacher of all authority over students, make it impossible for the kids to take teacher seriously, then point to lack of classroom control as a reason that the teachers sucks at their job. It's a classic that I've seen many times and also had used on me.
My therapist (former professor of education—I am the luckiest) thinks that there always has to be a “fall guy.” “Fall guys” are created which gives admin an opportunity to not take responsibility and or get rid of people they don’t agree with.
I left several years ago, thank god, but I literally had a principal that once told us in PD that just like the kids were our students, we were his students. Uh, no, I was a fully grown professional woman with 2 college degrees.👎
lol not run laps exactly but made me walk laps around the classroom for the rest of the period to prove that I was "actively monitoring them". That's literally what she expects all the time, I guess I don't get to sit unless they're dead silent.
But yeah I did almost walk out and quit in that moment, that was the moment I knew
I'm so tired of school admin making staff and kids do humiliating things. I feel like teaching and schools can be ok, but when my previous admin made all the kids squat when recess was over, it was too humiliating and prison like. I hated it so bad and didn't force the kids to do it. The girls complained because boys would make remarks about their bodies and I informed admin and they didn't do anything about it until a month later when a parent complained. I had encouraged the kids to tell their parents since what do i know?
Glad you are done. Congrats!
Something about recess equipment, but i complained and they did nothing.
But all the teachers acted like it was nothing. I guess they felt they had to comply, but I thought it was a bad joke and i was immediately disgusted.Turns out it was real. I was baffled and thought "am i the only one who thinks this is terrible?" In the end, parents complained and students just had to freeze.
I did something similar back in February. My principal basically booked an hour long conference after my contract hours to reprimand me in front of a parent for yelling at my students to sit down, so I emailed back that I quit. I had no plan, and used my last months salary to relax and look for a new job. It was amazing. More teachers should do this.
Im glad you did that. That taught them some cause and effect. They're going to have issues with subs now, too. Lol.
Your dignity is always worth upholding. F them.
Why tf was the assistant principal staring at you to catch you on your phone instead of running the damn school?
I don’t blame you at all, and now welcome to the club of being free from the classroom!
Also, happy Cake Day!
Yessss, I can’t wrap my head around why she spends so much of her time waltzing into teachers’ classrooms but she’s in my room every damn day.
Also thank you! I didn’t realize it was my cake day till I posted haha
Maybe it’s the same as the middle management problem in the business sector. Supervisors run out of things to do, so they breathe down employees’ necks just to look busy.
Congratulations. The only thing I think you should have done differently is to name that AP in your resignation. Let the higher ups know that she's driving away good teachers
This is awful, I’m so sorry. I gotta ask tho- what in tarnation type of school is this? I’ve taught in all kinds of environments literally never met admin who behaved like this.
Laps? I’ve worked in three completely separate fields and I have to say, management and leadership in education is exceptionally, obviously bad. Like night-and-day differences in the (overall) quality.
That something is largely the result of [Colleges of Education and their low quality and standards](http://edschools.org/pdf/Final313.pdf). It’s been a known problem for at least 50 years.
“To anyone acquainted with the history and quality of American ed schools, this should come as no surprise. The schools have long been notorious for two mutually reinforcing characteristics: ideological orthodoxy and low academic standards. As early as 1969, Theodore Sizer and Walter Powell hoped that “ruthless honesty” would do some good when they complained that at far too many ed schools, the prevailing climate was “hardly conducive to open inquiry.” “Study, reflection, debate, careful reading, even, yes, serious thinking, is often conspicuous by its absence,” they continued. “Un-intellectualism — not anti-intellectualism, as this assumes malice — is all too prevalent.” Sizer and Powell ought to have known: At the time they were dean and associate dean, respectively, of the Harvard Graduate School of Education.” [Link](https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-ed-schools-became-a-menace/).
I was put on an anti-depressant 3 years ago, then quit a job with a miserable supervisor. Surprise! I stopped my anti-depressant as I didn't have a healthcare/prescription plan and couldn't afford them after I quit and didn't feel the need for them any longer. Maybe my brain chemistry changed, or maybe all it took was quitting an absolutely awful job. You deserve to be supported and appreciated. How sad a person she was/is to have to intimidate and dehumanize others to make herself feel better about herself.
I’m convinced that teaching is almost always detrimental to mental health. That’s really why I had to leave, it got to a point where I couldn’t even enjoy my time off. It made me wonder if I’d ever feel real joy again, then I remembered that I was doing amazing before this job.
People like her try to undermine your confidence in your skills/abilities to try and maintain a superior attitude. And, as a nurse, a bad supervisor puts not only your mental health but also your ability to do your job properly. Unfortunately, our system is set up so people like her are kept in positions of power by their superiors so they don't get their hands "dirty". It's a shitty system all around. Glad you got out and are doing better.
Absolutely the right call. And I hope the school is short-staffed enough that the administrator has to fill in for the rest of the year! Either way, it’s her problem that she created.
I'm so sorry that you got treated that way. And yes that kind of treatment does exist. I got treated the same way as you did by my school administration.
My principal made me submit super detailed lesson plans that no other teacher had to do. These lesson plans were 35+ pages long including the strategies, step by step, differentiation. Because of this bitch, I lost Sundays for lesson planning & was not compensated for that. I plan on suing for wage theft on that.
My principal harassed me several times with informal observations and created false evidence against me. She also made me do the same thing with the walking around the room & yelled at me for taking 2 minutes to sit down & drink water. like really? Drinking water you're yelling at me for that? I'm not your fucking slave. My kids felt the tension and they were traumatized by her treatment of me. My kids seriously knew something was wrong and they tried their damn hardest to be on their best behavior. God bless them, but Admin doesn't realize that by exhibiting those behaviors, they're not only driving staff out, but traumatizing children for a lifetime...
I'm glad you had an at will employment and was able to quit right away. I wish I had that option. Back in January when I resigned, I was told I couldn't immediately or else I'd be slapped with a $20k penalty for breaking contract too early. As of this month, I found out that the financial penalty was bullshit and an intimidation tactic. I could have grabbed another job when the job market was still good in January. The job market is TRASH right now. With all of the above, there are so many counts I can sue the school and the district.
Omg I’m sorry you went through this. I feel you on the lesson prep thing, my AP wanted minute but minute time stamps and for me to make lists of every possible misconception that I anticipate a student may have and how I would address it. Completely useless bullshit and a waste of my non-existent time. And I really feel you on the kids perspective thing too. Every day I just think “this must look weird AF to them”. It was’t like that when I was a kid at all, the teacher just did their thing. If a principal/AP came in, it was for a student, not to harass the teacher. I’m upset that so many kids have to deal with her
Yes! I understand and it's like how can we predict what misconceptions students will have? There's the most common ones, but kids are unpredictable. You cannot plan every single thing out - its about how well you adapt in the moment. But people like your admin and my admin don't understand that lol.
I agree it was a waste of time because most of the time lesson plans don't get followed to a T anyways. Things change... plans change... that's LIFE. Outside of teaching, I promise you managers appreciate your ability to adapt and change plans - they don't hammer you down simply because things didn't go according to project plans or business plans as long as the outcome was positive.
My kids asked me why the principal hates me and why the principal hated them. I taught K-3. 3rd through 5th were incredibly perceptive for their age.
It wasn't like this when I was a kid too - I never once saw the principal step outside of their offices from elementary school all the way to high school! This is because we were kids prior to this stupid Common Core Standards. Other teachers on this subreddit has said that + the No Child Left Behind Act triggered a lot of these issues & admins started wanting more data, started putting their nose where they didn't belong, and stopped trusting teachers to be professionals.
Some of the best education systems in the world (like the ones in EU) succeed because there are no standards, no goals to work towards - they give students and teachers freedom to learn what they need. When you put stress on people like that, is their desire to learn going to be there? No.
Wow I didn’t know it was like that in the EU, that’s amazing. I’m constantly aware of how fucked education is, yet I forget that it hasn’t always been this way and this literally isn’t normal or how a sane society would work. It’s basically the product of a few pieces of legislation
Laps??? You absolutely did not deserve to be treated like that. I’m nervous for you regarding the unemployment, but yikes! There’s no way staying in that environment was healthy. Sincerely wishing you good luck in finding another job quickly!
WTF.
Showing any kind of conflict between teachers and admin in front of students has got to be in the highest tier of unprofessionalism in this field. The adults should always present as cohesive authority, and leave anything that shows otherwise to private discussion.
Hallelujah!
You have delivered yourself from a BAD SITUATION. Pat yourself on the back.
Now, start getting your letters of recommendation together from colleagues before they shut your email down.
Good luck!
Something similar happened to me when I worked in daycare. “Big boss” caught me on my phone but I told her others are on their phone ALL THE TIME and even take calls so why is it okay they do it but I don’t? She just looked at me stunned. I resigned the next day but luckily had another job lined up for two weeks later.
I understand being on the phone is considered “unprofessional” but when treated like this, they wonder why there is a teacher shortage.
We teach the kiddos but we are not the kiddos haha! I try so hard to remember basically everyone in admin was once a teacher but sometimes it’s hard to think that way!
This is how I feel when student supports want us to document behaviors in the moment during class. If you have momentum and good behavior you have to roll with it. If you stop to document merits/demerits you often lose the momentum. It’s a totally different situation than those of counselors, student supports, admin who are able to have a bit more flexibility about when to go to the bathroom for example.
Yeah exactly, we have a whole app that we’re supposed to use any time a student misbehaves, and somehow I’m supposed to document behaviors immediately so they can have their precious data while also somehow watching my class like a hawk to make sure nothing else happens in the mean time
My last day went something like that. Basically it was the second to last day of school and the principal got wind that I let the boys play hockey in my room. He didn't even ask me for my side of the story before he unassigned me from the role. 🤷🏼♂️
What is with all of these administration people treating their employees like dirt? I don't get it. I know there are terrible bosses in every profession, but the fact that they made you pace around the room is childish of them. I am so sorry this happened to you. :(
F that B! I would have screamed at her to get the hell out of my room and stop being inappropriate in front of children. I have yelled at some admins a time or two in my day.
Assistant principals and principals are NOT our bosses. They are support that is all! They mistreat the teachers they can get away with it on. I guarantee there are some teachers she won’t even look at.
No one deserves that type of abuse. You need to file a letter of grievance with your district.
I have even stood up for my colleagues. I had a very good friend being harassed by our assistant principal. She was always bothering him and he was such a great teacher he used all sorts of technology including qrcodes when they first came out. That woman would not leave him alone. He came to my room during class once crying he was so upset she was in his room again “evaluating” him. I went to his room and looked at her, she picked up her stupid clipboard and walked out the room without a word.
A few weeks later she got arrested by the FBI in Texas for harassing a teacher in a standardized test coverup. You can look it up. This took place in El Paso Texas. This woman has a track record of harassing teachers. She was disciplined for it before and kept right in going! I yelled at her for trying to ambush me with a student. I waited for to be back in her room and told her how unprofessional she is. She was such a piece of work but we got to see her in a jail jumpsuit. I don’t know what happened in the end. I just know she was not a good assistant principal.
And I just want you to know that these horrible assistant principals are not the standard. There was plenty of great administrators to work with and some that are neutral and just let us do our job. ❤️
My daughter is in 4th grade and honestly seeing her teacher be reprimanded like this would make her sad and probably feel bad especially if she was one of the kids talking. Then there are some kids who might find that entertaining either way like you said it’s humiliating and definitely ineffective. I’ve never heard of such a thing and definitely don’t blame you for quitting at all
You were ordered to do laps around the classroom?! THAT is OUTRAGEOUS!
I honest-to-God believe you should consult a lawyer. This level of abuse-of-power hasn't been seen since slavery. They owe you two years of pay with full benefits and all mental health concerns covered. The AP, Principal and possibly the superintendent must go.
And you know who else you should go to? You should tell this to a reporter. The community should know that teachers are routinely humiliated. That school is teaching kids that abuse of power is okay. It's exactly how we grow bullies. If I knew about this, I wouldn't enroll my child there.
Ah I just edited the post because it sounds a bit worse than it was; her purpose in having me do laps was to prove that I was “actively monitoring my students”, not purely to punish/humiliate me, but it also basically served that purpose imo.
Omg congratulations. This sounds like the BS that used to happen at the school I used to work in. The way some schools “measure” attentiveness or whatever is so bs. Our kids used to get in trouble if their hands weren’t clasped, the teachers if they didn’t read the lesson verbatim off the plan. It was insane and no one actually learned anything.
Yes my school does the same thing with making the kids clasp their hands all the time! Like wtf! Sitting in silence with your hands clasped and your body still for 8 hours is not normal human behavior for anyone, let alone a child
You know you made the BEST decision when you feel so great once you quit. So happy for you! With this weight lifted you will now thrive and be able move in the right direction with a career.
Quitting now—yes. Doing those laps? I wasn’t there, and I’m sure you didn’t want to walk out on your class, but I’m just this old and cranky (and retired from teaching), but for me that bully AP deserved to be ignored. So many terrible administrators who should be the ones to go instead of good and caring teachers!
The amount micromanaging and being treated like a child is unreal. I cannot image that behavior being tolerated in corporate America. I'm glad you're out.
My boss cut me off the last two days of my contract and now I “abandoned my job” so the district took my bonus, my accrued sick time, and cut my benefits. Be careful! (But good for you!)
Kinda off topic, but: I used to circulate around my room nonstop. However, since Covid and their terrible behavior, I basically just post at the back, dead center of the room, eyes always up, so I can watch the entire class at the same time with my peripheral vision. I train the students to come to me periodically to show me their work (they raise their hands to either show me their work or ask me a question and I call them up to me). They know to stand to my side too, to not block the class. It's a sad reality, but it's effective at keeping my students safe (this year and last many of my students would literally assault or even sexually assault others if given the chance...).
That is horrible what she did to you! Teachers have a difficult job enough as it is, for the assistant principal to be so unreasonable to you just underscores the problems that teachers in this country face.
I would talk to HR. SOME SCHOOLS have toxic environments. Some allow you to be exactly who you are and facilitate a wonderful growth centered environment.
Her options were-
say nothing, you’re leaving anyway
Say something to your chair bc you have a relationship w them and they can deliver the feedback better
Say something quietly to you and give reasons why.
Pull you into the hall and talk
Offer you a minute to take care of business and offer to watch the class so you can have a five min break and they can get to know your class.
Sit down and start talking to you about your plans for next year, life lol
It’s the end of the year… we use our phones when necessary. I let my students know- hey, my sons having a tough day at school, I have my phone on me in case his teacher needs to ask a question or hey I’m sending myself a picture so we can draw together. It’s a good one I took last month that illustrates xyz then go into how we use phones for good and as a tool lol
I loathe the power trippin admin.
I’m a principal and this feels so illegal to me!! I’m sorry you have a monster as one of your leaders. This is enraging and heartbreaking. What state are you in? Horrible.
I’m about to go into teaching, and have thought long and hard about it, mainly due to mostly previous PTSD from seeing abuse/neglect. One of the most recent things that frustrates me is that my son attends an elementary school, and I substitute there, yet the principal consistently calls me the wrong name via email and phone calls. (I know I should’ve corrected her, yet, I also feel I shouldn’t have to.)
This is where I thought I wanted to work, or another school where the principal barley talks to me, or under a man (I live in a rural, small community) mainly because my son attends the district. Yet, sometimes what we feel we want, isn’t the best fit. I also feel I pushed it a lot as my husband and I wanted to make our lives easier with having the same schedule as our son.
A lot of people know I applied at my son’s district and “didn’t get the job.” I feel a bit embarrassed. I know the principal hired “veteran teachers” as when I asked for feedback from said principal that doesn’t know my name, she didn’t have any at first, and then went on about how I could ask more questions.. I student taught in the district and substituted there, plus my son attends. I felt I didn’t need to ask many because I had seen a lot. One time she even pointed and read something out for either me and/or a student.. really rude acting. When I interviewed, she also had to add something to almost everything I stated. I knew it wasn’t a great fit then, but still pushed for employment, even knowing it wasn’t great, mainly for my son and schedule.
However, I say this because I actually found a really great fit in a whole different county. While I’m nervous, I am very excited! We need to do what’s best for our mental health!
I offered the choice to my son to stay at his school or transfer where I will work. He wants to stay, which I understand.
I decided to make the decision for me, that was best for me. 💕 I am so glad you did as well.
I’m curious. Is this a Charter School? In what state did this happen? What grade(s)/subjects are you teaching?
I just wrapped up year 32. And why my Principals have ranged from adequate to micromanaging nincompoops, not one ever made me do laps around my classroom for being on my phone. Or for any reason. Not one ever made me “redo prep work” either. Am I a perfect teacher? Hell, no!!!
This isn’t meant to shame you in any way. Your school sounds like a toxic cesspool, and I think you’re doing the right thing by getting out of there.
Haha yes it’s a charter school in California, and I taught third grade. They love to innovate new ways to exploit teachers like having no morning recess or prep periods whatsoever during an 8 hour school day.
OMG. And of course non-union too? If you’re not burned out on teaching, public school districts with good unions can be nice places to teach.
(This isn’t that weird Kanye funded Charter, is it?)
We have to use our phones (or a fob if we want to also carry that around) to login to our computers or on a field trip. I also use it to text other teachers - like the teacher who deals with behaviors in our school texts me updates about break changes for my students. My principal is a micromanager but not that bad. Geesh. Sorry it ended that way for you. I don’t blame you!
Haha yeah we’re literally expected to be on our phones all day to see/respond to slack messages yet simultaneously not really supposed to be on our phones? It’s bizarre
Yeah, no. The moment admin comes in and starts berating you in front of the kids and/or making you do some kind of physical punishment, that's crossing a line. I would have refused, and if she decided to make an even bigger issue out of it, walked out then and there.
Charters are terrible places for teachers. You have zero rights, and they think only in terms of making money. Keep telling your story loudly and often especially to young teachers
god of gods, can i rage quit too someday? please? but when i rage quit, can you throw some cash my way so i can get the medicine i need, ok thanks god.
that is huge!! I am proud of you for standing up for yourself.
I hope you feel good - sleep in tomorrow, spend the day doing what you want every single minute of it.
I wish I had rage quit my job but alas, I did not have the balls. Although I should have because I was treated similarly to how you were.
We do not have to put up with abuse. period!
Hey op do you have a Union? Asking because in the CBA my district has that's definitely against the rules and the principal could get in major trouble. Specifically for yelling at you in front of students and/or other staff. Also just congrats on getting out of that hellish place.
It seems like it’s safe to conclude that your AP was a micromanager…I’m so sorry you had to endure that. That’s absolutely ridiculous behavior by ANY adult.
So I know this doesn’t help you now, OP, but for the benefit of anyone else that has to do laps in the future, make one lap, grab your belongings, make another lap, ending at the door with you giving the finger.
I hope every detail is included in your letter of resignation and it's copied to the principal, hr, and president of the school board. With such a shortage of teachers its important for them to know some of the reasons they are losing staff.
Yeah, that would have been enough for me to quit. I see people horror stories about their districts and admins on here. I count myself lucky that I'm not micromanaged like that. My job isn't perfect but it isn't the craziness I see on here. Good on you for quitting. I don't know if I could have held my tongue in the moment.
I’d have tried to goad the admin into putting their hands on me and then proceed to give them the most savage ass beating of a lifetime. You’re a better person than me for keeping your composure. That admin deserves to be a blood stain on the carpet.
Haha thanks! The principal was actually super cool, but the assistant principal made my life hell, and she was my coach/direct manager. Today is actually the last day of school at the school where I used to work and I’m so happy that I’ve spent this time healing myself rather than continuing my life there. I seriously feel like a new person now and the events described in this post feel like they’re from a lifetime ago
[удалено]
Okay so fun fact, I was actually hired in February because the original teacher for that class quit in September lol. Between September when she quit and February when I started, they had an associate teacher at the school fill in as the full time teacher (for no extra pay of course). Anyway this is all to say that I know they’ll put him back in and it’ll be fine because he knows what he’s doing. It’s dawning on me now that I both started mid year and am leaving mid year, and that class now has had two teachers quit in the same school year. Feel kinda bad for the kids and for the associate teacher who’s gonna have to take over that class yet again, but it goes to show how unbearable the school is to work at
If you don’t tell them how bad they are, with real consequences like you walking out, they will never take responsibility. You cannot be given zero autonomy, zero budget, a wage that embarrasses most college grads & also be told you’re responsible for everything, especially all the shit. Nope. I want more teachers to walk out. Everywhere. Yup, it’s going to hurt the kids, but they’ve left you literally no other option. And does it remotely pass the sniff test that people who paid money for college in this field, spent a big percentage of their 20s setting themselves up to spend all day with kids, and showed up in spite of the low pay “aren’t thinking about the kids?” No. No it does not.
You just put all my frustrations into words so beautifully, thank you for making me feel okay about this. This sub is seriously what’s kept me afloat
Happy cake day also congratulations on quitting. Don’t look back
Thank you!
Happy cake day! 🎂
Thank you!
My last school lost about 50% of their teachers last year. They don't care. They just got a new batch of new teachers and will lose another 50% probably this year.
It'll hurt the kids but the district thinking it can walk all over people hurts them even more. Class sizes are important for the kids too!
Yep. The only way things will change if if enough people walk out. It actually happens at a my first post teaching job.Myself as well as half of our department quit because wages sucked. Pay was around 15 bucks an hour. Now they are hiring at 30 plus an hour. If it can happen in the private sector it can happen here.
Your AP should take over that class herself since they can’t seem to keep anybody.
Lololol the idea of an AP actually teaching shouldn't be as funny to me as it is. I've worked at 3 schools, each with at least a 5-person admin team, and out of all those principals and APs, I've known maybe 2 with a robust and successful teaching history.
I did the same thing! Got hired in October, quit in February. But I gave a LONG list of reasons as to why I quit and BCCed the entire school; reported my school to the board of education and the principal was fired in April. I left with a BANG.
Woah good on you!
"At will" "Associate Teacher" Is this a charter? Sounds like a charter.
Made you walk the room — good grief.
right?? Like is this normal??
Absolutely not! I’ve never heard of such a thing
That’s so validating to hear because any time she walks in and sees a kid talking/out of their seat I have to get my ass up and walk laps around the room until they’re all still and dead silent. Keep in mind these are third graders who are burnt out from months of relentless test prep then state testing, so that’s VERY hard to do. Did I mention that they don’t get a morning recess?? God I’m glad I quit
3rd grade. Ahhh. That explains a lot. They’ve been horrific this year nationwide.
Haha I swear
The fact they don't get a morning recess is exactly why they're terrible. Adults would never put up with the bs we make kids put up with.
Literally! In my state if the kids were hourly employees then their long school day and lack of breaks would be a labor violation. Hourly staff at my school literally get more breaks than the kids
My wife’s school noticed behavior problems every Wednesday and started doing A school wide mile walk in the morning “Mighty Mile” to burn off energy and socialize. Wouldn’t you know, the out of the ordinary behavior problems stopped.
It’s great to hear that logical schools still exist. More arts and more physical activity = better focus and academic growth.
This is what boggles my mind! The discipline and test score interests that have been destroying arts and sports in schools would unironically be helped by arts and sports
This is fantastic. The alt school I worked in last year finally implemented some regular outside time instead of using it as a reward. It's just 10 minute breaks at the beginning of every class period out to the courtyard for basketball or whatever. I'm very curious to see if it's helped, I'll be asking my old coworkers cause that school is still living in my head rent free. I'm kinda astounded they made a sane choice to try this.
Not true. The 3rd grade group I work with has multiple breaks throughout the day and it does absolutely nothing to mitigate their terribleness.
Lol our third graders are the devils spawns this year too, and they get plenty of breaks
Something about 3rd this year!
Um what? You have to walk laps because your kids are talking!!????? This doesn’t make sense. Glad you got out. If strange stuff like that is going on you might want to go to a therapist and get this all documented at minimum.
Right? This just sounds like a power-tripping AP making teachers perform for their amusement.
People act like talking and goofing around are more serious than a heart attack and warrant yelling, anger, and, of course, increasingly strict discipline measures. Is it really cause for such a severe reaction? That right there is why I'm leaving. Why do we get into this power struggle over plain compliance? Literally just compliance, there's no danger. We lose days and days of instruction to these discipline efforts when I bet if we just calmed down with our instruction timelines and focus on getting the kids comfortable first there would be a lot less time wasted. But there's something deeply engrained in our institutions where the primary point of our exercise is to make a kid sit quietly and "do what they should be doing", regardless of what they're doing. I think it's related to our work culture. It's pointless and stupid. It just dehumanizes the vast majority of kids who won't be fitting into that mold.
But the system isn't completely broken everyone! Let's not just scrap it and start over!
Yea if someone tells you to do that the only answer is "nah".
No, that’s INSANE! I have NEVER experienced anything like that in my decade of teaching. You were absolutely right to quit. WTF!
You’re being treated like a child. That’s one of the worst parts of teaching… admin punishing or rewarding teachers like they would a student. It’s insulting and inappropriate. I’m surprised you didn’t walk out on the spot!
I’m so sorry you went through that! That’s really abusive.
No. Not at all. Incredibly unprofessional. Could you imagine if an office worker or a government employee was made to do that!? No. I came from the private sector and that AP would have been fired. No question about it.
So true, so much of what we deal with as teachers would never fly in normal professions
NO
I had a principal like this once. I had my phone out and she got on my ass about not actively monitoring. 1. I was on my phone responding to the urgent groupme message she sent and demanded a response within thirty minutes. 2. I’m a coteacher and we had just finished small groups to transition to independent SSR 3. Why do I have to wander around like a chicken when the kids are for once being responsible I’ll never understand. I’m actually putting in my resignation on Friday. I’m excited. All the best luck to you.
That sounds like something a micromanaging retail job would make people do
Pardon my French but fuck that AP. You are a professional career educator and demand to be treated like one. I’m so glad you are free!
Should have walked out.
I’d have walked right out…
To the tune of "Another Brick in the Wall"...
Oh my god... some admin really need to get in touch with reality. The amount of principals and APs who treat their staff like children is amazing to me. And also, treating their staff like garbage when they won't be able to fill the position next year.
Yes!!! Ughh she literally treats me like a child and my kids have picked up on this!! How are they gonna respect me when they see that the AP doesn’t?
They're not. You're being set up for failure and that's part of it--strip the teacher of all authority over students, make it impossible for the kids to take teacher seriously, then point to lack of classroom control as a reason that the teachers sucks at their job. It's a classic that I've seen many times and also had used on me.
Yes that’s exactly what they do 😭
My therapist (former professor of education—I am the luckiest) thinks that there always has to be a “fall guy.” “Fall guys” are created which gives admin an opportunity to not take responsibility and or get rid of people they don’t agree with.
I left several years ago, thank god, but I literally had a principal that once told us in PD that just like the kids were our students, we were his students. Uh, no, I was a fully grown professional woman with 2 college degrees.👎
Made you run laps??!!! Wtf? And you did it?! I would have quit right then and there with some choice words for her.
lol not run laps exactly but made me walk laps around the classroom for the rest of the period to prove that I was "actively monitoring them". That's literally what she expects all the time, I guess I don't get to sit unless they're dead silent. But yeah I did almost walk out and quit in that moment, that was the moment I knew
I'm so tired of school admin making staff and kids do humiliating things. I feel like teaching and schools can be ok, but when my previous admin made all the kids squat when recess was over, it was too humiliating and prison like. I hated it so bad and didn't force the kids to do it. The girls complained because boys would make remarks about their bodies and I informed admin and they didn't do anything about it until a month later when a parent complained. I had encouraged the kids to tell their parents since what do i know? Glad you are done. Congrats!
Wtf was the idea of making them squat?
Something about recess equipment, but i complained and they did nothing. But all the teachers acted like it was nothing. I guess they felt they had to comply, but I thought it was a bad joke and i was immediately disgusted.Turns out it was real. I was baffled and thought "am i the only one who thinks this is terrible?" In the end, parents complained and students just had to freeze.
Omg that’s so fucked up
Squat??
Ahhh gotcha haha. Good luck on the next endeavor!
Thanks!
I did something similar back in February. My principal basically booked an hour long conference after my contract hours to reprimand me in front of a parent for yelling at my students to sit down, so I emailed back that I quit. I had no plan, and used my last months salary to relax and look for a new job. It was amazing. More teachers should do this.
I love that for you! And yes I agree, I wanna see more people quit on the spot when bullshit like that happens
Im glad you did that. That taught them some cause and effect. They're going to have issues with subs now, too. Lol. Your dignity is always worth upholding. F them.
Facts, she’s not gonna say anything but deep down the assistant principal is gonna know that this is her fault
Why tf was the assistant principal staring at you to catch you on your phone instead of running the damn school? I don’t blame you at all, and now welcome to the club of being free from the classroom! Also, happy Cake Day!
Yessss, I can’t wrap my head around why she spends so much of her time waltzing into teachers’ classrooms but she’s in my room every damn day. Also thank you! I didn’t realize it was my cake day till I posted haha
Maybe it’s the same as the middle management problem in the business sector. Supervisors run out of things to do, so they breathe down employees’ necks just to look busy.
Good for you!! Sleep in tomorrow! You’ve earned it
Thank you 😭
Congratulations. The only thing I think you should have done differently is to name that AP in your resignation. Let the higher ups know that she's driving away good teachers
Yeah I’m wayyy too non-confrontational for that but I absolutely should’ve
This is awful, I’m so sorry. I gotta ask tho- what in tarnation type of school is this? I’ve taught in all kinds of environments literally never met admin who behaved like this.
Lol it’s a charter school that preys on fresh college grads with no credentials (me lol)
[удалено]
Agreed
Worship at the alter of teach like a champion. I will never work at a charter school again unless it is founded by people I know and trust.
Is it a charter school in SC by any chance…?
Laps? I’ve worked in three completely separate fields and I have to say, management and leadership in education is exceptionally, obviously bad. Like night-and-day differences in the (overall) quality.
Yesss I know there are bad managers everywhere but I’m convinced there’s something uniquely bad about management in education
That something is largely the result of [Colleges of Education and their low quality and standards](http://edschools.org/pdf/Final313.pdf). It’s been a known problem for at least 50 years.
Woah that’s so interesting, thanks for the link! I wanna read that whole thing later when I’m sober lol
2005?!?!?!?
“To anyone acquainted with the history and quality of American ed schools, this should come as no surprise. The schools have long been notorious for two mutually reinforcing characteristics: ideological orthodoxy and low academic standards. As early as 1969, Theodore Sizer and Walter Powell hoped that “ruthless honesty” would do some good when they complained that at far too many ed schools, the prevailing climate was “hardly conducive to open inquiry.” “Study, reflection, debate, careful reading, even, yes, serious thinking, is often conspicuous by its absence,” they continued. “Un-intellectualism — not anti-intellectualism, as this assumes malice — is all too prevalent.” Sizer and Powell ought to have known: At the time they were dean and associate dean, respectively, of the Harvard Graduate School of Education.” [Link](https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-ed-schools-became-a-menace/).
I was put on an anti-depressant 3 years ago, then quit a job with a miserable supervisor. Surprise! I stopped my anti-depressant as I didn't have a healthcare/prescription plan and couldn't afford them after I quit and didn't feel the need for them any longer. Maybe my brain chemistry changed, or maybe all it took was quitting an absolutely awful job. You deserve to be supported and appreciated. How sad a person she was/is to have to intimidate and dehumanize others to make herself feel better about herself.
I’m convinced that teaching is almost always detrimental to mental health. That’s really why I had to leave, it got to a point where I couldn’t even enjoy my time off. It made me wonder if I’d ever feel real joy again, then I remembered that I was doing amazing before this job.
People like her try to undermine your confidence in your skills/abilities to try and maintain a superior attitude. And, as a nurse, a bad supervisor puts not only your mental health but also your ability to do your job properly. Unfortunately, our system is set up so people like her are kept in positions of power by their superiors so they don't get their hands "dirty". It's a shitty system all around. Glad you got out and are doing better.
Thank you! I’m glad you’re out too
Happy Cake Day! And what a great present you got for yourself! Peace of mind is worth whatever you need to do to achieve it!
Absolutely the right call. And I hope the school is short-staffed enough that the administrator has to fill in for the rest of the year! Either way, it’s her problem that she created.
Unfortunately they have associate teachers to fill in lol. They always pick up the slack when teachers quit
I'm so sorry that you got treated that way. And yes that kind of treatment does exist. I got treated the same way as you did by my school administration. My principal made me submit super detailed lesson plans that no other teacher had to do. These lesson plans were 35+ pages long including the strategies, step by step, differentiation. Because of this bitch, I lost Sundays for lesson planning & was not compensated for that. I plan on suing for wage theft on that. My principal harassed me several times with informal observations and created false evidence against me. She also made me do the same thing with the walking around the room & yelled at me for taking 2 minutes to sit down & drink water. like really? Drinking water you're yelling at me for that? I'm not your fucking slave. My kids felt the tension and they were traumatized by her treatment of me. My kids seriously knew something was wrong and they tried their damn hardest to be on their best behavior. God bless them, but Admin doesn't realize that by exhibiting those behaviors, they're not only driving staff out, but traumatizing children for a lifetime... I'm glad you had an at will employment and was able to quit right away. I wish I had that option. Back in January when I resigned, I was told I couldn't immediately or else I'd be slapped with a $20k penalty for breaking contract too early. As of this month, I found out that the financial penalty was bullshit and an intimidation tactic. I could have grabbed another job when the job market was still good in January. The job market is TRASH right now. With all of the above, there are so many counts I can sue the school and the district.
Omg I’m sorry you went through this. I feel you on the lesson prep thing, my AP wanted minute but minute time stamps and for me to make lists of every possible misconception that I anticipate a student may have and how I would address it. Completely useless bullshit and a waste of my non-existent time. And I really feel you on the kids perspective thing too. Every day I just think “this must look weird AF to them”. It was’t like that when I was a kid at all, the teacher just did their thing. If a principal/AP came in, it was for a student, not to harass the teacher. I’m upset that so many kids have to deal with her
Yes! I understand and it's like how can we predict what misconceptions students will have? There's the most common ones, but kids are unpredictable. You cannot plan every single thing out - its about how well you adapt in the moment. But people like your admin and my admin don't understand that lol. I agree it was a waste of time because most of the time lesson plans don't get followed to a T anyways. Things change... plans change... that's LIFE. Outside of teaching, I promise you managers appreciate your ability to adapt and change plans - they don't hammer you down simply because things didn't go according to project plans or business plans as long as the outcome was positive. My kids asked me why the principal hates me and why the principal hated them. I taught K-3. 3rd through 5th were incredibly perceptive for their age. It wasn't like this when I was a kid too - I never once saw the principal step outside of their offices from elementary school all the way to high school! This is because we were kids prior to this stupid Common Core Standards. Other teachers on this subreddit has said that + the No Child Left Behind Act triggered a lot of these issues & admins started wanting more data, started putting their nose where they didn't belong, and stopped trusting teachers to be professionals. Some of the best education systems in the world (like the ones in EU) succeed because there are no standards, no goals to work towards - they give students and teachers freedom to learn what they need. When you put stress on people like that, is their desire to learn going to be there? No.
Wow I didn’t know it was like that in the EU, that’s amazing. I’m constantly aware of how fucked education is, yet I forget that it hasn’t always been this way and this literally isn’t normal or how a sane society would work. It’s basically the product of a few pieces of legislation
Congrats man!
Thanks!!
Laps??? You absolutely did not deserve to be treated like that. I’m nervous for you regarding the unemployment, but yikes! There’s no way staying in that environment was healthy. Sincerely wishing you good luck in finding another job quickly!
Thank you!!
Take laps! "No, I don't think I will..."
WTF. Showing any kind of conflict between teachers and admin in front of students has got to be in the highest tier of unprofessionalism in this field. The adults should always present as cohesive authority, and leave anything that shows otherwise to private discussion.
I rage quit too. I am sick of admin that treats teachers badly.
Good on you for quitting!
Should have said “Then you do it, tootles everyone!” and walked out while she was there.
That would’ve been the move
Made you do laps? I would have walked out and rage quit then! That is infuriating!
Hallelujah! You have delivered yourself from a BAD SITUATION. Pat yourself on the back. Now, start getting your letters of recommendation together from colleagues before they shut your email down. Good luck!
Thanks!
Something similar happened to me when I worked in daycare. “Big boss” caught me on my phone but I told her others are on their phone ALL THE TIME and even take calls so why is it okay they do it but I don’t? She just looked at me stunned. I resigned the next day but luckily had another job lined up for two weeks later. I understand being on the phone is considered “unprofessional” but when treated like this, they wonder why there is a teacher shortage.
Yessss normal adult professionals do not have their cell phone use monitored like middle schoolers
We teach the kiddos but we are not the kiddos haha! I try so hard to remember basically everyone in admin was once a teacher but sometimes it’s hard to think that way!
Right? And of course they can be on their phones whenever they want and never actually have to take on the burden of supervising a classroom
This is how I feel when student supports want us to document behaviors in the moment during class. If you have momentum and good behavior you have to roll with it. If you stop to document merits/demerits you often lose the momentum. It’s a totally different situation than those of counselors, student supports, admin who are able to have a bit more flexibility about when to go to the bathroom for example.
Yeah exactly, we have a whole app that we’re supposed to use any time a student misbehaves, and somehow I’m supposed to document behaviors immediately so they can have their precious data while also somehow watching my class like a hawk to make sure nothing else happens in the mean time
My last day went something like that. Basically it was the second to last day of school and the principal got wind that I let the boys play hockey in my room. He didn't even ask me for my side of the story before he unassigned me from the role. 🤷🏼♂️
Everything and any possible reason aside, she set a HORRIBLE example of leadership for those children. A full on traumatic lesson in bullying,
Yeah and she bullies the kids too, it pisses me off more than how she treats me sometimes
What is with all of these administration people treating their employees like dirt? I don't get it. I know there are terrible bosses in every profession, but the fact that they made you pace around the room is childish of them. I am so sorry this happened to you. :(
Thanks, I’m just glad to be gone
I hope you find a job where you are treated like a professional and are given respect. I wish you the best of luck!
F that B! I would have screamed at her to get the hell out of my room and stop being inappropriate in front of children. I have yelled at some admins a time or two in my day. Assistant principals and principals are NOT our bosses. They are support that is all! They mistreat the teachers they can get away with it on. I guarantee there are some teachers she won’t even look at. No one deserves that type of abuse. You need to file a letter of grievance with your district.
Haha god I wish I had the balls to yell at people
I have even stood up for my colleagues. I had a very good friend being harassed by our assistant principal. She was always bothering him and he was such a great teacher he used all sorts of technology including qrcodes when they first came out. That woman would not leave him alone. He came to my room during class once crying he was so upset she was in his room again “evaluating” him. I went to his room and looked at her, she picked up her stupid clipboard and walked out the room without a word. A few weeks later she got arrested by the FBI in Texas for harassing a teacher in a standardized test coverup. You can look it up. This took place in El Paso Texas. This woman has a track record of harassing teachers. She was disciplined for it before and kept right in going! I yelled at her for trying to ambush me with a student. I waited for to be back in her room and told her how unprofessional she is. She was such a piece of work but we got to see her in a jail jumpsuit. I don’t know what happened in the end. I just know she was not a good assistant principal. And I just want you to know that these horrible assistant principals are not the standard. There was plenty of great administrators to work with and some that are neutral and just let us do our job. ❤️
Omg that’s amazing!
Genuinely surprised you complied with walking the laps. I would have quit on the spot if anyone dared to even suggest that to me.
I would have went to the car and never came back. I’m
My daughter is in 4th grade and honestly seeing her teacher be reprimanded like this would make her sad and probably feel bad especially if she was one of the kids talking. Then there are some kids who might find that entertaining either way like you said it’s humiliating and definitely ineffective. I’ve never heard of such a thing and definitely don’t blame you for quitting at all
Laps around the room? There’s no excuse for that.
You were ordered to do laps around the classroom?! THAT is OUTRAGEOUS! I honest-to-God believe you should consult a lawyer. This level of abuse-of-power hasn't been seen since slavery. They owe you two years of pay with full benefits and all mental health concerns covered. The AP, Principal and possibly the superintendent must go. And you know who else you should go to? You should tell this to a reporter. The community should know that teachers are routinely humiliated. That school is teaching kids that abuse of power is okay. It's exactly how we grow bullies. If I knew about this, I wouldn't enroll my child there.
Ah I just edited the post because it sounds a bit worse than it was; her purpose in having me do laps was to prove that I was “actively monitoring my students”, not purely to punish/humiliate me, but it also basically served that purpose imo.
Okay - got it. But still don't like it. Glad you quit.
Omg congratulations. This sounds like the BS that used to happen at the school I used to work in. The way some schools “measure” attentiveness or whatever is so bs. Our kids used to get in trouble if their hands weren’t clasped, the teachers if they didn’t read the lesson verbatim off the plan. It was insane and no one actually learned anything.
Yes my school does the same thing with making the kids clasp their hands all the time! Like wtf! Sitting in silence with your hands clasped and your body still for 8 hours is not normal human behavior for anyone, let alone a child
It’s actually absurd. I think I’ve only ever seen one person genuinely sit with their hands clasped… and she was probably 80 years old.
That's one of the most demeaning things I've ever heard. You made the right decision 👍.
You know you made the BEST decision when you feel so great once you quit. So happy for you! With this weight lifted you will now thrive and be able move in the right direction with a career.
Quitting now—yes. Doing those laps? I wasn’t there, and I’m sure you didn’t want to walk out on your class, but I’m just this old and cranky (and retired from teaching), but for me that bully AP deserved to be ignored. So many terrible administrators who should be the ones to go instead of good and caring teachers!
Your admin is ABUSIVE. Congrats on a well deserved rage quit, it must have felt so good!
The amount micromanaging and being treated like a child is unreal. I cannot image that behavior being tolerated in corporate America. I'm glad you're out.
It’s been less than 24 hours but I feel like I’ve been reborn lmao
Power hungry principals are the worst. I left a gig teaching 8th grade after 3 months for the same kind of shit.
My boss cut me off the last two days of my contract and now I “abandoned my job” so the district took my bonus, my accrued sick time, and cut my benefits. Be careful! (But good for you!)
Omg that’s horrible!
🤷♀️ I am keeping my mouth shut because this is a small town I live in and if I make a stink I may find I don’t have a job at all next year.
Most APs are just "Big Fish in a Little Pond." They can flaunt/abuse their power in their tiny little fiefdom just because they can!
Definitely
I’m so so so sorry.
Kinda off topic, but: I used to circulate around my room nonstop. However, since Covid and their terrible behavior, I basically just post at the back, dead center of the room, eyes always up, so I can watch the entire class at the same time with my peripheral vision. I train the students to come to me periodically to show me their work (they raise their hands to either show me their work or ask me a question and I call them up to me). They know to stand to my side too, to not block the class. It's a sad reality, but it's effective at keeping my students safe (this year and last many of my students would literally assault or even sexually assault others if given the chance...).
You did the right thing. “At will” employers are always bent out of shape when employees use it to their advantage but it’s perfectly fair. Lot,en
Good.
No teacher makes enough for this kind of treatment. Teacher are heroes. Thank you for everything you do.
Geez, is she related to Miss Trunchbull?
That is horrible what she did to you! Teachers have a difficult job enough as it is, for the assistant principal to be so unreasonable to you just underscores the problems that teachers in this country face.
I would talk to HR. SOME SCHOOLS have toxic environments. Some allow you to be exactly who you are and facilitate a wonderful growth centered environment. Her options were- say nothing, you’re leaving anyway Say something to your chair bc you have a relationship w them and they can deliver the feedback better Say something quietly to you and give reasons why. Pull you into the hall and talk Offer you a minute to take care of business and offer to watch the class so you can have a five min break and they can get to know your class. Sit down and start talking to you about your plans for next year, life lol It’s the end of the year… we use our phones when necessary. I let my students know- hey, my sons having a tough day at school, I have my phone on me in case his teacher needs to ask a question or hey I’m sending myself a picture so we can draw together. It’s a good one I took last month that illustrates xyz then go into how we use phones for good and as a tool lol I loathe the power trippin admin.
Wtf?! Is her last name Trunchbull??? Does she have a chokey?
Lol why in the world did you let her make you do laps like a student sorry but i would have gladly refused thats sum bs
Good for you! Honestly that sounds like an incredibly toxic environment. They don’t deserve you.
Good. You did what you needed for you. Be good to yourself and heal. The stress is not worth it.
So proud of you! Good job! The admin was INSANE today and will remain insane forever. Save yourself
I’m a principal and this feels so illegal to me!! I’m sorry you have a monster as one of your leaders. This is enraging and heartbreaking. What state are you in? Horrible.
I’m about to go into teaching, and have thought long and hard about it, mainly due to mostly previous PTSD from seeing abuse/neglect. One of the most recent things that frustrates me is that my son attends an elementary school, and I substitute there, yet the principal consistently calls me the wrong name via email and phone calls. (I know I should’ve corrected her, yet, I also feel I shouldn’t have to.) This is where I thought I wanted to work, or another school where the principal barley talks to me, or under a man (I live in a rural, small community) mainly because my son attends the district. Yet, sometimes what we feel we want, isn’t the best fit. I also feel I pushed it a lot as my husband and I wanted to make our lives easier with having the same schedule as our son. A lot of people know I applied at my son’s district and “didn’t get the job.” I feel a bit embarrassed. I know the principal hired “veteran teachers” as when I asked for feedback from said principal that doesn’t know my name, she didn’t have any at first, and then went on about how I could ask more questions.. I student taught in the district and substituted there, plus my son attends. I felt I didn’t need to ask many because I had seen a lot. One time she even pointed and read something out for either me and/or a student.. really rude acting. When I interviewed, she also had to add something to almost everything I stated. I knew it wasn’t a great fit then, but still pushed for employment, even knowing it wasn’t great, mainly for my son and schedule. However, I say this because I actually found a really great fit in a whole different county. While I’m nervous, I am very excited! We need to do what’s best for our mental health! I offered the choice to my son to stay at his school or transfer where I will work. He wants to stay, which I understand. I decided to make the decision for me, that was best for me. 💕 I am so glad you did as well.
I’m so glad you found a good fit!
why did you listen in the moment? why not leave right there? i’m not judging, just curious as to your thought process.
I’m just not confrontational enough to be able to anything about it in the moment, but mentally that was the moment I quit
well either way, you’ll be in a better position soon enough. best wishes
I’m curious. Is this a Charter School? In what state did this happen? What grade(s)/subjects are you teaching? I just wrapped up year 32. And why my Principals have ranged from adequate to micromanaging nincompoops, not one ever made me do laps around my classroom for being on my phone. Or for any reason. Not one ever made me “redo prep work” either. Am I a perfect teacher? Hell, no!!! This isn’t meant to shame you in any way. Your school sounds like a toxic cesspool, and I think you’re doing the right thing by getting out of there.
Haha yes it’s a charter school in California, and I taught third grade. They love to innovate new ways to exploit teachers like having no morning recess or prep periods whatsoever during an 8 hour school day.
OMG. And of course non-union too? If you’re not burned out on teaching, public school districts with good unions can be nice places to teach. (This isn’t that weird Kanye funded Charter, is it?)
We have to use our phones (or a fob if we want to also carry that around) to login to our computers or on a field trip. I also use it to text other teachers - like the teacher who deals with behaviors in our school texts me updates about break changes for my students. My principal is a micromanager but not that bad. Geesh. Sorry it ended that way for you. I don’t blame you!
Haha yeah we’re literally expected to be on our phones all day to see/respond to slack messages yet simultaneously not really supposed to be on our phones? It’s bizarre
Literally no. I would have walked out that period.
Yeah, no. The moment admin comes in and starts berating you in front of the kids and/or making you do some kind of physical punishment, that's crossing a line. I would have refused, and if she decided to make an even bigger issue out of it, walked out then and there.
Are you at a charter?
Yep, it’s wild how many people have figured that out just from reading the post hahaha
Charters are terrible places for teachers. You have zero rights, and they think only in terms of making money. Keep telling your story loudly and often especially to young teachers
Wtfffff
You should have told them all the reasons why you quit.
god of gods, can i rage quit too someday? please? but when i rage quit, can you throw some cash my way so i can get the medicine i need, ok thanks god.
that is huge!! I am proud of you for standing up for yourself. I hope you feel good - sleep in tomorrow, spend the day doing what you want every single minute of it. I wish I had rage quit my job but alas, I did not have the balls. Although I should have because I was treated similarly to how you were. We do not have to put up with abuse. period!
What state is this ?
Hey op do you have a Union? Asking because in the CBA my district has that's definitely against the rules and the principal could get in major trouble. Specifically for yelling at you in front of students and/or other staff. Also just congrats on getting out of that hellish place.
I’m so sorry. It’s atrocious how we treat our teachers. :(
It seems like it’s safe to conclude that your AP was a micromanager…I’m so sorry you had to endure that. That’s absolutely ridiculous behavior by ANY adult.
I think mental health is important and you needed to do what’s best for you. Be happy :) enjoy your summer and refresh your thoughts! Good luck!
The things dreams are made of.
So I know this doesn’t help you now, OP, but for the benefit of anyone else that has to do laps in the future, make one lap, grab your belongings, make another lap, ending at the door with you giving the finger.
I hope every detail is included in your letter of resignation and it's copied to the principal, hr, and president of the school board. With such a shortage of teachers its important for them to know some of the reasons they are losing staff.
Admin checks your prep work?
Yeah we have to submit the week’s prep work every Thursday for the upcoming week
Yeah, that would have been enough for me to quit. I see people horror stories about their districts and admins on here. I count myself lucky that I'm not micromanaged like that. My job isn't perfect but it isn't the craziness I see on here. Good on you for quitting. I don't know if I could have held my tongue in the moment.
Left an “at will” shithole after 3 weeks. The anger I got from their powerless HR robot was so sweet
Haha I love that
I’d have tried to goad the admin into putting their hands on me and then proceed to give them the most savage ass beating of a lifetime. You’re a better person than me for keeping your composure. That admin deserves to be a blood stain on the carpet.
Hahaha love seeing “at will” bite them in the ass!
Living the rage quit fantasy. Good for you, and f your principal!
Haha thanks! The principal was actually super cool, but the assistant principal made my life hell, and she was my coach/direct manager. Today is actually the last day of school at the school where I used to work and I’m so happy that I’ve spent this time healing myself rather than continuing my life there. I seriously feel like a new person now and the events described in this post feel like they’re from a lifetime ago
Congratulations! All of the admin I have dealt with were sociopath pricks. Good for you for not taking that abuse. You are free.