Re: I couldn't work with my principal

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I couldn't work with my principal

by What do I say in interviews?

Mar 13, 2012

I quit a job because: The principal was totally incompetent No teachers were willing to stand up to her

Issues: We had an 8 period day.. 7 periods had 50 minutes and one was 15 minutes daily plus lunch. The staff said "there's nothing we can do about it". Really? The school could: replace the lunch period with a 15 minute mini study hall

cut the lunch period and add 2 minutes to each class

cut time off each period and carve out a 4th period as long as the others

maybe make lunch 15 minutes longer and add school days to make up to the lost time (if the district would allow that)

have something like a daily club meeting (i.e. chess players can play chess, honor society kids can meet to plan projects) or time for "school clean up" during that time

Parents demand meetings at 6 30 am or even during the school day-- meaning teachers leave work for classes, teachers on planning baby sit the classes, and we all meet-- and then don't c...See More

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chantel On 3/13/12, What do I say in interviews? wrote: > I quit a job because: The principal was totally incompetent > No teachers were willing to stand up to her > > Issues: We had an 8 period day.. 7 periods had 50 minutes > and one was 15 minutes daily plus lunch. The staff said > "there's nothing we can do about it". Really? The scho...See MoreOn 3/13/12, What do I say in interviews? wrote: > I quit a job because: The principal was totally incompetent > No teachers were willing to stand up to her > > Issues: We had an 8 period day.. 7 periods had 50 minutes > and one was 15 minutes daily plus lunch. The staff said > "there's nothing we can do about it". Really? The school > could: replace the lunch period with a 15 minute mini study > hall > > cut the lunch period and add 2 minutes to each class > > cut time off each period and carve out a 4th period as long > as the others > > maybe make lunch 15 minutes longer and add school days to > make up to the lost time (if the district would allow that) > > have something like a daily club meeting (i.e. chess > players can play chess, honor society kids can meet to plan > projects) or time for "school clean up" during that tim > Parents demand meetings at 6 30 am or even during the > school day-- meaning teachers leave work for classes, > teachers on planning baby sit the classes, and we all > meet-- and then don't come. > > I had no textbooks--just one teacher's book and one student > book-- and to get photocopies we had to submit orders 3 > weeks in advanced. And no I don't teach a non book based > class like p.e. > > Kids who beat up others faced no consequences. > > To remove kids we sent them into the detention room. They > got themselves there. Lunch was the detention teacher's > "planning" period so all sign ins, work we'd left, etc. was > removed by students. > > We had to call all parents of kids we sent to detention-- > but we had no phone numbers that worked, parents got irate > we called at work, kids got our number from caller IDs and > called us with less than friendly messages, and even > teachers who rarely removed/wrote up kids had days when we > had 6 write ups. > > A gay teacher and an atheist teacher were fired..The > principal didn't even bother to deny the reasons. She said > "middle school is an impressionable age". > > I had a student teacher last year: The photocopy rule > wasn't waived for her > > The kids swore at her for no reason and the principal > refused to help > > A special education teacher (who I just knew to say hi to): > > let a kid she (my ST) removed for reading a test with > another student be harbored in her room rather than go to > detention because "he can't read well". When my stunned ST > said she wasn't aware he had an IEP she snapped HE > DOESN'T..WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING HIM ONE! Oh > yeah.. this teacher knew that "Henry" (the kid who can't > read) was reading a different page than "Tom" (the kid who > was reading the test to Henry). > > told her "all the students in your class are complaining > and you aren't being fair to any of them.. if you were on > staff I'd be considering filing a grievance". > > did not take my ST up on meeting with us all to work out > what to do to help the kid she wrote up for reading a test > with a peer. > > demanded she show her grades and explain why a 16 year old > 8th grader (who was failing this year) had a lower grade > than he'd had with me. > > My ST got assigned a discipline coach. She threw out my way > of doing early bird work, decided the ST had to teach > exactly as she wanted to and got pissy when the ST forgot, > and told us she needed "10 minutes" to go over new rules > but took close to 30 due to kids talking back.. and the > "new rules" included her telling a funny story to > demonstrate who to use indoor voices in middle school. > > The last straw was the final mock interview STs had to do-- > the principal required it. > > My ST had wonderful student evaluations from teaching > English in Peru--we teach Spanish-- and the principal > implied she simply made them up because they were > translated--even though my ST thought of hiring someone to > translate them rather than doing it herself. > > Wonderful means my ST had 25 evaluations that read like > this: This is the English class I have understood the best > so I made my first A+ in English.. and you've been > wonderful to us although we've been awful to you. We love > you! > > You are THE BEST teacher I've ever had. We love you! We > will miss you a ton. > > When my ST tried to explain why she had such stellar > evaluations she was cut off.. in fact anytime she opened > her mouth she was cut off. (Yes, I was there. I asked to be > the judge of her Spanish to "get in" because I wanted to > see the interview.) > > Needless to say, the staff was also very weak as teachers. > > So I gave my notice I'm leaving next year. > > I do not want to bash my principal, but I can't say I quit > just because "I wanted a new challenge". either. I guess I > could say I quit to go teach in a Spanish speaking country > and actually do that :).. but I've been there, done that > already and I don't want to do that again unless I have to > to to get an income. I always make just enough to survive > but have to pay over 1000 for the flight- - and the jobs > can be nightmeres. > > Ideas for staying professional in an interview? No, I don't > have one lined up :).

email me at [email removed]!

Oct 25, 2012

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