Re: Competitive Co-worker

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I say that you should not feel so threatened. I have been on
the receiving end of some vindictive coworkers, so I can say
that I understand. However, you should make it very clear to
your students that no one can "get you fired". I went through
this also. I simply told my students, with all confidence,
that they would not get me fired. That I would have to do
something I simply would not do in order to achieve that.
Good Luck to you on all counts!

On 9/30/11, Getting paranoid wrote:
> I have a new co-worker this year, and I can't tell if she's
> being competitive with me for some reason, or if she's just
> a total diva. I had a little trouble with her, as she
> wanted all of the ancillary materials and teacher's
> editions for herself, but I thought we would work well
> together. Now I'm not so sure.
>
> She planned a field trip to a place that is much more
> suited for younger kids. All children love this place
> because it's mayhem--kids run around, break things, hang
> from things, etc. I used to work there, so I know it well.
> She did not tell me about this until after the fact--I was
> not let in on any planning, asked if it was a good idea,
> etc. The first I heard about it was when she asked me if I
> wanted to take my AP class. I said "Huh?" Anyway, it looked
> like the principal vetoed my going due to staffing issues,
> so the issue was dead.
>
> My students, of course, were mad, but I decided to plan a
> field trip for them to a place that's more controlled with
> less potential for trouble. Except now Ms. New Teacher is
> telling two of my kids (the two worst behaved and most
> likely to get in trouble) that they can come along with
> her--but it's up to me, of course. She "knows them well"
> because they say hello to her sometimes. (She didn't know
> what grade they were in). Then she asked me if we want to
> tag along with her-- everybody but the AP kids now. This
> trip is in a week, we have no permission slips, no idea how
> much money to collect, or if there's even enough room in
> the bus, or if they're taking a bus. When I told her how
> many students of mine would need to "tag along" on this
> trip, she was dumbfounded--and it's a small number compared
> to what you'd get in a public school.
>
> So now I'm screwed. If I don't let my kids go on this
> rather poorly- organized field trip, I will be the bad guy
> who ruined their fun. So what, you may ask? Well, in this
> school, kids pride themselves on getting teachers they
> don't like fired. Last year I made a mistake on the
> progress reports, and a girl whose grade was a couple of
> points lower on the corrected progress report led a revolt
> against me that nearly succeeded.
>
> Should I tag along on this trip and cancel my own? And do
> you think my co-worker is trying to make me look bad for
> some reason (for example, if there's a layoff and one of us
> has to go?) Or am I completely paranoid?

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