Hello,
I am about to start my third year of teaching....and I am in tears already and frustrated. I am not sure if it is just my area or being a newer teacher, but I am very frustrated with admin. My first years teaching I had an admin that totally lied about me on observations. She claimed I refused to work with students when I was on my knees assisting students. She made cell calls while observing than put in my file I was unable to keep student's attention. When I was out for training her and another teacher told my students they had a bad teacher and that I made up their grades to make me look good.
This year I finally got into a new school! But, now I feel like my new admin is a control freak! I just realized that she has to approve EVERYTHING done at the school. I am talking about even bulletin board color themes! On top of that, she has contacted me about stuff on my Facebook account (she isn't on Facebook). Nothing unprofessional was posted, she just seems to feel the public should not know my marital status, political affiliations, church attendance, and so forth. All of this is set on private so she has apparently sought out someone I am friends with to look this up. I felt this was way over the top.
I love the art of teaching but I feel like I am a supposed to be a robot! I am constantly told ideas I have, things I was taught in grad school, things I learned at other schools should not be used. But, I am to mirror everything specific teachers in our school do.
I am just questioning staying in teaching after this year. I have worked in professional settings before and never had any issues and had great evaluations. Is this what teaching is like everywhere? I am seriously thinking of looking into other areas too after this year. Is this the norm treatment for new teachers? How to cope with this year? How do you do the job and almost put away every idea you have and just copy what you are told to copy? I want to be an effective teacher and I want to grow as a teacher. I just feel the environments in which I have been in aren't supporting a healthy teaching atmosphere. Maybe I am wrong and this is teaching?
I taught for 30 years before retiring and will start my 7th year of subbing this year. I’ve had good and not-so-good admins, including one who micromanaged, but not to the degree you’re experiencing.
Teaching has become more stressful, but your situation is definitely NOT typical. As long as your posts are not unprofessional, your P has no business dictating what you post on social media. What a control freak!
If I were you, I’d close my door and teach. When others tell you how to think, let it go in one ear and out the other.
33 years of teaching and I have not experienced what you are saying. I have been at two schools and had five or six admin so far some better than others but none like what you are describing. So sorry you are dealing with that.
I have worked for four different principals. Only one of them was like what you're describing, and she was an awful human being who had no business having any job related to education. The other three have had their pros and cons, but generally meant well and were okay to work for.
Unfortunately, parts of what you are saying have been my experience. In my district, there is a movement towards sameness, and I feel it promotes a robotic type of teaching. We have tightly written curriculum maps which have curriculum using a convoluted design that makes it difficult to follow and understand. They are constantly rolling out new initiatives, so it is hard to feel like you have a good handle on one aspect of the curriculum before it either changes or they introduce something else. My administrator got the book title incorrect during my observation lesson and focused on storage of materials instead of what was actually going on with my kids. I felt what she said was so picky, and things I had already addressed previously so I wrote a long rebuttal more for me than for her. We have coaches who while good teachers, have taught less than many of us and are now telling us how we must teach. The principal also sends email blasts to the staff about bulletin boards, reminding us that they should be curriculum based and not "crafts". Who has time to do crafts? As for the FB, she is out of line with that unless your district has a specific policy written by the Board of Education about social media. I would check that and then consider bringing this to the attention of the union, if there is one so they are aware. As an untenured teacher, you do have to tread carefully. I would make sure to align myself with what the others at my grade level are doing outwardly as much as you could, but do what was right for your students behind closed doors. Good luck to you. I hope you stay in the profession and that this situation works out, or you can find a school that fits. If this principal was involved in the interviews, she obviously had confidence that you were the right teacher for her school.
I know it sounds extreme but there sadly is so much more than this. I know there is a teacher shortage and teachers fleeing their classrooms, so I am beginning to wonder if this is why? I have other new teacher friends and they seem to be doing very well. I initially was hired at a really bad school. I thought it was great because my heart goes for the poor kids anyway. Kids were fine but I found the staff was unreal! I thought going to a low school was going to be a rewarding thing but it has turned into a nightmare. I got put at my new school after a district did a shuffle. So, my new admin did not have a say in hiring me.
I am a very hard worker and want to be a good teacher. But, I am honestly already terrified and school hasn't started yet.
I am just beginning to really wonder if this is what teaching is like everywhere? I am seeing a guy that lives in another state and so maybe look at his state for next year? I just really wondered if this is what everyone else deals with or if I am just finding some of the crazy schools.
Other teachers at my new school seem to love my admin. So I am not sure if she is scary at first. But, everyday for the last week I have been chewed out for something...and school hasn't even started. I thought her snooping on my FB was really crazy. We have no rules here other than no posts about students. I have nothing remotely close to that. I am sorta just wondering if she is giving me a hard time to see what I am made of? I am stressed getting ready for the soon approaching year and this is not helping!
Thank you to everyone for the encouragement! I have felt so defeated today over this. I am going to try my best to have a great attitude and to follow the leader this year. But, I am really going to look at relocating to maybe get in better school areas.
I have found that when administration doesn’t hire you they treat you like you don’t belong in their school. I had that happen to me in a district I had worked in for a long time. She was awful to me, put me on an improvement plan, lied a lot, got other teachers to go along with her etc. in observations she’d tell me to do something a certain way then when I did she’d complain about doing it. I couldn’t do anything “”right” even though I had been teaching for awhile, had to tough group of kids who liked me and they were learning from my instruction.
I decided to quit because it was so unbearable. I’m glad I got out when I did. Some principals have a control complex. So if they didn’t hire you, you shouldn’t be there.
I’m back to teaching but never that district again. It’s not that bad in all places but it does seem to happen a lot. I suppose it’s one reason for the teacher shortage. Teachers want to be treated fairly like in other professions. If you have a union, I’d suggest you let them know what’s going on and how you feel. Ask for their advise and maybe see if you could transfer somewhere else. At least then it would be in the records before the principal starts to go any further. Good luck.
I have worked in a school that made me miserable before, and when I left I remember thinking that I was so afraid that I could be jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. You cant know your admin and school culture really until you work there.
I love my current school and admin! I feel respected and appreciated and I have room to do my own thing when I want it. My boss is great at giving praise and she appreciates seeing me use the skills that I learned in my program (project based learning units which I am the only one who does them).
There are schools out there where you will be happy.
Things could still turn around for you and be great. If the other staff seems to like the admin then maybe things arent how they seem so far. Maybe they have had issues with Facebook in the past so now she is very proactive about. Maybe a lot of things. I would suggesting saying a little prayer and going in with an open mind.
What kind of school are you in? It sounds like a charter/voucher school. I've been through that. Completely incompetent . incompetent managers micromanage because they cant do the big stuff.
Keep in mind that they have a principal shortage too, they get what they get. Usually someone who barely taught in the classroom.
Also remember that things go in cycles. "Sameness" was a thing in the 80s. Basils and packets were the thing. Then Common Core came into play and Teacherspayteachers became a thing. Now admin feels like it's the wild west and are clamping down. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
If you can't get out of this school (I'm too old for that crap, I would get another job asap), I over communicate. I cc every.single.email. Every lesson plan, every *bleeping* thing. Stop in about 5 times a day for updates etc. It's always worked, usually they try to get away from me
Curriculum and management stop at the classroom door. Nod your head and say "ok, yes" then do what you want. As long as you get results.
We're all in the fog of war on education right now, we'll look back and tell our grandkids about the time accountability hit education.
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08-06-2018, 07:40 AM
I know there is a teacher shortage and teachers fleeing their classrooms, so I am beginning to wonder if this is why? I have other new teacher friends and they seem to be doing very well. I initially was hired at a really bad school. I thought it was great because my heart goes for the poor kids anyway. Kids were fine but I found the staff was unreal! I thought going to a low school was going to be a rewarding thing but it has turned into a nightmare. I got put at my new school after a district did a shuffle. So, my new admin did not have a say in hiring me. 
