Thursday, March 24, 2011

In His Image


She started her career as a kind hearted, caring person.  She loved the kids she worked with, especially the kids on the lowest levels.  She never saw race, religion or nationality, only  a child in need of help.

Unfortunately, along with her soft heart came discipline problems.  Her very rigid supervisor did not approve and he started showing up in her classroom many times during the week.  Each visit was followed by a session in the supervisor's office where he would yell and belittle her and then threaten her with U ratings and the loss of her job.

She was scared.  She had young children and needed the job.  She reinvented herself in the image of her supervisor in an attempt to win his approval and stop the continual harassment.  Things slowly began to get better for her.  Her classes got quiet and the supervisor was happy.   Unfortunately, the children in her class did not fair as well.  The environment they once flourished in was gone.  The loving teacher was replaced by a heartless Gestapo guard.  There was no longer any love and caring in the air.  The kids who were failing before still failed.  The children who once blossomed under her care were now doomed.

(This is what happens when people with no ability and no heart get a little bit of power.)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, this entry really touched my heart. Stories like this are numerous and they are the reason why we really need reform in the teacher evaluation process.

I like your blog a lot of the originality and candor. I'm an educator too and I've been thinking about the same things you have been so I started a blog to reach out to other teachers and educate society on a whole about what it's really like to be a teacher.

I'd love to talk more with other educators! if you can, stop by and comment sometime!

http://appleadayproject.wordpress.com

Anonymous said...

This is exactly the reason why I got 'canned' on the job. Bully principal wanted me to be cold and shrewish for discipline problems BUT be sugary sweet to children for most of the day.
*Yes, she contradicted herself (as she always does.
*Yes, I worked under the crummiest conditions and managed the children the best that I can even though she was gunning for me.
* Yes, I got canned anyway. It did not make a difference what I did or did not do. I was out the door regardless.

My advice to people who are in similar situations, NEVER EVER EVER LET A PRINCIPAL BULLY YOU AROUND and make you feel inferior and worthless.
(Even if you know that its going to end badly, do not back down and get backed into a corner to sign anything!)

Anonymous said...

Why is it the fault of the Principal? How much should a person give up in being themselves to please someone? This person should have moved on to another school where she could have continued to be the teacher she wanted to be. I know an Administrator who left because he did not believe in the policy's the Principal wanted to impose.

Pissedoffteacher said...

It is not so easy to move around.