It's summer vacation, finally! Or should I say retirement, again! Yea!
Last November, I came out of retirement to take a 3rd grade teaching position in the same school as Lauren. The class had been with a substitute since the second week of school when the teacher decided she had had enough and did not return. The class of 14 bilingual kids were sweet as could be. At the time, I was wondering why the teacher gave up so soon. It couldn't have been the kids.
It wasn't! It ran much higher than that. But let me back up.
When Lauren got hired in July, from that day forward, I was impressed with the principal and the superintendent (who was very hands on). They were encouraging, supportive and seemed to really care about their first year teachers. And there were a lot of first year teachers. This is a high poverty district and school that are in trouble with TEA regarding STAAR scores and yearly improvement. It was unclear if the large amount of turnover was due to people fleeing the scene or admin cleaning house. I was very impressed with the principal, even as I began to sub occasionally on the campus. She jokingly asked me a couple of times if I 'd be interested in the 3rd grade spot. Eventually after much discussion with TRS and the district CFO, I accepted the position with the understanding it was for just this year. This was a bilingual class and even though I do have my bilingual certification, my Spanish needs some work. So the district decided to transition the kids to an ESL setting. I would teach everything in English but support their understandings in Spanish as needed. All was good.
There were a lot of requirements on the teachers as far as meetings and paperwork. They were expected to follow a specific curriculum which boxed in creativity and did not allow time for anything other than that specific curriculum. The curriculum was dry and not very engaging. There were not enough textbooks for some classes. Unit test scores from this curriculum were looked over with a fine tooth comb by the instructional coach and administration. The superintendent, assistant superintendent, principal and assistant principal were in the teacher's classrooms all the time. Although for some reason never in my classroom.
Soon after beginning in November, things began to change. The second Friday in December an emergency faculty meeting was called after school. Our principal told us that she was moving to a position in the admin building effective immediately. Our assistant principal would be the new principal and the current director of special programs would be returning to the school to be the assistant principal once again. She had been the assistant principal last year and was not well liked by the returning staff. As the superintendent, assistant superintendent and several others looked on, the staff sat in a stupor not really understanding what was being said. The superintendent quickly ushered the principal out and the "new" principal stepped up to speak about her excitement in moving to this spot and announced who the assistant principal would be.
Do you smell that? It's something fishy. I've been around the block enough times to know that it ain't all that it seems.
As time wore on things got increasingly stressful and difficult at school. We also covertly began to see the old principal on the side and soon learned that she was instructed to stay away from the campus. In conversations with her, I have since gleaned some more information regarding her move and other crazy ass things that are happening in the district.
Currently the superintendent continues to run a gotcha system in this district. He dislikes veteran teachers and has instructed the school leaders to look for things to write up the veterans for. He has paraded interviewees around the school and at school functions with no regard to the current staff. If you ask a question in a faculty meeting when he is present, or try to buck the system, or questions why something is happening, you are added to a list of people he is trying to get out of the school. Some people are blackballed just because of who they are friends with. He posts listings for positions which are not even empty. No one is safe. If however you do well with your class on STAAR, you are offered whatever you want to stay and not leave the district.
All I can say is that in 30 years I have now seen it all. I told Lauren (who luckily has a job in a different district for next year) that at least she learned a lot of things in this first year that most teachers never see or learn in entire careers. It will make a her a stronger teacher.
On a side note: the original principal is an amazing person and leader. I would work for her in a heartbeat in a different situation. I wish her and all my colleagues a peaceful summer. The superintendent can go straight to hell. Actually he doesn't even deserve that.
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