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[quote=Anonymous]Teaching is toxic in most schools. Most have admin that became admin because teaching was too much stress/ too demanding and/or the pay was too low:

I taught in FCPS last year. Was my first year teaching. I had moved for the position as it can actually be quite competitive to get a teaching job in New England, where I’m from. A lot of people I know have moved out of New England and to states on the south like Arizona to get experience before they could be hired back in the northeast. I wanted to have my own classroom so badly that I even did long distance with my boyfriend. I had wonderful students but I started to realize how disappointing the education seems to be in many places. I was in one of the best center schools. I think I had a lot of stress from moving away from home but also just normal first year teacher stress. My dentist wanted me to get a night guard because they could tell I was stressed. My students were AAP but they were still all at such different levels. The parents were mostly very kind and understanding, but could come off as a bit demanding but I understand parents want what is best for their child and the curriculum seemed to be lacking. I was new and the standards for state were new to me and everything. It was stressful! The worst thing was that they weren’t so great at writing and I didn’t understand why because I had seen younger students writer better where I subbed. Well, where I subbed the schools used Wilson and O-G but FCPS used Lucy Calkins. I didn’t teach reading so I wasn’t given her resources. A specialist (who was a very kind person even though I didn’t like Lucy and she did) would come in to assist me during writing so the kids had a short lesson on what they could write and then went off to write. I wasn’t supposed to correct their errors but other students could. But it seemed like most never learned HOW to write or spell, so it made no sense to me. But I guess most public schools do this style of Writing Workshop, but when I subbed and student taught they didn’t so I just had no clue.

Being a first year teacher was SO stressful but my admin were kind, even if we didn’t always agree on things. I did what I was told because I was new, even if I felt like I’d seen things done a better way in my years as as substitute and aide. You just sort of have to- especially if you’re new. At the end of the year I thought I was being let go due to seniority. I let parents know and many emailed kind words. Students were going to miss me. Then I ended up being told someone left so I could stay if I wanted to and I accepted. The only reason I ended up backing out was that I wanted to live back home. I wish I had just stayed as my admin were very kind and I’m sure the second year in the same school might feel less stressful. I really missed home and with so many things closing and worrying about my elderly family I ended up resigning late in summer after I received an offer to teach near home. I can no longer teach in the state of Virginia because I resigned late but I knew that and my mind admin reminded me before I made it official. People in FCPS were kind, even if I didn’t always agree with how things were done. I knew I was inexperienced but I had seen things done differently, particularly with ELA, and I felt like me questioning ELA there didn’t help me get liked by staff. But it is what is is.

I was teaching for a public school in New England since September. I was hired for the virtual academy a public school threw together two weeks before school started. Each grade has one teacher for the kids who chose year round remote. The rest of the kids are hybrid. We all had to teach from the music room of a school. Parents complained they could hear other teachers in the background but admin didn’t really care. I’m sure if we were allowed to teach from home they would’ve complained too. My admin were disliked by everyone in the school we were based at. They have changed what we can and cannot do a million times. The kids loved breakout rooms and working in groups but then we were told we couldn’t do that anymore although none of the teachers had bad experiences with it. My union president thought that was crazy before the kids deserve to do more than just whole class and independent work all day every day. Anyway, I was recently blamed for not checking my email and sending a class code to a new student. I told my admin I was never sent that email and she didn’t believe me. She had me search each folder and nothing could be found. She was very rude and I said I didn’t appreciate the way she was speaking with me because I wake lying. She didn’t like that. Turned out the email she swore I was cc’d on was actually an email the third grade teacher was cc’d on (I’m fourth). She didn’t apologize. Then I was told to email a family of a hybrid kid who would join my class for 20 days as he had to quarantine. I told the family he may be a bit ahead or behind because virtual teachers weren’t given time to plan with grade levels and I had heard another quarantined kid was way behind the virtual second grade in math units. I wanted them to know what to expect and they decided not to have their child join us. They never answered me and I heard they were more upset with admin. My admin was furious the parents didn’t want their kid to join us and blamed me. Coworkers and my union president said nothing was wrong with what I emailed them. It wasn’t rude but it basically subtly let them know this virtual academy was thrown together last minute and was a huge dumpster fire mess. Some of the other virtual teachers already lost students because parents decided to homeschool or do hybrid. One emailed a teacher to say it wasn’t her and she was the highlight of their day. Their issue was with admin and their lack of communication. She never told admin about the email though as she wants to work there next year. I’ve seen other virtual teachers being berated for ridiculous things by these admin. We were all hired as one year only staff as this virtual academy option is hopefully only needed for a year. So they all dislike how we are spoken to and how the leadership is poor. We don’t report to a building principal or AP. We report to the director of teaching and learning (she’s below superintendent and their assistant) and to the person she chose to be the coordinator of the virtual academy... this person is a literacy coach in the district. She WAS a pro major at a school in the city next door but the school she was a principal at closed under her leadership. No one in the school I was based at liked her so she started as a literacy coach there and that admin sent her to a different school, but she was back because we were based there.

This woman was awful. I was thinking of resigning  because I went to the dentist recently and he warned me I have to wear my mouth guard every night. I have also been waking up soaking wet from anxiety in my sleep. I’ve been going to bed by 7 or 8pm. Just drained. But I like my students a lot and I know they like me... they’ve written about how great out class is. A younger sibling wanted me when she was in fourth grade. But I told the union rep I wanted to give the thirty days if I left so they could find someone good. This wasn’t her first time hearing complaints from the two admin I had to work under and she called them toxic. My union building rep has taught for 25 years and said they’re the two nastiest people she’s ever worked with. This is Massachusetts so she’s got tenure and gave them some words today when they fired me. I told them it wasn’t good for the kids to fire me in a day but they let me go and I packed up my stuff and won’t be back. In the bright side I can collect and wanted out of teaching after this year anyway. My letter doesn’t say why I was let go and has some typos. I couldn’t even say bye to the kids...

My union reps had a two hour board meeting tonight and people are documenting incidences with those two people. They wanted to feature mine and I said if course! The superintendent doesn’t seem well liked either as one teacher ran into a family she knew and they went off on how horrible the super is. She also has been receiving complaints that are the fault of poor leadership and their lack of plans, and blaming it on us. One teacher has cried a lot because of them but is afraid of being let go if she speaks up for herself. AnYway, everyone at the school says I’m better off. In MA you don’t lose your license for being let go unless you like harmed a child. Everyone, including the woman who let me go, says my license is fine. I don’t think I want to teach ever again but I didn’t want them to be why I lose my license in my home state. I lost it in Virginia by choice because I didn’t enjoy living there (too far from home and too hot in summer). I can get free health insurance through my state system since I was let go and collect for a whole, but I know places are hiring. Sadly many dual income families are having one parent quit, but that’s opening up a few opportunities. It is what it is. My building rep emailed a family she knows whose daughter is in my class to let her know that I was let go on the spot and can’t say goodbye. The mom wasn’t happy. She had already told me I was doing a great job before she knew our virtual situation was a mess. She also teaches in the district so she knows the super and director aren’t well liked. I feel so sad for my students as the virtual academy coordinator/literacy coach will be their teacher now. I heard she said she wasn’t happy to have to do fourth grade. She’s made second grade cry when covering for that teacher. The way she speaks with both adults and kids is awful and rude.

Deciding to teach was such a big mistake but I’m ready to move one. I’ve been working in education since 2015. Subbed, worked as an aide student taught, taught in FCPS for one year, then this mess I’ll leave off the resume. I’m glad I have union support and faculty who will be sure parents know what happened and that I didn’t choose to abandon their kids. If you speak up for what you feel is write some admin could care less. I told them this isn’t fair or healthy for the kids and I would stay until they found someone. They didn’t even ask me about the students do they know nothing about them. I have several on IEPs, two diagnosed with anxiety, and one whose father overdosed last year.., the second grade teacher had her sibling and had no idea. The older sibling chose to tell me and I looked it up online and it was true. This woman taking over doesn’t even know that about her and her younger sister who would come and say hi sometimes during her breaks. I’m heartbroken for my students but it wasn’t my choice to leave like this.

Also, this school uses Lucy Calkins and every teacher  I’ve talked to thinks it’s ineffective. My admin wouldn’t let us plan with grade levels after learning they use stuff for ELA to supplement Lucy!! They have tenure and can but we can’t get away with much. I had been sneaking parts of speech and spelling though. I spoke with the special ed teacher who admitted a lot of my kids have IEPs for reading and writing because they never learned phonics since Lucy didn’t add they until 2017. It’s all so sad. I guess one time someone said “Lucy caulkins sucks!” At a staff meeting and the admin who fired me kept showing up in her room every day to be sure that’s all she used... so now everyone is afraid to say anything and told me not to. So the poor kids are being failed because you aren’t allowed to speak up or do what’s best for them.

The system is broken and I don’t think I was the best at all... I was very new... but the parent who learned what happened said she could tell I was in a tough situation being full remote with admin that kept changing the plans. I think I’ll be hearing more about families that are disappointed. I know my kids last year and this year enjoyed having me as a teacher even if I was newer and not perfect. And I think most parents could tell I didn’t agree with the curriculum or being told I couldn’t correct student errors on writing.

The system is so bizarre and teachers are afraid to speak up for a reason. Even if you subtly reveal how messy admin and the system is to parents, admin blame you and get rid of you to cover their a$$es. I wouldn’t recommend this profession to anyone and that’s sad because the kids deserve so much more but I know I have no idea how they’ll get that with the way things are. One person I work with was so anxious after admitting she didn’t think Lucy caulkins works that she texted me the next day asking me to not tell anyone what she said about Lucy caulkins. I reminded her I already said I wouldn’t. She’s there just for the year but hopes to be hired next year and they wouldn’t keep her if they knew she doesn’t like Lucy Calkins...

This is a mess and a vent. As I told my friend about my situation they poured me some wine. I apologize if this is hard to follow. But even in union states you can be let go for nothing. My note says no reason why but they verbally said I’m not a good fit... I guess because I won’t pretend things aren’t messy and the admin aren’t the ones making us change things every other week which irritates parents and kids who then decide to homeschool or go hybrid when they weren’t comfortable with that originally. It sad. Please me kind of you reply to this. I just want others to know teachers have little voice or ability to speak up for themselves. Where I am now the tenured staff can though  and they gave my admin some words this afternoon for me and said it’s the “final nail in the coffin” for the two that have caused people to leave the district and now caused this with a second year teacher. They encourage me to not be soured away from teaching but it’s officially sour to me now. Just sour. [/quote]

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