Hello, A week before Spring Break, I was told I would not have my contract renewed. The rest of the staff found out last week who would go and who would stay. Teachers are being let go right and left. There are so many great teachers losing their jobs that in our district several "first year teachers" were let go so that the district could grab up some of the more experienced teachers. Interviews for these favored teachers are a mere formality and I was reprimanded informally for poor performance without an evaluation (that's next week). Like I said, the paperwork is just a formality. It is annoying to say the least, especially when I hear that long standing issues with broken classroom computers and LCD projectors are going to be addressed over the summer break. OK, so today the kids tell me that they took the Terranova test and the other kids took the AIMS exam so they are DONE for the year. I reminded them that these tests are for the schools to know what to teach next year and the AIMS is for graduation but that the next 8 weeks are for them to PASS my class. One kid laughed and said his teacher is doing NOTHING in class because he just got fired and he is no longer teaching anything!!!! I didn't tell him the same thing happened to me. I am still teaching, if anything I am teaching better because I don't have to please the admin. It is strangely liberating to know I don't have a job two months before the jobs actually ends. (PS. I don't consider myself fired because to me getting fired means being let go for poor work, I simply didn't get my contract renewed because the AP has a friend with a MA that needs a job teaching)
I say go for it...teach like you've never taught before. Hold your chin up and go out with class, teaching without constantly worrying about pleasing admin. It is one of my biggest pet peeves when teachers don't teach, especially with 8 weeks left to go this year. We have teachers who repeatedly will allow 5-10 minutes at the end of class for the students to chitchat because they didn't plan the lesson properly or were too lazy. Add it up over the course of the year, and you've wasted 20-30 days of instruction. And if you did get let go? Show some class and some dignity by fulfilling your contract that you signed prior to the school year.
JustFluttering, So sorry to read about this and hope that you will be able to find another job with another school district. Keep the faith and remember that when one door shuts, there's a chance for another one to open for you. You are so calm about it. Good luck, Rebel1
Calm only because I am stuffed full of chocolate. It has been a hard six months and a rough way to start a teaching career. My students are interesting to say the least. ED, OCD, ODD, ADD, ADHD, and I am not a special ed. teacher. I am a science teacher with no materials and 160 students. I'm lucky I am sane, oh wait...
I'm shocked that admin would place you in a science room with no materials- makes a rough start for any teacher, let alone someone new to the job.
At some point, all the evaluations and other people's opinions need to take second place. The first thing, the most important thing, is being able to look yourself in the mirror and have pride in your work ethic. I can't imagine going into a classroom full of kids and not teaching, regardless of the "justification."
Don't worry, I'm sure you will be able to find a nother job. Just stay strong. I agree, don't worry anymore about the evaluations and admin's opinion, since your being lwt go anyway. Just teach the rest of the year and only worry about pleasing yourself. I hope you'll get anther job, and I'm sure you will. I wish you the best of luck!
The kids ALWAYS have stories of how no one else is making them work..... My response, "EXCELLENT....You should be fresh and ready to go for my class. It's not like you've been worn out in your other classes." (You'd think they'd learn after hearing that line several other times during the year.)
It's criminal. Govts spend billions bailing out incompetent managers and do nothing to help their next generation of workers (our kids in our classes). When has education ever been a priority? Was I the only one who found it strange how quickly the G20 started to try and sort things out when they were losing money, but how slowly they move on the environmental issues, the educational issues or the medical and health issues. I'm going to invest in myself from now on and make sure that I pay less tax to an incompetent government and keep more for myself. All legally of course. Why give them the cash to waste when I can use it to learn a new skill for my own benefit?
How about the millions of dollars they're spending on standardized testing that is invariably flawed? Lovely isn't it!?
Those are not things I can control, at least not short term. My own actions in my classroom are. I refuse to do less than a day's work for a day's pay. I have more pride in myself than that.
