I wrote a resignation letter years ago to a district and it wasn't pretty. I was having a hard time w/ a particular teacher and named her in the letter as the reason I was leaving. Now then, I have grown up and greatly regret doing this. What to do? And, now I need a job. Is it impossible to go back? I was highly thought of and still have principals that would say positive things about me.
If you are really sorry for how things went over at that school, send a letter of apology to the principal if he/she is still there and to the teacher you named. Tell them you should have handled it better. If you want to go back to teaching and want a recommendation letter from someone at that school, go in person and ask, hat in hand with humble apologies for how you handled things. However it is always better to have recommentation letters from more recent things you have done. Go volunteer until spring hiring season, substitute teach, etc and get letters that way between now and when the major hiring is done.
I think wldywall has the right idea. All you can do is move forward and hope they will accept your apologies. It is worth a try.
Do you regret writing the letter because of what you said and how that may have affected other's lives or because now the letter presents a potential obstacle? why not consider going to a different school? after all, there is a chance that some of the teacher's friends or even that teacher still work there and may harbor feelings of resentment no matter how sincere you are. Better to work in a fresh environment. Though, it is definitely possible. Consider, volunteering for that district or school if you want to test the waters.
My thoughts exactly Tigers. Honestly, I don't think a letter would do much good. It may make you feel better,and for that reason, it would be a good idea, but professionally speaking, I don't think it would make much of an impact.
Are letters kept after 10 years? This was 10 years ago! An apology letter at this point is, well, pointless! I think that me writing the 1st letter is an obstacle for getting hired anywhere in the district because it looks like I'm a troublemaker. I'm not. Sure it's not the only district around, but I did good work there and don't want to commute too far for a daily job. Yes, lesson learned on burning bridges, but I always felt that some things just need to be documented if you have/had the feeling that you weren't treated fairly.