Do any of you know of success stories of teachers who have resurrected their careers after non re-election or being asked to resign while they were probationary teachers? i need encouragement. Thanks.
I do not know if this will help you but I hope it does. After I left my district (non re-elect/layoff), I became a substitute teacher for four districts and I have been blessed to have work every day. I hope that I will be a teacher and have my own classroom. I hope that helps.
Yes. It does happen. I was non-renewed after two years at a private Catholic school. That was June. I interviewed at a public school district (which is where I ultimately wanted to be) in July, and was offered the job in August. I'm now in my 3rd year at the public elementary school. It does happen! I know it's hard, but you need to just go into interviews and sell yourself and DO NOT speak ill of the other school. As much as I HATED my previous school (not just for non-renewing me, but just in general), I still "sang their praises" as to not burn bridges or come off as bitter in the interview. Good luck
Yes! There is success after being non-renewed or asked to resign. I taught at my last school for two years. I thought it was the perfect school, until I taught there. All four of my kids attended that school at some point. It was dream job! hahaha Needless to say it wasn't and after two years of a horrible principal she asked me to resign. Of course I was mad, hurt and pretty bitter. BUT I am now at a wonderful school where I am treated with respect, and told daily that I am wanted. ok maybe not daily but enough to know that I am appreciated and respected by my principal and most of my peers. Just because you didn't fit at one school doesn't mean you won't fit at another. In my eyes that best thing that ever happened to my career was, that back in 2008 a principal said those words " we are non renewing your contract"
There is hope! I was hired right after my student teaching experience at the same school where I did my student teaching. Over the summer the principal that hired me left and a new one took her place. She got rid of every teacher that she did not hire personally. I was non-renewed after 2 years working there. I ended up getting a job in another district the next year - as a one year maternity leave replacement. Got fabulous reviews from the principal. Again she was not planning on returning the following year. And even though the teacher that was taking the maternity leave was not coming back, I suddenly needed to re-apply and re-interview. (There were only 2 elementary schools in the district - the 2nd principal was in charge of all the hiring for both schools and she did not get along with the principal I worked for. Additionally the Assistant Superintendent happened to be close friends for the principal from the school where I was non-renewed!) I gave up after that - the politics seemed to much to handle and spent a year working at a day care center in the toddler room trying to convince myself that was where I was meant to be. After a year working at the center my parents received a phone call from the principal who originally hired me after my student teaching experience! She had kept my resume for those years and needed a 4th grade teacher. I went in for an interview which was more of a catching up session and was offered the job that day. She was a great administrator and mentor to me, encouraged me to go back for my Master's degree in Educational Leadership. I did and after 4 years of teaching at that school I was hired as the Assistant Principal. (I am not currently working now. I took some time off after having twins and relocating to a different state for my husband's job. I am looking at getting back into teaching though.) Good luck with your job search!
I was not re-elected back in 2006-07 when I was a 1st yr special ed teacher. I went right back to subbing, but then switched gears & returned to school to a field that's in desperately high demand, so I got a job in that field rather quickly. I hope to NEVER return to special ed teaching, but if I applied for that again these days, I'm sure I'd get hired pretty quickly.
I feel so much better reading your posts. I don't know any of you, but right now you all seem like internet angels sent from above. I've been writing two essays for another job. it's consumed me, because I want to sound really on-top of my game. For the last two weeks i haven't subbed. Just written essays and filled out job apps.. It occurred to me, today, maybe i should get in there and sub.. If they offer me a long term sub position, (No benefits, not great pay) maybe i could get my foot in the door. Another part of me thinks. "I'm 60 with 18 years of teaching experience. Sure they'll pay me to long term sub, but no one's going to give you a contract." I am open to any thoughts or suggestions any of you may have. Thanks for being here.
I guess it depends on how *you* feel. I"ve been there (and am doing that) - I was non-renewed last year due to a personality difference between myself & the P - (I was hired by the super., he resigned, and she had wanted to hire her "friend"). Anyhow, I need the money - I spent the summer searching to no avail - I was lucky enough to land a full-time para job here in my town, so I am doing this until something better comes along. I know if it was me, I would sub - just to get back "out" there and to be involved in the schools again - I know subbing is no piece of cake (I've done it for 3 years), but I would do it if I had nothing else - at least until something else comes along HTH
My wife was in the second year of her first teaching job when the principal asked her to resign at the end of the year. He told her that she could resign and he would give her good recommendations, or she could not resign and he would terminate her. My wife did not have a good experience at that school and received no mentoring. When she asked for help, she was ignored. He had also brought over teachers from his former district. That summer, she was called in for an interview at a district she had not even applied to, but someone who knew her had recommended her. She has now been there for 10 years and has never received a bad evaluation. As others have said, her non-renewal at her first district is one of the best things that ever happened to her. As an aside, I often wonder how she went from being a terrible teacher* with negative reviews, to being a great teacher with positive reviews in the space of a summer. Could it be the first school was trying to get rid of her? *Not my belief, but her school's.
I taught in a rural Southern school for one year, and was non renewed. In fact, my state license for that particular state says that I "Needed Improvement". My principal didn't cite any reasons, but constantly refered to me as the "Yankee". She never called me that with anyone around, so I couldnt call her out on it. I was written up three times for having a desk fan on my desk "not professional", having a saggy bulletin board (someone pulled at it when I was in class) and not having something written on the board. My school was featured in People Magazine as being one of the worst schools in America last year. Since then, I have been offered 2 jobs (didnt fit me well) and took a LTS position last year, and I am doing just fine
Had the same experience...basically forced out by a principal who was a micro-manager....brought in his own teachers...we had a 32% turnover that year. I got a new job at another district where I loved it...only to get bumped 3 years later by a more senior teacher when one of our campuses closed. Oh well...I currently dearly miss teaching, even though I make more $. When you get into the right place, you will know.:thumb:
Yes, yes, yes! Usually when that happens, it is for the best and the person finds a better fit afterwards. I am much happier in my current district than I was in the district in which I was non-reelected. I was hired just a few months after I was non-reelected, and like the above poster, I never said anything negative about my previous district. I now have my clear credential and have tenure in my district and have found my home. Never give up and don't stop believing in yourself. Like someone once said (Serena Williams?) Success is believing in yourself when no one else does.
I was also non-reelected after 2 years. I was devastated. Went through months of self-doubt. I was a career changer and turned 40 last year. Was recruited as an afterschool intervention teacher and have been subbing almost everyday. I really needed that boost to my self-confidence. I am greatful I cleared my credential and am currently taking the CSET to get a math foundations. I will never speak ill of my previous district but look at it as a blessing that I am no longer there. Stay positive, good things will come your way when you least expect it.
I was fired illegally, and I found it impossible to sue the district because I couldn't get a lawyer to take my case. The district deserved to be sued in three separate lawsuits, but you find lawyers are loath to take teacher cases because of the districts' desire to fight them to trial and through the court of appeals. Given how glutted the market is, it is virtually impossible to resurrect a career when that happens. Non-renewed is the same as being fired. It is not a layoff or RIF. The only "difference" is that you don't have a right to a kangaroo hearing like a tenured teacher. The assumption by other districts that ask "the question" is that you couldn't cut it as a teacher or otherwise you would have received "tenure" or "post-probationary" status. It isn't right that one person, the principal, can literally kill your career, but that is the way the system works. Now some of the other posters here claim to have resurrected their careers, but the fact is most likely you have to relocate and probably out of state to resurrect it. I couldn't work in Nevada anymore because the applications demand your last principal's recommendation, and of course she was the one who illegally fired me in order to cover her butt. Working as a temp, by the way, is not resurrecting your career. Any teacher who hasn't committed a crime can substitute teach. Getting a regular contracted job, however, is a whole different ballgame. With hundreds of teachers vying for a single job (which is insanity given how badly teachers are vilified and treated), school districts are going to go for those with a "clean" record. Some of the other teachers here who claim they have gotten jobs probably got them before the current economic meltdown. The desire for a so-called clean record, of course, is why the applications almost always ask about whether or not you have been fired or non-renewed or forced to resign, the latter two are far,far worse than being fired or "dismissed," as the applications call it (unless of course, you have committed a crime). It is to screen you out, and if you lie on an application, you can get your license suspended. These days almost all screening is done online rather than people submitting resumes directly to principals, so there is almost no way around it. You don't even make the cut for an interview. I am talking about public school districts here. It may be easier to work at a private or charter school in order to "resurrect" a career than in a public district.
I was non-renewed last year from a public school, and I didn't have a problem finding another job in my area. I'm in a different district this year, and I'm much happier. I didn't lie on my application, but it never even came up in the interview. What you say might be true for your situation, but please don't make broad generalizations that aren't true for everyone.
I'm glad you posted this. The sky isn't always falling, and I think it's important for teachers who have less than stellar histories to know that. It can and does work out.
This is an old thread. I bookmarked it years ago and look to it for inspiration occasionally over the years. I resigned in lieu of non-re-elect 3 times. Each time, I would get glowing evaluations for two years and until the final evaluation that would determine tenure. I now work at a school with no union and no tenure system. I have been working here for a little over 2 years and spend most of my time trying to balance admin duties and coaching teachers. Maybe the prior closed doors was meant to point me here. Maybe this door will close too and there will be other opportunities that open up when that happens. Rejection is painful but it’s part of life. I hope this post encourages someone else out there the way this forum has helped me over the years. I hope you believe in you whatever your boss may say because it’s your evaluation of yourself that matters most, not someone else’s. I write these words to encourage both readers and writer. I hope you work somewhere that deserves you!
