PokerBob gets screwed at work. What would you do?(tl;dr)

[hyde]

although i do fire a dart gun around the room, and a blowdart with a 2 inch nail that can travel 60mph+.

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Now this is new information......

[AJackson]

I would avoid going negative, this won't set well with the new guy. He's more likely to assume you a malcontent a-hole than believe you.
I would make a written argument first pointing out that last year was a leave of absence and you were not to lose seniority. Clearly this new schedule leaves no accounting for your seniority.
Next make the argument that you are an excellent teacher. Increase in enrollment, test scores, whatever else you can put together.
Finish with that you're not looking to come back at the top, you are just asking for a more fair distribution of classes.
Worst case, take what they give you and make plans to find something else next year.

[RJT]

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A student who I had as a junior and just graduated was appalled to hear that TTWC will potentially be teaching all the advanced classes, and offered to get some of the best kinds in the school to go piss in the principal's ear about TTWC's incompetence. Do I accept this offer?

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From an outsider (of the school system) looking in, it seems to me that to accept this offer would be “standard” (as they say here on the forums). While this might accomplish your goal (and it probably will, especially if enough noise is made) it is unprofessional, imo. I don’t have a better plan of attack, but I’ll try to think of one since I don’t want to just give a negative opinion.

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curious to learn why you think this would be unprofessional?

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Maybe I am bringing some of my bias to the discussion, so let me give you a bit of my point of view. You can then take my opinion for what it is worth.

I volunteer quite a bit of my time at my (Catholic) church. We have a school. I also live in a relatively small town (20k+) so I hear “everything” that goes on in our school district. I have been “involved” in our parochial system for maybe 15 years

FYI, teachers as a rule aren’t my favorite people - and for the record my wife, whom I love, is a retired school teacher. Also, one of my best friends is a teacher. I admire you guys. And I am sure you are a teacher like any number of good teachers I had growing up that certainly helped to make me the person I am. When I say teachers aren’t my favorite people, you probably know exactly what I am saying. You describe in your OP what I mean.

Generally speaking Administrations aren’t pro-active, they are reactive. (I wish they would at least be active, if they can’t be pro-active.) Things aren’t problems if no one makes any noise. It isn’t until rumblings are heard that any problems gets resolved. This is what I mean when I say if you accept this offer, you will probably accomplish your goal. The students and all those who know you will make noise and the truth that you (and more importantly, the students) are getting shafted will be known. The powers that be will probably correct the problem and fix the teaching schedule.

In my history at my parish, I have seen teachers band together to get rid of one teacher or another. I have seen them (and parishioners) ban together to get rid of some of our pastors and a principal Some of what has been done has been justified, some was outright “criminal” behavior. For the most part the reality or “truth” of the particular situation was always left in the debris of the aftermath. Their m.o. has always been to garner support from parents or students or whoever would help their cause. The end result has always left some wounds in the parish that never heal. Too much stuff gets said. Tempers flair. It is always a mess.

The teaching community is unique environment. It is not a totally private, nor a totally public domain. It is quite often a community similar to a family - for the most part a dysfunctional family (do you agree?). As with family problems, matters like your particular situation, I think, are best resolved behind close doors.

I do think you should fight for your rights - if not just for yourself, but for the students who will benefit from your teaching. I just think we have to come up with a better plan of attack.

[PokerBob]

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A student who I had as a junior and just graduated was appalled to hear that TTWC will potentially be teaching all the advanced classes, and offered to get some of the best kinds in the school to go piss in the principal's ear about TTWC's incompetence. Do I accept this offer?

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From an outsider (of the school system) looking in, it seems to me that to accept this offer would be “standard” (as they say here on the forums). While this might accomplish your goal (and it probably will, especially if enough noise is made) it is unprofessional, imo. I don’t have a better plan of attack, but I’ll try to think of one since I don’t want to just give a negative opinion.

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curious to learn why you think this would be unprofessional?

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Maybe I am bringing some of my bias to the discussion, so let me give you a bit of my point of view. You can then take my opinion for what it is worth.

I volunteer quite a bit of my time at my (Catholic) church. We have a school. I also live in a relatively small town (20k+) so I hear “everything” that goes on in our school district. I have been “involved” in our parochial system for maybe 15 years

FYI, teachers as a rule aren’t my favorite people - and for the record my wife, whom I love, is a retired school teacher. Also, one of my best friends is a teacher. I admire you guys. And I am sure you are a teacher like any number of good teachers I had growing up that certainly helped to make me the person I am. When I say teachers aren’t my favorite people, you probably know exactly what I am saying. You describe in your OP what I mean.

Generally speaking Administrations aren’t pro-active, they are reactive. (I wish they would at least be active, if they can’t be pro-active.) Things aren’t problems if no one makes any noise. It isn’t until rumblings are heard that any problems gets resolved. This is what I mean when I say if you accept this offer, you will probably accomplish your goal. The students and all those who know you will make noise and the truth that you (and more importantly, the students) are getting shafted will be known. The powers that be will probably correct the problem and fix the teaching schedule.

In my history at my parish, I have seen teachers band together to get rid of one teacher or another. I have seen them (and parishioners) ban together to get rid of some of our pastors and a principal Some of what has been done has been justified, some was outright “criminal” behavior. For the most part the reality or “truth” of the particular situation was always left in the debris of the aftermath. Their m.o. has always been to garner support from parents or students or whoever would help their cause. The end result has always left some wounds in the parish then never heal. Too much stuff gets said. Tempers flair. It is always a mess.

The teaching community is unique environment. It is not a totally private, nor a totally public domain. It is quite often a community similar to a family - for the most part a dysfunctional family (do you agree?). As with family problems, matters like your particular situation, I think, are best resolved behind close doors.

I do think you should fight for your rights - if not just for yourself, but for the students who will benefit from your teaching. I just think we have to come up with a better plan of attack.

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great post. i agree that "the squeaky wheel gets the grease", and i know that there is a lot of politics and BS in this profession. i have experienced some of the things you mention in your post. i am in a weird spot, and simply looking for options. thanks for the reply.

[Casting Director]

Starring




as The Assistant Principal



as The Teacher Who Cries



as The New Guy, and



As PokerBob


With Special Guest Star



as The Principal

[Dids]

Bob,

1- Have you thought about parents of kids? Sometimes their voices speak louder than the kids. I would focus on test scores, college prep stuff. The case should be "PB is better for your kid's future, for the college they get into, etc... than anybody else".

2- I'm the sort of person who is honest to a fault and doesn't really pull punches at work. I wouldn't have a problem going to the Principal and saying "List, TAP knows TWWC isn't the best candidate, I'm not sure why she isn't sharing that with you, but I'd be remiss, for the sake of the students, if I didn't let you know that". Obviously you'll know better than I the result of making that movie.

3- Are you at all concerned that some of this is because of what you choose to do with your time off? Do they know?

[piggity]

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Teacher Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4


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I would fold unless you have quad kings or better...

[gumpzilla]

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yeah, part of me hates the kids idea cuz it will look like i put them up to it, and i don't want that. but at the same time, they are the ones who know and have the most info on the subject.

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I'm also kinda skeptical that this will accomplish anything unless they get a real fuckton of kids. Getting their parents to scream at the principal might be more effective, but I don't know. I tend to agree that it looks like you put them up to it and it seems a little lame to me, but I guess it's one solution.

Further, it seems to me complaining about the incompetence of that teacher doesn't really seem to do much if they aren't going to fire her. They're still going to have an incompetent teacher teaching something, and it isn't a priori obvious that having a worse teacher teaching freshman science is a better solution than having one teach AP Physics (and I'm a physicist in training, for whatever that's worth to this discussion.) While I'm sure teaching the more advanced class is more fun, I don't think we can make a clear cut argument that it is unequivocally better for the overall mission of the school for you to be teaching it, so then it just comes down to what makes you happy, for the most part. The seniority/prior agreement stuff gives you a little more weight, but I don't really know how much.

Have you generally been teaching freshman science at all, or just sticking to AP Physics? Is there any possibility that you're just getting the [censored] end of the stick for one year?

[PokerBob]

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Didn't bother to read past the OP, so it might be covered. One thing I know about new administrators (I used to teach, and my wife currently teaches) is that they have zero backbone with parents. Take up the students' offer and let the parents raise the hell.

Quitting is poor form. If you do get boned, then go through the year doing the bare minimum for the other teachers and continue to kick ass as a teacher. Maintain your relationship with the old principal for reference reasons (at the very least).

I don't know how much I begrudge TNG here, but it kinda baffles me how much that fellow teachers are unable to budge and insist on bending you over here. That's ridiculous.


Good luck, bro.

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yeah, my fellow teachers are [censored] me, but i understand it to some extent. TTWC hates me as i am a threat to her. TNG was promised that he'd be getting certain classes, and now (rightly, imo) feels that he potentially has been lied to. the principal made some bad promises imo, which is only comlicating matters further.

[IronFly]

Off topic and useless: this thread makes me so glad I don't work in education. Sorry Bob, sounds like you are royally screwed. Good luck.