Teaching in Georgia Not Too Peachy

I am going to tell you a story about a veteran Special Education teacher. This teacher started out in a self-contained class for children with behavioral problems. Yes, she was moved around quite a bit during her first 9 years, not by choice, but because of unit closures. Principals don’t like to keep those kids if they are not in their districts and it is understandable. She always had good to excellent evaluations, and still uses some of those administrators as references. Some days she wishes she had never left Alabama, even if it meant continual monitoring by the state and federal people. None of her files were ever cited as lacking, even during a Due Process proceeding the only thing the lawyer for the other side found needing improvement was the behavior plan and his suggestions were minimal. But, this teacher took those suggestions and created a plan that is used in the system to this day.

Then she moved to Georgia. She moved to be closer to ailing grandparents who had always been there for her, and to facilitate a job move upward for her husband. The first system she was not told of a stay put rule, and she resigned when she could tell the AP decided she was not to her liking. Then on to another school in the same district, she was not that happy but she stuck it out for 3 years. That principal was an abuser too. Then she resigned to find a setting that was more her. Three years in a decent school, only problem was favoritism, but it was livable. The only problem she had was a run in over scheduling and organization, but she got a really good end of year evaluation. Then the big trouble, she was offered a position really close to home. She resigned a tenure contract and took the job, full of hope.

It wasn't long until she knew things would be rough, but she had hope, after all she knew this principal (or so she thought). The principal made comments about perceptions, behaviors, harsh tones, but never gave specifics. The principal claimed she did give specifics and got very rude in the end. The teacher was given a filing cabinet with a lock, but no key (never did get a key). In October, the teacher was called in, there were problems regarding some worksheets copied for resource students who had class canceled (one of the "reg" kids took some and told her mom she had to do them, not true but mom believed her). The worksheets were second grade phonics stuff: she was told to get rid of them and only do stuff that was AIW (new system buzz word). Ok, no problem. Then a statement was made that makes sense now: Remember Perception is Reality; what she meant was the principal's perception is reality - truth is irrelevant. She mentioned that there have been some parent concerns (no details were given). Nothing else was said. What she should have said was that perception is a tool to use to dispose of a teacher.

Despite the state rule that the first observation be done by end of November, the first observation was not done until late Jan. The principal came in and immediately her walkie went off: 6 times. Off course the kids lost track. She got one NI (needs improvement) for not walking around and not using visuals. She told the principal that the walking around bothered some of the kids and was stopped by parent request. No response. Then came the Feb. meeting. She was called in, despite the knowledge that the teacher was ill, and told: I am going to give you the chance to resign. I won’t be renewing you so it is better this way. She (the principal) would be unable to give a recommendation, unless her (the teacher) “behavior” improved the remainder of the year. When asked why, the principal said she had seen little improvement regarding our discussion and the “list” from October (there never was any list). The teacher asked what she meant, she said she had numerous parent concerns and burned bridges. She could not get a specific answer. The teacher asked about being put on a development plan for whatever problems she was seeing, the principal said NO my decision is made. The teacher went home and was taken out of work for 2 days by her doctor for bronchial pneumonia. She went back too soon, but she was worried about her students. Then came the parent meeting. During a parent meeting, the teacher was put on the wall like a trophy and no support whatsoever was given to her. It was one-sided, prepared, and over before it began and phrases thrown out during the Feb. meeting were repeated word for word by the parent. It was so obvious they knew what would be said before it even started.

Then the final blow. She was called into the office for the third time that year to be told: resign immediately or face immediate termination. She was dumbfounded: She was not a criminal, had not been arrested, and had not been accused of child abuse but she was being told: GET OUT OF MY SCHOOL. The discussion went something like this: “Your behavior at the meeting yesterday was embarrassing” Now mind you, the principal was NOT at the meeting. Who was her snitch? She asked what she had done and was told: laid your head on the desk. Then she was told you were not prepared: of course she did not prewrite an IEP before the child was made eligible for a program. Then the principal went on to say paperwork was not in a child’s file. When the teacher tried to explain that it had been in a “TO BE FILED” file, the principal responded that was not going to cut it, it should have been filed long ago. It did not matter that the paperwork was there or done, just that it was not in the file. Then she went on about the way some of the meetings had been done. OH NO you won’t get me here because we all do things this way thought the teacher. The principal responded that we were discussing her, not everyone else. Then she went on to say that the personnel director REALLY wanted to talk with the teacher regarding lies she was telling about contacting him regarding her as a first year principal. Mind you the teacher was considering it, and had sent an email to the county resource person asking for help in filing a grievance over hostile work environment (that was the Friday evening before this) and had put a letter in the courier bag to personnel, but she had told no one.

She was told to leave, consider the options, clean out her room and leave campus (if she had to return it needed to be after school the next day, after that she would not be welcome on campus). She went back to her room and started making phones calls all the while knowing her blood pressure was rising and her arm was feeling numb: first, the personnel director, seems he was in a meeting, had been in one all day and would be there until after 4 that afternoon (lie number 1). The principal walks across the hall and enters the room, “I just spoke with personnel director, he feels I am being too generous and I am meeting him at 1, I will need your decision by then and I have plenty of reasons to terminate.” The teacher continued phone calls, back to personnel director (same story: in a meeting, when I asked how the principal could have talked with him she couldn’t answer me: so lie #2). The teacher tried to phone her husband, no answer. Ok, call a lawyer: no luck everyone is at lunch. Her heart is pounding, chest pains, blood pressure way up: sit down. She sat down on the floor and tried to calm herself. It wasn’t working. The principal came in at one and chewed her out for not being in class (she told her it was not right to go down there in the state she was in and besides she was feeling ill). She told me she needed a decision, the teacher told her she felt it was a vendetta and there was no reason to quit. The principal raised her voice and told the teacher to MAKE A DECISION. She was scaring the teacher so she said ok, what choice do I have.

You made your decision. She smiled and said give it to the AP before you leave. She walked out the door and did leave the building. She came back just before the teacher left with her load. The teacher typed a sentence on a paper and printed it but did not sign it.

She started cleaning the room, went to get her boys, met her husband who by now knew and kept asking her what she had done to get fired. They helped her clean out her room. She turned over her laptop and keys to the AP; SST files to the counselor, and then handed the folded paper to the AP. The AP kept saying she was sorry. The counselor was in shock: she had not seen this coming and could not understand it. She was shocked before when just a few weeks back the teacher had been told she would be non-renewed if she did not resign.

She came home and started making phone calls. Her grandmother told her that teaching is the rottenest, dirtiest, politically corrupt profession ever. She had been there too. The dad could not believe it, he kept asking: What did you do? Then he got mad and started trying to help her find a solution. Her husband is still telling her it had to be her fault: No one gets fired for no reason. The depression is bad enough, not getting support from those you love is worse. This teacher’s health is a wreck: it may not seem like a lot of stress was applied, but a lot was left out in the intervening days: bad duty posts, the looks, refusals for needed materials, etc. The stress was killing this teacher; in a way the removal was a blessing in disguise, but now that teacher is determined to never let it happen to another person.

That teacher is me. This entire year was a set up. The principal made the comment: there are social skills you just can’t teach a person. I guess she meant mean spirited cruelty. That will never be me. I care too much.

See, the first thing I said that year was: these files are a mess; they would never stand up to federal monitors. I tried to get what I needed to straighten out mine, but couldn’t. I tried to straighten them out anyway, but it was a lost cause. I refused to prewrite IEPS. I know it made for long meetings, but that is the legal way to do things. I watched her terrorize a child that last Friday and it broke my heart. The Friday before, a youngster with whom I work had said something that almost got him into a fight; he got angry and left her office; he came into the class I was in talking with 2 other teachers (yes, I was still on talking terms probably with the snitches!). He said he left because he couldn’t stand her yapping anymore. He is a kid who needs to be left alone to settle, and then he will talk. When she came in, she marched up to him, stuck her finger in his face and yelled, “I’m the principal and you don’t disrespect me. I am the principal you don’t walk out of my office. There is an officer on the way to take you to YDC.” The boy asked what is YDC, and she responded (hands on hips): “Jail, kiddie jail”. He began begging, No, I’ll go back to the office. They walked out of the room together. The mother later informed me she was called on her cell at 1, this occurred long before then. That child was kept in the office until bus call, put on the bus upset and sent home. He is now hospitalized, and I heard from a teacher that he was cuffed. The principal of course is denying she threatened him with YDC.

Who will stop her? I am trying. I am pursuing getting a lawyer to keep my salary and benefits intact until the end of my contract, get her out of a position of authority, and save myself from her negative references, but it hasn’t been easy. It seems the system lawyers have great political clout in the state. I believe she has already cost me the chance at one AP job. She will ruin me if she can. I don’t doubt that!

The only thing that is carrying me through is my faith in God, my boys’ faith in me, and the courage to do the right thing. I will survive, but right now I just don’t know how. It has been nice knowing I am not alone, but knowing how prevalent a problem this is within the school system is just sickening! No wonder America is not gaining ground, but losing it instead! I hope we make a difference! It is the reason most of us became teachers to begin with! I know I am not going to give up and I am VERY GRATEFUL Karen is still fighting.

Someone will hear us eventually!!!!

My story is mild compared to some, but even a little abuse is TOO MUCH ABUSE!!!! I pray daily for those of you who have endured worse and are still enduring! We will survive and grow stronger and our children will benefit from our fight.

Teacher Not Giving Up in Georgia

WHAT WE FOUND INTERESTING ABOUT THIS STORY IS THAT THIS TEACHER DID NOT EXPERIENCE THE SAME LEVEL OF ABUSE IN ALABAMA SINCE THE REMNANTS OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ERA AND ITS CONTINUAL MONITORING TO PREVENT RACIAL DISCRIMINATION SEEMS TO HAVE COLLATERALLY PREVENTED TEACHER ABUSE. APPARENTLY THEY ARE MORE AFRAID TO PARTAKE IN THESE DIRTY TRICKS THAT PUSH OUT GOOD TEACHERS RATHER THAN HELP THEM. FOR THAT MATTER, MAYBE THE REASON THIS PRINCIPAL WOULDN’T “HELP” THIS TEACHER IS THAT SHE DID NOT REALLY NEED HELP. IT MAY HAVE BEEN A PLOY TO GET RID OF A TEACHER WHO TRIED TO SERVE SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN THE RIGHT WAY, AND PUNISHMENT FOR THIS TEACHER HAVING REPORTED THIS HOSTILE WORK ENVIRONMENT. THIS WILL CONTINUE TO GO ON ALL OVER UNTIL WE ARE HEARD. NAPTA

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