WHY AREN'T SCHOOLS TRAINING TEACHERS WHO ARE EAGER TO LEARN?

Often we hear about teacher shortages. However, one has only to read the stories on our site to know that can't be true since employers wouldn't be unconcerned about helping and training current teachers if teachers were so scarce! Or is it so much fun to torment teachers that they don't even care if they leave? Sure seems that way doesn't it? so much of what goes on in our schools is deceptive, that anything is possible except a good education for our children! Napta

Seven years ago, I started substitute teaching; I was very enthusiastic about this job and I gave it my best. For the first few years in my subbing career things went well, but recently I have learned, once again, how some people can change the rules of the game, and not for the better.

When I was hired, I was told that I would get letters if I was not performing up to the expectations of a school or if I was going to be put on an exclude list. For a long time I was led to believe that I was doing well--no letters, no calls from the district, no nothing. The human resources office even told me that I would get a letter if things were wrong or that the sub desk would call me.

Well, I noted that a school had stopped offering jobs to me; I believed that maybe there were no jobs at all, but I finally armed myself with A TON of courage and asked the sub desk. To my amazement, I was told that I was put on the exclude list of the school.

Remember, nobody, absolutely nobody, told me anything about this so I could take corrective action. Why was I led to live in such deception? Why was I told that I would get a letter, if this was not done? Why did the district lie to me when the district expects integrity from its students and employees? (Woe to us if we lie on applications or depositions!)

So, am I now to work in eternal fear, always fearing the mail since it may now deliver my termination notice for things I supposedly did wrong but had no chance to defend myself from and offer to correct any wrongs? I do believe in righting any wrongs I may have caused or apologizing if I said something that unintentionally offended anyone. Why am I denied the opportunity to do this? After all, even the worst of criminal offenders are given this chance!

I have been hit with depression and am currently under treatment for it--I think I might need even stronger medication since what I am taking has not been helpful at all. Outside of subbing, I don't know what I would do for a living--that really terrifies me. I have become very afraid to work and I am on eternal watch every time I do so. What if I do something that can offend someone unintentionally? Even if subbing is usually an at-will job, human decency calls for correcting an employee if s/he is doing something wrong and offer advice before it's too late. How am I supposed to improve if I am not told what I did wrong so it doesn't happen again? Keeping secret files a la Gestapo or KGB does not help anyone, my dear administrators!

Thank you for reading this letter, Ms. Horwitz. You may post it in your teacher stories if you like, but please, please, keep it anonymous. That's all I request from you.**

Respectfully yours,
Depressed and terrified sub in California

**It is truly sad to know the extent that teachers fear speaking the truth. When a principal creates fear in a teacher, the principal earns a notch in his belt and creates an insurance policy against being exposed. It is a disturbed culture.

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