I would just like to say that I would love to tell all of you where I teach and to never teach there as long as this particular administrator is there......but I fear for my job. I am quitting, after my first year, and he is doing his hardest to make my life a living hell while at the school for the remainer of the year, as well as telling possible future employers that I broke contract. It is difficult, when an employer hates you for no reason, makes you feel like you need to quit to get out of an unsupportive environment, and then tries to black-ball you. I know, I know, some of you will tell me that it is crazy to leave a school after only one year, even though it is a one year with option to renew, but I feel that my life is more important than this kind of bull$%#@.
Any opinions on that?????????
Concerns about this site...
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milofischer
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Wed Apr 12, 2006 2:05 pm
- Location: Venezuela
one post
One post from a disgruntled or angry teacher is not going to ruin the career of a director, nor is it going to bring down a well-run school. One bad evaluation from an unfair director, however, can destroy the career of a teacher.
We are professionals. We have the right and the need to be informed, and to do so without our jobs being put on the line. I don't think that anyone undertaking the huge decision to become an international teacher is simply going to read one or two messages and decide against that school. I also think that most of us have the wits to know when a teacher is just spewing hate, and the criticism is unfounded, or, at best, exaggerated.
However, when five or 10 or 20 people start writing in with the same complaints, maybe it is time for that director to go, or rethink his ways. Sometimes it is the owner of the school that is the problem. While the director may suffer for this, he or she made the decision to work at that school, and if that person cannot make improvements, he or she would move on.
I view this as a place for colleagues to get together to talk about their working conditions, like normal people do when they go out for a beer after work. The difference is, we have thousands of miles between us, and do not have that luxury. When my friends who want to work at my school call me and want to know about the conditions, I tell them, just as I do here.
I think it is ridiculous to put a no-name restriction on this site. When our potential employers call our current or past directors to ask about us, they do not have a no-name policy. The teacher evaluations that I just read from my director, which he will give to the board, were harsh and unprofessional (in my view). That's not stopping him. Mine was actually one of the better ones, but I feel badly for the others who got slammed simply because the director's wife doesn't like them.
We have no other recourse. Administrators rarely have any other accountability. And don't forget, this is a place to say positive things about directors and schools as well, which I have seen much of. When I am a director, I look forward to being able to read the anonymous comments of my staff. I feel this will help me understand them better, and become a better administrator.
We are professionals. We have the right and the need to be informed, and to do so without our jobs being put on the line. I don't think that anyone undertaking the huge decision to become an international teacher is simply going to read one or two messages and decide against that school. I also think that most of us have the wits to know when a teacher is just spewing hate, and the criticism is unfounded, or, at best, exaggerated.
However, when five or 10 or 20 people start writing in with the same complaints, maybe it is time for that director to go, or rethink his ways. Sometimes it is the owner of the school that is the problem. While the director may suffer for this, he or she made the decision to work at that school, and if that person cannot make improvements, he or she would move on.
I view this as a place for colleagues to get together to talk about their working conditions, like normal people do when they go out for a beer after work. The difference is, we have thousands of miles between us, and do not have that luxury. When my friends who want to work at my school call me and want to know about the conditions, I tell them, just as I do here.
I think it is ridiculous to put a no-name restriction on this site. When our potential employers call our current or past directors to ask about us, they do not have a no-name policy. The teacher evaluations that I just read from my director, which he will give to the board, were harsh and unprofessional (in my view). That's not stopping him. Mine was actually one of the better ones, but I feel badly for the others who got slammed simply because the director's wife doesn't like them.
We have no other recourse. Administrators rarely have any other accountability. And don't forget, this is a place to say positive things about directors and schools as well, which I have seen much of. When I am a director, I look forward to being able to read the anonymous comments of my staff. I feel this will help me understand them better, and become a better administrator.
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wondering
What happened this year?
For those of us considering positions in schools in parts of the world that either have suffered serious political disruptions or upheaval, or appear likely to in the future, I'd like information from those "in the trenches" regarding how their concerns for personal safety were addressed. Teachers and heads currently in Lebanon, Syria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, among others, could use this forum for some serious information sharing that could ease some fears and apprehensions, or at least help one make informed decisions.
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stuckinPakistan
safety
Our school had many days of cancelled classes after the cartoon crisis broke, and everyone dealt with tension and some "cabin fever" as moving about the city was difficult and not encouraged. Since there are no "official Americans" with children in any school in Pakistan, the majority of students are locals with an obvious interest in keeping the school open and functioning. It was frustrating as a new teacher overseas to feel that our safety and well being were not as important to administrators and board members as keeping the school open and everything "normal." Administrators even acknowledged that this school had closed and evacuated for far less provocation in the past and stated their resolve to not let that happen again. (There is a plan in place, as well as funds, for evacuation purposes, but it's very unclear as to how the school arrives at the point of making that decision.) I decided that if it got too dangerous, I would leave no matter what the school said. Perhaps that was rookie nervousness, after all, as things did settle down and nobody got hurt and school continues to function normally. Don't ask me how I feel about the elections here next year though......
I appreciate all the comments so far and agree that this forum and the comments on schools are a valid avenue for information.
But what do you do if a sacked teacher writes something completly untrue, naming individuals, and the administration does not respond?
Our school almost lost a new teacher when they saw an untrue post regarding our school. The new teacher came to see us and has very happily signed a two year contract. Good schools are accountable, teachers should be too!
But what do you do if a sacked teacher writes something completly untrue, naming individuals, and the administration does not respond?
Our school almost lost a new teacher when they saw an untrue post regarding our school. The new teacher came to see us and has very happily signed a two year contract. Good schools are accountable, teachers should be too!
Rebuttal
In response to syriaman.
I would say that it is then the responsibility of the current teaching staff to stand up for their school/administration by posting their own opinions. There will always be unprofessional teachers who attempt to bring down an administrator in response to some perceived injustice. The review process requires many voices. Make the staff aware of the statements and invite them to post their own, good or bad. The truth shall emerge through consensus.
I would say that it is then the responsibility of the current teaching staff to stand up for their school/administration by posting their own opinions. There will always be unprofessional teachers who attempt to bring down an administrator in response to some perceived injustice. The review process requires many voices. Make the staff aware of the statements and invite them to post their own, good or bad. The truth shall emerge through consensus.
Consensual?
Thanks for that response - but that assumes there is a modicum of truth in what he is alleging (which there is not). Our admin does not want to respond because responding to an unprofessional comment simply invites an escalation. Most of our staff don't know the details of why this guy left, so can't respond in detail rebutting his allegations - and since most of our new staff are recruited via either fairs or on the telephone, there is little we can do to dispel that untrue image