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Major Job Bitterness & Need Advice with a New Direction...(long)

EcyEcy member
in Working Moms

I am going to just try to list the facts to give you background info and would love any response/advice that could be helpful. Thank you!

*High school teacher (English III & Professional Communications)

*Hate teaching English & asked for years to get out

*Last school year was finally granted my wish & taught all Prof. Comm. but knew that I would need to find other classes to teach becaues Prof. Comm. is offered as dual credit through our community college and I'm losing students to this.

*With shame, I admit my high school doesn't have a journalism/newspaper class/program

*The school wants me to start one & asks me to get certified in Journalism at my own expense. After much work, I do this and happily get certified

*I spent my entire summer (with no extra pay) working every extra hour that I could on creating an awesome Journalism class

*We got a new principal. First week back for teachers in August and the school tells me that they decided to nix the Journalism and gave me several English III classes. New English curriculum had been written by the dept. over the summer and I had no say in this.

*Now I'm stuck teaching classes I really dislike in combination with a couple of classes that I do.

So, I'm very bitter about this situation. Every year I have had classes changed on me at the last minute. This year happened to anger me more because I had worked so hard creating a program that they asked me to head up. Also, administration encouraged me to go back and finish grad school even though I stressed my concern about having a toddler, husband and work and what that would mean for my time. I figured as long as I wasn't teaching English that it was manageable. English takes up so much more of my time. So, I returned to grad school where I am working on my Master's in Education. I'm in a very rigorous class right now and am so overwhelmed. I will add a second class to my plate in October and then will spend the entire spring on my thesis. I feel like I'm cracking!

Currently I am trying to be a mother, wife, homemaker, student, and teacher. I'm not doing any of them particularly well because the time does not exist. My grad school adds about 15 extra hours per week (not including class time) and my job adds about 20 hours extra per week (outside of the normal 40). If I manage to survive this one year, I don't know what to do next.

Pros about my staying in my small school district:

*2 miles from my house

*Provide daycare for only district employees that is very affordable and excellent care that my DD loves

*It will be the district where my DD will attend school

*I'm comfortable here and grew up in this small town where I still know many people

 

So, do I tell administration that this will be my last year teaching English but that I would like to stay to teach other classes and just see how that convo goes? Or do I try to get out of my contract now and leave these kids just so that I don't suffer any longer with my treacherous schedule? And if you are in the education field, would you: look into being a school diagnostician or attempt a career with a local community college?

 

I just feel screwed over and need to know how to handle this. I haven't even expressed my anger to anyone. I feel like I'm their punching bag because I allow this.

Baby Birthday Ticker Tickerhttp://wwwmedia.theknot.com/profiles/avatar.aspx?username=Ecy&cache=false
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Re: Major Job Bitterness & Need Advice with a New Direction...(long)

  • FemShepFemShep member
    Wow.  Sounds like an incredibly stressful situation, no wonder you're upset!

    Unfortunately, it seems like you were impacted by circumstances that can't be foreseen or controlled (change in administration).  I'd suggest you think about what you really want out of the situation.  What's your ideal outcome?  Now put yourself in your new administrator's shoes; your employee, who you value, made a decision to go back to school on bad advice, and was promised something that you think is a bad decision.  

    Your real challenge now is to find the solution that gets closest to your ideal outcome while also acknowledging that you're not the only person who is in a crappy situation.  While the new administrator's situation is nowhere near as crappy as yours, s/he does come in to a pile of problems, well beyond your personal situation, that they inherited.

    So first let's think about your situation.  Is there anything you can do to lighten your load in the short term and relieve some stress?  Can you defer some schooling for a semester or even a year?  Can you bring in some help around the house, even if it's just paying a local teen to come in as a mother's helper once a week?  And when you think about what you really want in the long term, what is the best outcome in this semester and the next one?

    Now look at how you can help your school and administrator.  Are there classes or tasks you can take on in exchange for switching off a class you don't like?  Can you barter taking the English III classes this year in exchange for getting the Journalism classes next year (and will your administrator put this in writing)?

    This sounds like a really crappy situation, and I'm sorry for you.  I hope that trying to think of ways to help solve the school's problems while they help solve yours is an approach that pays off.  
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  • EcyEcy member
    FemShep said:
     Your real challenge now is to find the solution that gets closest to your ideal outcome while also acknowledging that you're not the only person who is in a crappy situation.  While the new administrator's situation is nowhere near as crappy as yours, s/he does come in to a pile of problems, well beyond your personal situation, that they inherited.
    You are so right! I definitely need to figure out what I think would be my ideal outcome and work towards that. I also acknowledge that the new principal did inherit some problems but she also was the one who scratched all of my work and ignored the other administrators when they told her this was a bad move. I'm mad at her a little but I also know that being a principal sucks and I don't admire  her job.

    So first let's think about your situation.  Is there anything you can do to lighten your load in the short term and relieve some stress?  Can you defer some schooling for a semester or even a year?  Can you bring in some help around the house, even if it's just paying a local teen to come in as a mother's helper once a week?  And when you think about what you really want in the long term, what is the best outcome in this semester and the next one?
     
    Unfortunately, I can't defer school because my grad program has been rewritten and to finish under my plan, I must do it now. Some classes that I will need to complete my studies are only being offered one more time before the new, rewritten program begins.
     
    I am definitely going to bring in help for around the house! Hiring and housekeeper needs to be done immediately.

    Now look at how you can help your school and administrator.  Are there classes or tasks you can take on in exchange for switching off a class you don't like?  Can you barter taking the English III classes this year in exchange for getting the Journalism classes next year (and will your administrator put this in writing)?

    This sounds like a really crappy situation, and I'm sorry for you.  I hope that trying to think of ways to help solve the school's problems while they help solve yours is an approach that pays off.  
     
    Thank you for your thoughtful response and willingness to help me think of solutions. I think I need to vent every now and then but ultimately, I know that I will make it through this year. As for next year, I really need to start putting a plan into place. I'm thinking of quitting and getting a different school certification and then crossing fingers that I can come back.

    Baby Birthday Ticker Tickerhttp://wwwmedia.theknot.com/profiles/avatar.aspx?username=Ecy&cache=false
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  • jen39171jen39171 member
    I think I'm confused; why do you have an English certification if you don't want to teach English? (Im sorry if that sounds crass, but I wasn't sure how else to phrase it) Could you get a dual masters in another subject area (social studies maybe?) so you could switch departments or work in 2? I teach in a small district, and to say we're strapped for cash is an understatement. It seems that in the state of education now, it would be unlikely to find a HS with enough English elective type classes for a full time teacher.
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  • ShelenecShelenec member
    I would definitely look into other areas of education that you would be qualified for. Once you have your masters, that should help give you a few more options. Does your district have remedial reading courses you could teach at the high school? I teach middle school English and am starting to be over it. I would love to teach reading! I am stuck in my spot at the moment, but am looking to move to Elementary next year. Hang in there. You have some time to think about what direction you'd like to go next school year . I don't think you need to say anything to anyone at this time.
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