Ok, spill.
DEEP sigh.
Our school has high turnover. As a result, it doesn't take long to become the "veteran." We hired a VERY young teacher a little more than a year ago. But now she is "senior" staff with less than two years experience. Following?
Our principal was new last year. He is (ahem... ) not too bright? I mean seriously, and this causes issues. Repeatedly. And apparently VERY absent minded. He is also one of those who likes to please the person he is talking to, despite the need to be "in charge" and "own" some of the decision making processes. Can I say that this is a frustrating combination for a supervisor and it is directly related to the current situation?
End of last school year, he anticipated moving a bunch of teachers to new classrooms. He instructed everyone to remove all personal belongings from our classrooms, clear the walls, and remove all classroom furniture to the hallway so floors could be waxed. Fine, great.
Our young first year teacher has decorated her room with 100's of photographs, created collages on the bulletin boards. Has posters, maps, decorations on every square inch. Of every wall. Has photo albums, and the regular texts and resources associated with her subject area. She is overwhelmed at removing all of it.
She goes to principal and asks him if everyone will be moved, or if it is possible she might remain in that classroom. He says he doesn't know yet. She asks for permission to be an exception and to not remove all of her things. She is going to Europe for the summer, and she is leaving the day kids get out of school and NOT working any of the final teacher workdays. He agrees.
So the first workday he has three new hiring permits, two transfers and half the staff gets told to move classrooms. The teacher who is in Europe? She is moving to a new classroom and one of the teachers already there is moving into her classroom and a new person will be in her old classroom.
So the teacher who is going to occupy the still over decorated classroom wants to move in. The principal says fine. To remove the Euro girl's stuff or he will or he will have a janitor do it. She and I do this. It takes us more than two days to move her things out. We are careful but some of the photos are stapled, some taped some double sided taped, to windows, bulletin boards, walls. There is no bulletin board paper behind them. Some are stapled to each other. Some are paper pictures cut from books?? of artwork? It is a nightmare to remove all of it. And as careful as we were some of the pictures were damaged.
We boxed her things and put them onto carts.
And that upset her. That we touched her things. It was disrespectful.
She is upset with the teacher who "took" her space.
She is upset with me, for not being inconvenienced at all, (not fair) and because I didn't tell her. I did not text or message her that it had been done. Even though I explained that I was directly told that I was not to tell, the principal would tell her when and how he saw fit. She thought as friends I should have told her anyway.
I have explained that room assignments are not my decision or place to tell. That I would not disobey a direct order from my boss, and that I moved her things so that I knew it would be done as carefully and sensitively as possible.
No acceptance of this.
I have apologized. She is being passive aggressive with the "now she knows better than to expect friendships from people she works with" and that "everyone looks out for themselves."
What makes it worse is that the new hires did not take place. The budget constraints mean that the room change was not really necessary, but it had already happened!
So, she came in on Thursday last week, and moved herself back into her old room. Moved the other teacher back out....
And at this point the principal put his foot down and said, "uh uh. No." But he doesn't have all the "new hire" reasons anymore. Just his authority and the fact that while she was on vacation, during workdays we did work (move) that he decided needed to be done and she undid it and pissed off the teacher who was not in Europe but at home just up the road by as carelessly as she felt her things were treated, got "even!" Stripped bulletin boards, moved the printer, and the textbooks. The desk drawers.
And so yesterday ... first day back. Not in classrooms. At central office county wide "kickoff" go get'em do more with less, "for the children" inspiration in the face of my state is the bottom of teacher pay, highest in the country for unemployment, and morale all around SUCKS... and now there is a day of moving two classrooms again. Because a pouty entitled whiny baby wanted to get her way. And she is "not talking" to half of the staff and talking about us to the other half.
And because I get along with everyone, do what I am told, and am an all around team player all of the time, I am FAKE!!!
And I guess I will continue to be fake because I will continue to treat her like a colleague and be kind and supportive, even if she shuts her door, or won't make eye contact.
sigh.
Thanks for asking. Sorry it is long.
We have a staff breakfast tomorrow. And then meetings all day. And I understand we are going to have a "mediation" on Friday, because we can't have this kind of tension on staff. Which I think is a fine idea, except that last time we had one, (same type of issues, a common denominator, I wasn't involved though) Euro girl walked out. WALKED out.
So yay! I have a job. and an income.
