The end of the second trimester came and went. None of the ideas the principal used to convince us to switch from semesters to trimesters has yet to happen. Her main idea that students would be able to accumulate more credits in less time and graduate early, turned out to be a joke.
I looked at many of the students' programs and instead of meaningful classes that will help them graduate, they were filled with made up electives, "Teaching assistant" credits, and gym classes they did not need. Not one class that could help them get ahead.
As for me, I finished teaching English 3 and 4 and was assigned to teach a class she made up called "Writing in the Humanities." That would be great except that it is really a Global History Regents prep class, one that I had to spend an entire weekend learning about.
Then, on the day before the trimester began, she walked into my classroom with a change: a repeaters class for English 4. I am now teaching four classes which I had always heard was against our contract. I spent the entire day trying to come up with lessons for the next day. I was losing my mind!
Now, this is all tame and I guess something expected in every school (I suppose) but, to this I must add that in between all this she continues her vendetta against me. I have, once again been summoned to her office for a variety of things as well as receiving letters informing me of some kind of misbehavior.
Every time I receive one, they happen to follow a grievance I have put into the union. None of them ever result in things getting better. In fact, if I was someone else, I would have stopped fighting for myself because they make things worse for me.
My latest grievance brought about several ineffective and two developing ratings in my last observation. I then filed APPRs, a union Resolution Assistance Request.
Of course, these were also found to
have no merit. That was that.
So, I grieved my four preparations as well as the fact that my latest observation was not based on classroom observation, but on my lesson plan, which, according to anyone that has seen my plans will tell you, they go beyond what is expected. Both were found by her to have no merit.
She
then countered my grievances by filing verbal abuse charges.
I
have no recourse. I have written to every person I can think of and no one has
even bothered
to acknowledge my letters. I do not know where else
to turn. I never expected this, 25+ years into my career.
