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Yesterday (Monday, November 20), my department head (DH) emailed me with my new schedule. It's a done deal. At the end, he wrote, "We can meet to discuss this if you want."
Uh, yes?
The meeting was set for after school. The DH, associate principal (AP), and Academic Affairs Officer (AAO) were present.
I prepared a few sets of questions for various ways the meeting might go down. Right away, I was told that the reason I was being moved INTO these classes is because there have been complaints about how I grade going back to last year. Parents think I'm grading to soft because my classroom grades don't match the kiddos PSAT/other standardized test scores. No. Shit. Of COURSE there's going to be a difference between grades for essays that take two weeks to plan and write or novels that students can take time to read versus high stakes tests made up of multiple choice vocab and grammar questions, tests that students must complete in like three hours. It's like comparing apples and rocket ships, for fuck's sake! Not only that, but the placement test this school uses, the ERB, is NOT a valid means of testing student ability, particularly ELL students! We spent a lot of time last year trying to get the ring leader to understand this, but she's paid for the test, so she's going to use it. Oh, and the kiddos also take a Duolingo test, which again, is VOCABULARY.
Yeah. That's part of the lunacy. But here's where it gets spicy.
The AAO said complaints came from parents when she tried to register the kids for summer school. Why would the kids need to take English II in summer school if they earned A/B in the class during the year? WHY INDEED??? Because summer school is a HUGE money-making venture for the Ring Leader. The MOMENT I heard the AAO say "summer school," I knew what was driving this decision. I'm costing the school money.
But it gets spicier!
Because I said, "Well, if there have been complaints about my grading stretching back to last year, why wasn't I told? Why was I not given the opportunity to improve? I sought out DH's guidance multiple times since he mentioned in quarter one of 2022 that my grades were high. I revised my weighting and policies to bring them in line with the department, which DH approved. So why am I being punished? WHY WASN'T I TOLD THERE WAS A PROBLEM?"
AAO: I was too busy.
AP: I told the DH to do it.
DH: *silence*
Yeah, that spinless worm said not one word during the meeting. Not to explain his actions or defend me or answer any questions. I lost my temper a bit. I told the admin team in no uncertain terms that they were behaving unethically. Mayi, the AP, was someone I considered to be a friend and mentor, and her mask DROPPED when I stated that her behavior in this matter has been and continues to be unethical and unprofessional. She said, "I don't like your tone or your label." And I was like, "Okay, then what would you call this behavior? What would you call it when, for a YEAR, there have been complaints about a teacher and no one told the teacher?"
Mayi kept repeating that she told the DH to do it, and that she was following the chain of command. To which I replied, "And if he doesn't do it, then isn't it your job to make sure he does, and punish him if he doesn't do his job? How is it right that I am being accused of not doing my job when it's you three who failed your duties to inform me and help me fix my errors? How is it right that I'm being punished for your failures?"
Mayi huffed and scowled and rolled her eyes like the mature adult professional she is.
I told the team that I was reporting all of this to the accreditation board which is evaluating our school because communication issues are part of our critical areas of improvement. Mayi was like, "Don't threaten me!" and I was like, "It's not a threat. I was just waiting to see what your official statement would be."
I mean I gave them so much room to like blame the ring leader, but they just stepped right off the cliffs themselves. Except for the DH, who sat like a bump on a log. Until the end of the meeting, that is, after the AP and AAO had left. I was packing up my things, and he shuffled over, wringing his hands, and started to say, "I hope you know that I don't want--"
I looked at him, and said, "Don't you dare! Don't you dare speak to me!" And then I walked out, down the hall to my coworker's classroom, and cried for a bit.
So I don't know exactly what my timeline will be here at Clown School. I told them I'd stay as long as I kept my classes. I also told them I was more than willing to put together a plan to "improve" my grading. I'm willing to play ball there. I mean, I can find a PD that will go to my recertification, so it wouldn't be a total loss. But I know they won't truly offer that. So I'll finish the semester, but I sure as shit won't grade the final exams. Nor will I leave any plans for the classes. Because fuck them.
Uh, yes?
The meeting was set for after school. The DH, associate principal (AP), and Academic Affairs Officer (AAO) were present.
I prepared a few sets of questions for various ways the meeting might go down. Right away, I was told that the reason I was being moved INTO these classes is because there have been complaints about how I grade going back to last year. Parents think I'm grading to soft because my classroom grades don't match the kiddos PSAT/other standardized test scores. No. Shit. Of COURSE there's going to be a difference between grades for essays that take two weeks to plan and write or novels that students can take time to read versus high stakes tests made up of multiple choice vocab and grammar questions, tests that students must complete in like three hours. It's like comparing apples and rocket ships, for fuck's sake! Not only that, but the placement test this school uses, the ERB, is NOT a valid means of testing student ability, particularly ELL students! We spent a lot of time last year trying to get the ring leader to understand this, but she's paid for the test, so she's going to use it. Oh, and the kiddos also take a Duolingo test, which again, is VOCABULARY.
Yeah. That's part of the lunacy. But here's where it gets spicy.
The AAO said complaints came from parents when she tried to register the kids for summer school. Why would the kids need to take English II in summer school if they earned A/B in the class during the year? WHY INDEED??? Because summer school is a HUGE money-making venture for the Ring Leader. The MOMENT I heard the AAO say "summer school," I knew what was driving this decision. I'm costing the school money.
But it gets spicier!
Because I said, "Well, if there have been complaints about my grading stretching back to last year, why wasn't I told? Why was I not given the opportunity to improve? I sought out DH's guidance multiple times since he mentioned in quarter one of 2022 that my grades were high. I revised my weighting and policies to bring them in line with the department, which DH approved. So why am I being punished? WHY WASN'T I TOLD THERE WAS A PROBLEM?"
AAO: I was too busy.
AP: I told the DH to do it.
DH: *silence*
Yeah, that spinless worm said not one word during the meeting. Not to explain his actions or defend me or answer any questions. I lost my temper a bit. I told the admin team in no uncertain terms that they were behaving unethically. Mayi, the AP, was someone I considered to be a friend and mentor, and her mask DROPPED when I stated that her behavior in this matter has been and continues to be unethical and unprofessional. She said, "I don't like your tone or your label." And I was like, "Okay, then what would you call this behavior? What would you call it when, for a YEAR, there have been complaints about a teacher and no one told the teacher?"
Mayi kept repeating that she told the DH to do it, and that she was following the chain of command. To which I replied, "And if he doesn't do it, then isn't it your job to make sure he does, and punish him if he doesn't do his job? How is it right that I am being accused of not doing my job when it's you three who failed your duties to inform me and help me fix my errors? How is it right that I'm being punished for your failures?"
Mayi huffed and scowled and rolled her eyes like the mature adult professional she is.
I told the team that I was reporting all of this to the accreditation board which is evaluating our school because communication issues are part of our critical areas of improvement. Mayi was like, "Don't threaten me!" and I was like, "It's not a threat. I was just waiting to see what your official statement would be."
I mean I gave them so much room to like blame the ring leader, but they just stepped right off the cliffs themselves. Except for the DH, who sat like a bump on a log. Until the end of the meeting, that is, after the AP and AAO had left. I was packing up my things, and he shuffled over, wringing his hands, and started to say, "I hope you know that I don't want--"
I looked at him, and said, "Don't you dare! Don't you dare speak to me!" And then I walked out, down the hall to my coworker's classroom, and cried for a bit.
So I don't know exactly what my timeline will be here at Clown School. I told them I'd stay as long as I kept my classes. I also told them I was more than willing to put together a plan to "improve" my grading. I'm willing to play ball there. I mean, I can find a PD that will go to my recertification, so it wouldn't be a total loss. But I know they won't truly offer that. So I'll finish the semester, but I sure as shit won't grade the final exams. Nor will I leave any plans for the classes. Because fuck them.
