Workplace stress:(

[novice75]

Girls only problem.. Guys dont have time for this nonsense. Find a better school with more males preferably.

@redvelvet

Welcome to the jungle of teaching. You will …at times…be confronted with coworkers who are opposed to working as a team and discussing concerns directly with you…and will instead gossip and run to the principal to screw you over. You’ll even see parents who will do the same. This type of sh!t will never end and you will never develop immunity to it.

I find it strange that the head teacher is complaining that you do not do interesting things with kids and they get bored. Hmmm…it’s actually more the head teacher’s responsibility to come up with interesting lesson plans and activities. Also, it is the head teacher who has sets the tone of the classroom and who is mainly responsible for classroom management. If the head teacher has strong classroom management skills…then her students will know the procedures/rules and how to behave in various settings and with various faculty members. It sounds to me like you have a head teacher who wants to sit back and let YOU do most of the work and is now finding fault with you. Some (not all) head teachers also pull this kind of crap when they get teaching interns from universities.

So here is what I suggest that you do: Instead of waiting for the head teacher to complain to the principal about you at the end of the year (when rehiring/firing decisions are being made)…I think you need to go talk to your principal. Take a notebook with you. Tell your principal that this is your first time being an assistant teacher and you enjoy working in the school and under her leadership and that you want to develop your skills/improve yourself. Tell her that you just want some clarification on what your duties are as an assistant teacher. Then write those duties down (and the date/time of the meeting) in your notebook.

^It could be that the head teacher expects you to do “extra” duties that are not part of your job. Ask the principal if it is your job to come up with interesting lessons/activities for the students. ***Do not complain about the head teacher to your principal…it will make you look unprofessional. Simply get a list of the duties from your principal. Now this may make you feel a bit uncomfortable (and I understand)…but tell your principal that you would appreciate it if she could sometimes pop into the classroom and observe how you’re handling the kids because you value her feedback about her progress.

^Basically you’re showing the principal you’re being proactive…and that way she gets a positive impression of you which will contradict the negative crap that the head teacher says about you at a later point. Again, don’t complain about the head teacher to the principal and don’t even tell the head teacher that you’re going to meet with the principal. And when you get the list of duties from the principal…I personally wouldn’t share it with the head teacher…because I wouldn’t give her opportunity to screw me over with that information. Make sure you follow the duties …outlined by the principal. If you have any evidence/sample (lesson plans, pictures, etc) of work that you’ve done with the students…keep it in a folder.