SUPPORT - CONNECTICUT STYLE

I am a veteran teacher (30 yrs) in a Connecticut public school.

I am a victim of teacher abuse and would like to know how this organization might be able to help me. The town/district/board of education is a very tight one and freedom to talk to one is absolutely impossible. After dealing with abuse for quite some time now, the administrators (female Principal, her assistant Principal, and Human Resource) are escalating it into proving me to an incompetent teacher. (Parents are gossiping and ridiculing "my style" -honesty, truthfulness,...etc and go directly to Principal without coming to me to discuss any issues...Principal attacks me verbally, with written reprimands, and negative observations....)

I am on a program of support (evaluation-through Professional Development) and am being observed each week either informally or formally. Last year I had over 55 observations. The amount of required work that is outlined in this program is human impossible. I have to hand in all my lesson plans, every piece of written work to parents, weekly work from children marked and graded....the list goes on.

I have given my life to teaching. I love working with the students (I teach 3rd grade), however, some of the parents, teachers and administrators are less than desirable.

I fear losing my job, which I am more than capable of doing. However, when an administrator comes in to the room, I get tense, unable to deliver, I get nervous, and as a result the children are reacting to this consistent disruption. The children are now asking their parents and me why?

Last Spring I hired an attorney to protect my rights....but it is expensive and I am unsure mentally how much more I can really handle. Because of the union being a bargaining unit, he is not able to represent me on the school grounds but will be able to if the administration should move into termination. (I'm anticipating this will occur at the end of this school year and if this should happen I will be totally devastated :-(

I have strong and victorious character traits and I am willing to pursue on behalf of my colleagues but I need help. :-) The worse thing for this town is to "ruin the reputation". I would like to see some support for the teachers and an awareness to the public that "teacher abuse" is happening in this "Stepford Wife" community.

What are you able to do for me? Looking forward to your reply and thank you.

Since I wrote to you I was suspended for three days without pay after the receipt of a complaint letter, from a new parent to the district was received. The Principal, Ass't and Human Resource Person met me and cross-examined me for almost two hours. Later I showed my lawyer and he said the letter was a joke. However, the administrators gathered 5 of my present students and spoke to each one individually asking them questions about me. These children are between the ages of 7 to 9. The children were taken into his/her office without a third person (me or a representative for me) and they used the child's word against mine, telling me, "You've lied!"- thus the reason for the suspension.

Along with the holidays and my own children returning home to celebrate, I have worked diligently to put the issues out of my mind for this week.

I plan to grieve the suspension and have my attorney (not the CT Educ. Assoc) write a letter to the Board of Education. I have taught for 30 years and will only receive 42% pay if I retire prior to age 55. I still have a number of years to go. I am very restrained at school and rarely talk to my colleagues because I just don't trust them! It would appear that I am a loner but, I've been burned just too many times. In addition, I do have the support of my parents this year, because they were livid that the administration removed me the last 3 days of school prior to the holidays. I have received many phone calls to encourage me with the words, "Hang tough." Easier said than done.

I am feeling quiet overwhelmed with what the administrators are humanly requiring of me- (just their attempt to break me down) so I'll say, "I quit." Most people would have already done so, but I am of strong character.....a pioneer of education against teacher abuse!

SIGNED,
Another teacher about to be cleansed from the system
Top

BACKGROUND