Getting Out of Contract

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Home : 2003 : October : 26

Getting Out of Contract
By Chuuuz

You're in a tough spot. Your health comes before the job. Period. Don't let anyone talk you into staying for the sake of the kids, UNLess they are ready to jump in and give you the support you need in the classroom. Is there
a confidential way you can go talk to the other school principal and see if you could REAlly get that other job? I've taught in schools where admin. does NOthINg to help the teachers. It's THEIR JOB to back you up, but some just abdicate the role and hide in their offices. Your assignment is wayyy too much for one person. Resource should be in there pulling out kids for certain periods.

If you feel you have exhausted all avenues of getting help from within your school, I would certainly look to saving my mental health, while searching for a less stressful place to teach. The more I read these boards, the more I want to jump in and help teachers. Why aren't school boards taking better care of their teachers? Don't they realize they're going to lose the best educators? My school already has 4 retired teachers (they begged them to come back) working because they couldn't find anyone else to fill those jobs. The USA and Canada are heading for a fall in the education department. And when that fall comes, teachers will have boards by the short hairs in terms of pay, support, class size, etc. Keep posting and let us know what you decided.

Meanwhile, I am a Canadian teacher.. don't know if these ideas would help you for now.

Can you get some help from older students. Example. I taught elem. school..needed help with IEP students. Talked to grade 6 teachers & admin. and got 2 students to come from their class to help my students. It worked well & the students were proud to do this. Also, I got a parent volunteer to work 2 days/week in my class to help keep the lid on. The mom I had was wonderful. I took the student helpers and mom out for lunch periodically. Sometimes when there's no $$$, we can create something.