Same Situation!

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Home : 2005 : May : 9

Same Situation!
By ????

Giggles,

By reading your post I would've thought it was me writing! I work with a co-teacher (she teaches in my room everyday, most of the day, or whenever she feels like coming in and attempting to do her job). This is
my first year in that classroom, and she has been in there for about 3-4 years.
She is very passive aggressive to me and sometimes down right rude. This year has been torture working with her. I was so excited to begin the year, and in a matter of a week I went from being excited to dread at the thought of going back there everyday.
She is 50, lives with her mother (always has), has

never been married, doesn't have children, is so unmotivated, extremely overweight, and looks and smells like she hasn't showered since who knows when. That may sound really immature and rude, but she has been so mean to me this year. I've been told that her odor has been an issue for quite some time. She teaches when she feels like it and has no expectations for the kids (I have special ed. students in my classroom, so she comes in to support them and work with them in small groups-rarely does that though).

I'm 27, live on my own, engaged to be married this winter, motivated, and energetic to teach. When I came back from spring break (that's when I got engaged) she never congratulated me or even said a word about it. She still hasn't! That makes me believe she is miserable and can't be happy for anyone else.

Like you, I'm not going back in the fall. My reason thus far has been that my fiance and I are moving later this fall, so I won't be around long enough to finish another school year. But if I were going to be in my area, I wouldn't be going back anyways. I couldn't force myself to work with her another day beyond this year.

She asked me, "I know this has been a tough year for you...what advice would you give the next teacher to make it a better year for them?" I wanted to scream, "I would tell them NOT TO TAKE THE JOB! THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE GETTING THEMSELVES INTO!"

Like you, I want to "tell her off" so bad. I've gone as far as to plan out when and what I'd say. Yes, that's immature, and who will feel better by doing that?? Well, maybe I will. But I'm going to leave and leave with my mouth closed. I won't give her the satisfaction of thinking she has run me out of there.

The one issue that has been bothering me though is this...I feel in some ways that I should speak to the principal (he has been aware of what's gone on this year) and tell him how she spends more time sitting in her office than working with the students who need the extra help. She is doing such a disservice to them. She is sitting in her office doing nothing and getting paid, while I'm trying to teach and do my job, but I'm also trying to help the kids and in some ways make up for what she isn't doing (although I'm doing less and less of that because I just can't). It's the kids who are suffering though. That makes me feel terrible. These parents come in for meetings and IEP meetings, and she acts like she's the perfect teacher. They have such high hopes for their kids, but they would be appalled if they came in and saw that their child's needs aren't being met.

Anyway, I'll miss my dear students (they are wonderful), but I couldn't run fast enough out that door on the last day.

Good luck with your situation. I keep reminding myself there's light at the end of the tunnel. I've made it this far with being a resepctful and hard working professional, so I'm going to leave that way. I won't sink to her level!