Fired and they won't tell me why!

amother

Fri, Jun 08 2012, 5:13 pm

I was fired from my job today. There were 2 weeks left in the school year. About 3 weeks ago I received my staff evaluation and was told that I hadn't been meeting their expectations. I won't go into detail, but this has been a challenging year, with a very challenging student (I teach special ed) who is on the road to being classified emotionally disturbed, and I had the daily challenge of protecting my students and my classroom staff from his emotional outbursts while trying to run a class. When I met with my supervisor, I was told that "we'd talk some more" when she got back from a 2 week leave. In that time I thought I had managed to smooth out one of the points mentioned. Earlier this week I felt the need to say (say mind you, not yell or scream or even raise my voice) something to my challenging student based on one of his outbursts. I thought I had been in the right to say what I did--it was a consequence I had come up with. Apparently some new (confidential) information had come to light which made my reaction to this situation inappropriate. Once I was informed, I acknowledged that it had been inappropriate under these circumstances and immediately implemented the plan which came out of the meeting with the school psychologist and director. Anyway, I was told that the meeting that I had been promised was going to happen today, but at the meeting they told me that I was fired and only said "we've had these conversations, you know why, we're not saying anymore". They gave me "time" to get my things, but while I was doing so they were pressuring me to leave. What makes matters worse is that I am just entering my 9th month of pregnancy so now I have to sit and twiddle my thumbs for the next 4 weeks!
All I was told was that I've had performance improvement plans--which were all based on seemingly isolated incidents that were not as serious as they were made out to be. I was told that I needed to improve--but I dont feel that they adequately evaluated my improvement, all they said is that "we've been informed"--by who they wouldn't say. I feel so betrayed and confused. No one would talk to me as I left.

miami85

Sat, Jun 09 2012, 9:57 pm

paid maternity leave? Officially no, I wouldn't have qualified for FMLA anyway--didn't work there a year yet. Luckily I had a short term disability policy from a previous job that I "took with me" so I'll have that and unemployment. I'm just SOO frustrated that they wouldn't even let me finish the school year--when I didn't DO anything that required me to get fired--especially when they promised that "we'd talk."

amother

Sun, Jun 10 2012, 12:34 am

I'm giving you a big, warm hug!
Teaching is the hardest, least appreciated job! They really feel that you are a robot with no feelings. You put your energy, strength, time and everything into these kids and there is absolutely no appreciation!
If this helps, my husband has been fired last week with no explanation. First, he only asked to be paid till the end of the year, which they are doing. But BH he has a good attitude, he's planning to start his own business, no more teaching for him. I took an extra job for now to help out financially.
He's been in the school for six years, parents and students were always happy with him.

miami85

Sun, Jun 10 2012, 12:40 am

The seemingly isolated incidents were:
1) A "performance improvement plan" because I was having difficulty with this difficult student--in my on-going consultation with the school psychologist we were coming to the conclusion that there was more going on than just school based interventions were going to solve--and I put in place most of what had been outlined--but there was no acknowledgement of it (when I told my supervisor that she missed seeing some items that were said to not have been done--when they were just not on the day she observed---she said she had informers, but wouldn't tell me who the informers were). 2)I wasn't feeling well one day and 2 things "happened" that got written up-- I don't understand why they made such big deals about when, yes, something COULD have happened but nothing did and they were both based on routine procedures that I have done with no problem before and after--not sure why the little "goofs" were such a big deal--one of the goofs was caused by someone else's action which the supervisors saw on surveillance camera but they wouldn't tell me who committed the action, one had to do with filing a certain form, which I didn't get signed before I left for the day I left it for a supervisor thinking it could wait until the next day and I wasn't feeling well so I left--they made it sound like I "just left it". So I don't understand why they came to me with "we havent seen enough improvement" when I HAD made improvements--they just weren't acknowledged. And those things weren't even what my evaluation highlighted, and I had made significant inroads on that "issue" and wanted to speak to my supervisor and she said that we would have another conversation but no, the conversation was "we decided to let you go".
That being said, I'm glad I'm out of there, I'm just so upset that they were so standoffish about the whole thing. Not letting me finish the school year, not acknowledging that this difficult student was beyond anything anyone in the school's ever dealt with, not acknowleding any good that I had done for the school. When I asked why their decision came when it did they just kept saying "you know why, end of discussion"--when I DO NOT KNOW WHY--we were supposed to talk about it, and I never got a chance to defend myself.

groisamomma

Sun, Jun 10 2012, 1:41 am

amother wrote:

Were you physical with the child?

If you didi touch the child, grab, restrain etc. that is cause for dismissal.

Last month I had a child PUNCH me and I still did NOT touch him. Instead I wrote it up and the child was sent home.

Teachers are NEVER allowed to touch a child.

You are correct that teachers may never touch a child, but there are different laws concerning special education students that may need to be restrained.

OP, I feel awful for you to have been let go when you did. According to what you wrote, you will be eligible for unemployment because you were fired. Make sure to file asap because it does not pay retroactively. Also, before you burn the bridge and school lets out for the summer, contact your supervisor and ask for a letter of recommendation at least. Most "mentchlich" supervisors will do it even for teachers they fire so that they can find a job elsewhere.

Marion

Sun, Jun 10 2012, 1:51 am

ValleyMom wrote:

OP mentions they "saw something on the security camera"
This muts mean she was physical with the child as the security cameras dont catch dialogue.

OP this is all a learning experience for you.

Sorry this happened but look at the bright side... having a few weeks off before a baby is not such a terrible thing.

Good luck and ,ay you find a new job quickly.

No, someone ELSE'S actions were caught on camera, how I read it:

one of the goofs was caused by someone else's action which the supervisors saw on surveillance camera but they wouldn't tell me who committed the action

groisamomma

Sun, Jun 10 2012, 2:04 am

Marion wrote:

ValleyMom wrote:

Exactly how I read it. Although it crossed my mind that even if that someone was under OP's supervision...a para for example, OP may still be held responsible if she said anything to contribute to it.

All the things OP has written that were seemingly small but were cited at the time of her firing were not maybe bad individually. But from experience I have seen that when a school is looking to fire a teacher they will create a "paper trail" and that all these seemingly isolated incidents will come back to bite later. Maybe they had other reasons to fire OP but are using all these as proof because they need something concrete to use?

imasinger

Sun, Jun 10 2012, 8:48 am

In my experience, you are best out of a place that would travel to some length to fire you. I'm sorry for the timing, though -- that's harsh. I have experienced something similar, and lived to tell the tale, though, as have many others.

One piece of wisdom I learned from that early experience is to ALWAYS cultivate a friend/mentor on the highest level who will tell me truthfully what is going on. Sometimes, there is something you can do, other times, there is not, but it always helps to know, and to know which of your actions made a wrong impression before it's too late to change things around.

I hope you are able to find another position soon, and that you will have a happier ending. In the meantime, see what you can do to get a good reference out of this place. Is there anyone who will help you?

miami85

Sun, Jun 10 2012, 9:19 am

When I requested that meeting on Friday it was to try and sort out this ridiculous paper trail that they were building, but it didn't go as planned. I am trying to get in contact with my "mentor" and even my former supervisor who claimed that I had a lot of positive skills--just not working out in current place. I'm additionally frustrated because this is the 3rd job in a row that this has happened--Director seems all nice, then sets me up for failure (impossible kids, impossible circumstances) and then fires me just days or weeks before end of session. It's easy to say that "it must be me" when I've had a string of rotten luck. Why does it seem that all administrators are nuts?

Btw, from previous experience, NY is a hire/fire at will state--they don't need to give you a reason.

What they did say at this meeting was that there "wasn't enough progress seen"--when I can recall my supervisor observing me ONCE--and she came in the middle of my circle time and missed me doing some of the target things she was looking at.

amother

Sun, Jun 10 2012, 9:53 pm

miami85 wrote:

3rd job in a row? this is not a "string of rotten luck", there is a problem with your work and you need to figure out what and fix it ASAP. All I read above were excuses, you need to stop rationalizing and start learning from your mistakes. If the administrators keep building "paper trails" of small incidents so they can fire you, you need to get to the heart of WHY they are doing that? Most bosses are willing to cut an employee some slack if they are happy with their performance overall, yours are doing the exact opposite, why? I hope you can get in touch with your mentor or supervisor and ask them candidly what the problem with your teaching style is. explain that you are not looking to get rehired at this school, you understand that that ship has sailed, but you want to do better at your next job. Hopefully, they will have the kindness and decency to give you an honest answer.

precious

Sun, Jun 10 2012, 10:04 pm

amother wrote:

miami85 wrote:

I agree. you need to figure out why you keep getting fired from your jobs. did either of the first two jobs give any explanations?