Help! My Principal Still Doesn’t Move – Forcefully Tells Me To Leave Early

Dear We are teachers,

I took a job at a new school this year that I really like, except for one thing: My principal keeps commenting on my leaving during the contract! If I pass him on my way out, he’ll say, “You’re in a hurry!” or “Somewhere you should be?” When I finally explained to him that my contract day ends at 3, he said, “Oh, yes, that’s true, but most of our teachers stay until 5:00 or later.” My eyes just popped out of my head. I thought we all agreed to work our contract hours in 2024? Now I feel very sneaky leaving at 3. Help!

—I Don’t Know You Are Poisonous?

Hello DYKTYT,

First of all, as a fellow millennial, thank you for the B index. Spears. 🐍

This really annoys me and would cause me great irritation as a fellow law enforcement officer.

I would understand if you skipped afternoon work, meetings, or other things that usually appear under “Other Duties As Assigned” to catch up. But on a typical day, you should be completely free to go on your contract time—no questions asked!

Eventually, your principal will stop commenting and discover that, unbelievably, you can still do your job well without working hard. But if you don’t want to wait until he stops, you can say, “Every day I give someone a ride in my neighborhood and go during my contracted time to pick them up.”

Do you need to know if your neighbor is you? No, he doesn’t.

Dear We are teachers,

This is my fourth year teaching 5th grade math at our school. I realized early on that any students I got who had a Ms. A or Mr. B in 4th grade math were well prepared for my class. But there are students who were with Mr. C? Big gaps in knowledge. Like, all units are missing. For the past three years, I have had to meet with Mr. C’s former students in small groups until December to fill in those gaps.

I asked my team last May about Mr. C said she saw the same thing with her students. They said they had talked to him before but nothing better. Now, they seem to have withdrawn from this fact of giving more teaching to his students every year!

I refuse to accept this. My question is, should I go to Mr C first, even though my team has already spoken to him? Or am I going to my principal at this time?

—“C” Your Way Out, Sir

Dear CYWOS,

Yes. You still have to talk to Mr. C first.

Here’s what you do.

Collect data.

Give your students a diagnostic test on some of the topics they were supposed to study in 4th grade, and sort those results by each teacher’s students. “Normal” results after the summer break can mean hits and misses here and there, especially with strong minds. But if only one teacher’s students are missing questions that focus on certain concepts, you’re right—those concepts weren’t taught to be king.

Talk to Mr. C.

Say this: “Hey, I gave a diagnosis recently and I wanted to show you the results. Do you have a few minutes?”

Then, listen without judgment. Maybe you’ll agree that it’s really hard to teach those concepts, and you’ll have the opportunity to step in and offer support. Otherwise, he may defend himself and say that there is nothing wrong with his teaching. Or maybe he’ll give you an idea you hadn’t considered, like you and another teacher having a Pre-AP course. I don’t know. But be ready to respond with kindness and compassion, give him whatever support he needs.

If he is willing to try harder, great. He showed himself. If he is not willing to change, go to your department chair first (if you have one), then your AP. You will have the data you need.

Dear We are teachers,

My first year teaching high school and I love it! There is one important thing: I have a group of about 10 students eating lunch in my room right now, and I haven’t done anything. I’ve tried noise canceling headphones, I’ve tried telling them to pretend I’m not there (in other words, don’t talk to me!), but they continue to be very distracting. I feel bad because they are good kids and I know they feel social in my room. But I NEED my alone time. How do I cancel a group lunch without hurting their feelings?

– Tired of Being the Lunch Lady

Dear TOBTLL,

Let me start by saying that there is nothing wrong with needing (desperately) that little 20-minute block in the middle of your day to recharge in peace.

I could be wrong, but I sense some competing emotions within you. Because of this, I will divide my recommendations into two categories:

If you really don’t want to host a student lunch anymore, though:

Just tell them. Say, “Listen, I love you guys and our lunch together. But as a teacher, I need this time not only to recharge, but to make things happen—and there are things I can’t do without the students here. Sometimes I need to call a parent, or leave you unattended to make copies or go to meetings. I could get into a lot of trouble if I did that while the students were eating lunch here. I know you’re disappointed, and it’s a hard decision for me too. But I hope you understand.”

If you want to host a student lunch but, like, cut it way back:

If you’re afraid that a perfect cut feels too big, set some limits!

• Hold students once a week (or once a month) instead.
• Create a rotating schedule with other teachers who are willing to host.
• Find other ways to build community that don’t involve giving up your lunch hour. (Two favorites that come to mind: attendance quizzes and this class calendar.)

Do you have a burning question? Email us at [email protected].

Dear We are teachers,

I moved to Florida from New England this year and, at an off-campus job fair, accepted a position at what appeared to be a middle school. But from the first day the school opened this summer for teachers to work in the building, I saw that the school was full of cockroaches. The dead in the hall, the living coming out of the coffins, stabbing everywhere. It is not the German child that is crippled but the big tree that is crippled. I’m fine with most bugs, but these scare me! I asked my principal what could be done, and he said that apart from the three-month extermination visit, his hands were tied. I don’t want to make waves at my new school, but this seems like a health risk!

– This disturbs me