They Can't Keep Employees? Really? What a Surprise!

I am so done with this district. Even just in subbing for them, they are still doing their best in guilt-tripping and devaluing me. The guilt-trips just don't work for me. Apparently the district personnel believes they will, though, or they would stop...

I agreed to sub for a former colleague today. No problem. I wanted to sub for her, was going to bring the gecko, of course, get to see my old students... then yesterday, I woke up and couldn't get out of bed. I had that slightly run over by a train feeling and couldn't stop being exhausted. I wasn't able to get out of bed until 3 pm, at which point I canceled my subbing job. I left a message with the person I was subbing for and canceled the job, figuring that if I couldn't get out of bed, I wasn't really able to safely supervise 2nd graders, and oh yeah, I had a FEVER. Not making this up.

So, feeling slightly guilty - because the field of education has sort of beat into me that I should feel guilty - I went to bed figuring that I had done everything I could. Then I got a call this morning from the person in charge of sub paperwork. She says (read this in a snippy tone of voice, please) : "You accepted a subbing job and canceled at the last minute. That school has 5 teachers out today. Call them and find out how you can go over there and sub right away!"

Excuse me? Am I five years old? Or am I a professional who might - believe it or not - only cancel because of something valid like ILLNESS?

Warren sums it up best: "It mystifies me that they haven't figured out that this isn't the way to treat employees." Then he adds: "They seem to think that you need them and you really don't. They need you." Funny thing about this district. They talk a lot about how hard it is to retain employees. Hmmm. Isn't there something about insanity being when you try the same thing over and over and expect different results?

Do I even bother to point out that a) I wouldn't cancel if I didn't have a reason, b) a better way to phrase it might be to first ask me why I canceled and not order me around like a 5-year old, c) this is why they lose employees at such an amazing rate?

Or do I just resign completely and forget the leave of absence?

At some point, I think I resign and write a letter explaining exactly why. And send it to anyone at the district who can read.

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Bronwyn Harris, Author

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