change of positions
change of positions
I'm at a new school and have noticed that several people are in different teaching positions than what they thought they would be teaching or that was stated on their contract. (I'm lucky that I'm teaching what was stated on my contract but school hasn't started yet so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.) So it got me thinking: When is it okay to make a stink and fight for the position you thought you would be teaching? When do you let it go?
Response
When making the stink would be meaningful to you, and your willing to pull a runner over it.
From an academic perspective the position change fundamentally effects your marketability or changes your compensation. If you are a primary IT and they switched some grade level for you from year 5 to year 4, at the same coin and comp not a huge deal. If they changed your assignment from year 6 to year 1, and cut some coin, thats complaint worthy.
The same is true in secondary. Are they just adding a class or two thats tangential to what you teach, or does it represent a major change. An economics IT being scheduled to teach a history course in the same grade, not that big a deal. A physics IT being scheduled some lower division math, not a big deal. A Lit IT being scheduled for a course of lower secondary drama, not a huge deal.
If your moving more than one step on the curriculum web, outside your experience thats when Id start to get worried. Youre a lower secondary language arts IT and they want you to teach math at the same grade level, your an Art IT and they want you to teach some upper level ESOL, a lower secondary maths IT and they want you to teach an upper secondary general science course. Thats the point you communicate to leadership that whils you are not refusing the assignment these are the concerns and issues, and likely outcomes of doing so.
Passed that one step on the curriculum web, thats when you have to seriously consider declining. Your hired to teach Art and they want you to do secondary ICT. Youre an exit level maths IT and they want you to teach chemistry, biology and a lower secondary general science.
If you arent willing to say no, decline, and leave over it though why bother? Its just going to cost you political currency and gets you nothing. Either you do it, in which case keeping your mouth shut and being cooperative earns you some favor, or you wont do it, and you have to be prepared to withdraw your acceptance of the appointment.
From an academic perspective the position change fundamentally effects your marketability or changes your compensation. If you are a primary IT and they switched some grade level for you from year 5 to year 4, at the same coin and comp not a huge deal. If they changed your assignment from year 6 to year 1, and cut some coin, thats complaint worthy.
The same is true in secondary. Are they just adding a class or two thats tangential to what you teach, or does it represent a major change. An economics IT being scheduled to teach a history course in the same grade, not that big a deal. A physics IT being scheduled some lower division math, not a big deal. A Lit IT being scheduled for a course of lower secondary drama, not a huge deal.
If your moving more than one step on the curriculum web, outside your experience thats when Id start to get worried. Youre a lower secondary language arts IT and they want you to teach math at the same grade level, your an Art IT and they want you to teach some upper level ESOL, a lower secondary maths IT and they want you to teach an upper secondary general science course. Thats the point you communicate to leadership that whils you are not refusing the assignment these are the concerns and issues, and likely outcomes of doing so.
Passed that one step on the curriculum web, thats when you have to seriously consider declining. Your hired to teach Art and they want you to do secondary ICT. Youre an exit level maths IT and they want you to teach chemistry, biology and a lower secondary general science.
If you arent willing to say no, decline, and leave over it though why bother? Its just going to cost you political currency and gets you nothing. Either you do it, in which case keeping your mouth shut and being cooperative earns you some favor, or you wont do it, and you have to be prepared to withdraw your acceptance of the appointment.
Re: change of positions
25 years ago, my mentor (who then had 25 years on experience on the international circuit) advised me that I could be sure of one thing in this racket: whatever it said in my contract I could be certain I would NOT be teaching. It's gotten a lot better since then, and I personally do my best to avoid this when I hire people, but it does still happen. In all schools, good, bad, medium, big and small.
My own school's enrollment went up 12% unexpectedly over the summer holidays (not quite, actually 7% expected and 5% surprise), so there's been some adjustments in people's roles and some extra hiring to do. Minor adjustments. Welcome to the roller coaster.
My own school's enrollment went up 12% unexpectedly over the summer holidays (not quite, actually 7% expected and 5% surprise), so there's been some adjustments in people's roles and some extra hiring to do. Minor adjustments. Welcome to the roller coaster.
Re: change of positions
There are such a variety of teaching experiences--I have background in Africa, Asian, the ME and South America...and I have never worked at a school that changed contracts like that...and I would say that I've worked from the elite to the lower tier 2. Good luck with working things out...but schools that would change you from grade 9 to grade 11 English, or from grade 2 to grade 5 is one thing...to change from grade 6 humanities to AP English or grade 9 biology to 4th grade...that's really unprofessional!
Re: change of positions
Thanks sid! As far as I know none of my colleagues have had major changes. Just small ones 1st grade instead of third grade etc.
Re: change of positions
I was forced to briefly teach two subjects I had no prior experience in because the school could not recruit the staff needed but this was a terrible T3 school that was barely functioning. I have also know of a Music teacher asked to teach IT (reason given - both involve 'keyboards', I kid you not)! And a non-British teacher hired to teach Geography but then given British History to teach (of which he knew almost nothing and he had absolutely no resources to call upon).
Discussion
@Nomad68
I know an art teacher who was required to teach chemistry (with lab) because the studio spaces were next to each other and the safety procedures were similar, but your "keyboard" rational wins for least rational explanation.
The geography/British history example is more plausible, after all the British drew most of those lines on the map, and they were created over the course of history. Its also one of the courses you could page turn your way through and teach from the text, and if there is no text there are lots of online resources (if the IS doesnt have texts, they arent expecting much).
I know an art teacher who was required to teach chemistry (with lab) because the studio spaces were next to each other and the safety procedures were similar, but your "keyboard" rational wins for least rational explanation.
The geography/British history example is more plausible, after all the British drew most of those lines on the map, and they were created over the course of history. Its also one of the courses you could page turn your way through and teach from the text, and if there is no text there are lots of online resources (if the IS doesnt have texts, they arent expecting much).
Re: change of positions
@PsyGuy
re: British History. In the instance I was giving the school had no resources at all - no books, no internet connection. Teachers brought their own laptops, pens and paper. Our Geography turned History teacher was given crib notes by British colleagues to get him through lessons. Calling this a T3 school is being generous and it has since closed.
re: British History. In the instance I was giving the school had no resources at all - no books, no internet connection. Teachers brought their own laptops, pens and paper. Our Geography turned History teacher was given crib notes by British colleagues to get him through lessons. Calling this a T3 school is being generous and it has since closed.
Re: change of positions
I'm a secondary social science teacher, I also have a license for English. In the past my school has asked me to teach Grade 7-9 math (I said no to Grade 9), PE (did it) and Grade 8 science (I said no but then gave in with the stipulation that I would not teach it again). So, as you can see I'm pretty flexible, I have to be because my school is seriously tiny, but there is a limit. The night before I returned to school this year, I received an email stating I would be teaching mostly MS science courses, and two different social science courses during the same hour to two different groups of kids, among other disconcerting changes that I won't get into. I told the principal I was going to quit unless he gave me the courses I was supposed to be teaching. I'm a single mother of a toddler, I've lived and taught all over and in some pretty sketchy schools, so please understand that threatening to quit (and leave the country) was a very huge deal to me. My principal backtracked, sort of, however I actually don't know what I will be teaching next semester. Between that and some other ridiculous occurrences this year and last, obviously I will be moving on as soon as it is feasible...
Comment
@twostars
What a DB principal. Your principal agreed not to give you that kind of schedule after agreeing to do it the first time and then does it again anyway, and then you have to push it to the point of quitting to get what you agreed to. Please name and shame that leadership with a review.
What a DB principal. Your principal agreed not to give you that kind of schedule after agreeing to do it the first time and then does it again anyway, and then you have to push it to the point of quitting to get what you agreed to. Please name and shame that leadership with a review.
Re: change of positions
Yeah, and the only reason I agreed to do the science in the first place was as a favor to the school because the science teacher left in the middle of the year. This year I also teach two completely different courses to two different groups of kids, in the same room, at the same time. As you can imagine, there are a plethora of other horror stories I could tell, but I'd be getting too specific and outing myself I think. Believe it or not, this principal is actually quite a step up from the previous one, who resigned and left from one day to the next in the middle of last year!
Re: change of positions
So, in the middle of a meeting just now I was told that I will be teaching Science next semester because "no one else can do it." Yikes.
Reply
@twostars
So go to them and tell them "too imagine who they would have teaching those courses if you werent there and either do that, or you will leave and they can do that anyway". You and leadership had an understanding, and you did your part, you bailed them out of a jam. Now they think their position and authority is somehow a substitute for integrity. There is absolutely someone who can teach those courses, and its whoever the IS hires to do so, thats whats got to happen, otherwise you might as well confess to being their property. Yes things happen, but you already swooped into the rescue then, you dont owe the continued inability of leadership to address the problem by making it your problem.
So go to them and tell them "too imagine who they would have teaching those courses if you werent there and either do that, or you will leave and they can do that anyway". You and leadership had an understanding, and you did your part, you bailed them out of a jam. Now they think their position and authority is somehow a substitute for integrity. There is absolutely someone who can teach those courses, and its whoever the IS hires to do so, thats whats got to happen, otherwise you might as well confess to being their property. Yes things happen, but you already swooped into the rescue then, you dont owe the continued inability of leadership to address the problem by making it your problem.