Time to move on, they said, time for a change ... though in words far more dark and threatening! But what it did represent was the end of a long and painful period of my life, probably the worst time I've experienced in a long, and many would say successful, teaching career. I’m not sure that I’ll ever come to terms with the way I was treated, especially the damage done to my relationships with my teaching colleagues and pupils and the secrecy surrounding my case and its eventual outcome. It’s been a very negative time, but I’ve learned a lot from what’s happened and some positive things have come out of it. In many ways I’ve had to begin my career all over again, but already I’ve had experiences that tell me I’m still a good teacher and able to develop positive relationships with young people in schools and teachers who share similar ideas to my own about teaching and learning.
So what have I learned that might help others who find themselves in a difficult position as a teacher (or any job for that matter)? Here's just a few things to think about, I'm sure there are others out there somewhere!
1. Don’t expect senior management to support you when you try to do the right thing by other staff and pupils! Being a good teacher and manager responsible for significant successes is just not good enough it seems!
2. Keep clear records, for example:
- a time-line of events, including dates of emails and other documentation sent and received and all contact made
- copies of all relevant letters, emails and reports. Store them digitally and as printed documents since digital records can easily be lost
- detailed records of things done and said. Where possible, summarise conversations and let others involved have a copy
3. Finally, involve your professional association as early as possible!
