I went to the principal because I am the case manager of a girl in my resource class who has a homeroom with Mr. J. This teacher has a horrible reputation as a teacher and he is close to retirement. He is a Hispanic Male teacher. He hardly ever gets Sped kids because he does not work well with them.
I have politely tried to stick up for my students. My two key complaints as case manager are that this man does not teach science and he teaches math during band when about 6 out of 32 students are gone. My LD student goes to him for instruction and then comes to me to “do the lesson worksheet or homework” as she is close to grade level but not close enough for a full phase. She is not doing well because she misses 2 out of 5 days of instruction while at band. He is extrememly inflexible in his job and is not a team player.
I went to the principal to talk with her. I said I was not trying to get this teacher in trouble but I needed to advocate for my students. I don’t think the parents are aware that this is going on.
I like my students to have science because it is often something they enjoy and don’t feel so stupid at.
Anyway, this teacher found out that the reason the principal was checking on him was because of me. He started yelling at me and said things like “How dare you go behind my back, nobody gets me in trouble, that is ridiculous, you only have a few students.etc…on and on…..I left the room that was full of teachers by the way and he continues to yell at me followed me out and continued to yell to get in the last words..
I later saw him next to the principal. I firmly told him that is should never harass me and verbally attack me like that again. I told him he may not talk to me about such matters again without the principal present. I was clear and firm, not yelling but all heads were turned in the office.
This man is a yeller. He yells at students and belittles them. He tried to intimidate me like he does with them.
The principal later told me that he changed his math schedule and that we are kind of like a family with little squabbles. The rest of the team has major issues with this teacher and that maybe I could have handled it differently. I’m not sure how as I went to him first, then my sped boss, then my principal.
Many have left schools after working with him. NOTHING ever happens. The principal is retiring this year and MR. J is retiring maybe next year. The principal backs up this slacker saying things well he has good test scores.
Do I let is slide, write a letter of complaint, or what? I don’t want him to yell at anybody else. Is this normal behavior. Do many of you teachers get yelled at by general ed?. Perhaps this is why my position keeps position at this school keeps turning over?.
Re: General Ed. Teacher Yelling at me
I agree. He’s a loser, but the administration is not likely to do anything of consequence to him. Document it in your personal records, in the event you have additional problems with him, and move on. You did the right thing. You advocated for your student and it got results. You stood up for yourself while treating him in a more professional manner than he treated you.
Re: General Ed. Teacher Yelling at me
Sadly some people are yellers and they often get away with it. Yellers intimidate most people, including principals. Bravo for you for standing up to the yeller and to the system in the best interests of your student.
We really can’t change the yellers - especially when they’ve gotten away with it this long. That would be a frustrating and unrealistic goal for you to establish. I cant’ explain why your position keeps turning over but I can tell you many of us have a yeller on our faculty and everybody walks on eggshells around them.
Good luck.
If they're leaving, leave it.
Of course, the replacements will quite probably be as bad or worse, since obviously hiring quality people is not a priority in your district (how’d they get lucky enough to have you?).
I’ve worked under folks like that. I sit and calculate and make my best judgement as to when to stick up for myself and my kiddos, and when it would be wasted effort — and I try to work with others for even more impact; sometimes a simple statement (“please discuss discipline at the next faculty meeting”) from a hundred teachers is more effective than a detailed tirade no matter how justified from three people.
But when I knew an admin or teacher was on his way out I would let an awful lot of crap roll off my back - though I’d do my best to keep others from getting hurt by these folks.
Re: If they're leaving, leave it.
I have to respond to this about the yelling teacher. You all do realize the impact this has on the kids? My son had a yeller in 3rd grade, we were the third set of parents to ask that their child be moved. The principal told us that if she kept moving kids it would look like she was undermining her teachers. She was a new principal and we were naive parents. My son cried almost everyday because he always took what she said personally. This was the year I had to take him to the counselor because he told me he was ‘so dumb and stupid he should just go kill himself’. This woman did terrible things for his sense of self. I would have to keep telling him, if he wasn’t doing what she was yelling at the class for, then she wasn’t yelling at him and not to take it personally. Very hard for a 3rd grader to do I believe, especially a shy, quiet adhd kid. Is there no way for a teacher like this to be replaced? Even for parents to try? What do you do?
Of course this is the same teacher who I spoke to at the beginning of the year about my son’s adhd and problems, come progress report time she looks at me all bewildered and can’t understand why sometimes he doesn’t seem to be paying attention. Oh yeah. Quality teacher.
Amy
Someone needs a little heart to heart talk.
I suggest one or more parents go talk to this so-called teacher about his lack of manners. Someone about his size, age and volume level would be about right.
More than 40 years ago I had a rotten 5th-grade teacher. She never made me cry, but she was a miserable human being. My father had a few nice chats with her and then with the principal, but nothing changed. I survived the year and life continued.
Although my parents had been attending PTA meetings since I started school they were not deeply involved. The next year my father was elected president of the PTA and my former teacher did not make it to the Christmas break.
I learned a lot of little lessons about life from my dad. He was 81 last month.
Call me sentimental with an attitude,
John
Re: Someone needs a little heart to heart talk.
John, no amount of talking will change this man. When people told me how unreasonable he was I thought, now I can deal with him. Surely, he will see what is best for kids. NOT. I have never had trouble with any one on 4 campuses. I know it’s not me here.
I know how all those kids feel that this teacher yells at. I was so upset I almost had to leave for the day. I do feel so bad for his students. I feel like complaining about him but it will look like I’m out to get him after I complained about him. I will go the teacher’s union and ask them what does abuse sound like? What should I do if it happens again.
I feel like putting a hidden tape recorder outside this teacher’s door. He takes out the behavior problems and starts yelling at them. I think parents would be horrified if they heard this man yell. I’m fairly new on the campus. I feel like a trouble maker. Apprently this teacher still has a job and nothing happens. I can’t go to parents and get them to complain cause it would make me look like retribution.
Stilll not sure what to do. This teacher should have been gone a long time ago.
Unsure
My advice is to let it go. Absolutely nothing will be done to him if he has a year left. Plus he has good test scores and is a minority. People witnessed his poor behavior and it certainly reflects on him. You have little to gain by continuing to pursue it. I would hope that someone will have the sense to keep special ed. students out of his class next year.
But no, this would not be considered normal by any means. I think turn-over in special ed. is due to many factors: heavy caseloads, inadequate preparation to remediate learning problems, too much paperwork, behavior problem students, difficulty with regular ed, etc.
Janis