Tweet

() Comments

Report

We have a former Spanish teacher who is 73 and still
working..she moved to ELD (English for non native
speakers). I teach Spanish.

This teacher is sick and it's stress related, but if she
and the principal agreed she'd forego retirement that's
not my business. BUT..
1) This teacher was hired to teach one 3 hour class (the
students no nothing so they are in one marathon class
daily) and 2 standard classes..plus she is the department
head. But the teacher "doesn't want to" teach the 3 hour
class, so THEY CALL IN SUBS DAILY!

2) 7 subs have been willing to take on this class as a
long term job..6 quit. I have befriended #7 :).

3) Why did #2 happen?

First, the class is TOTALLY out of control. The students
swear literally every single minute, they run around
screaming and throwing heavy objects, they leave the
portable where the class is located without permission,
dance on desks, etc.

This teacher has flat out "fired" several subs (for poor
classroom management) and asked them to leave.

She blames subs for everything and yells at them.

She demands that they always use the textbook--in a three
hour multi lingual class of total beginners--and throws
tantrums that teachers are "making it too hard" by
"speaking in full sentences"!

So.. I befriended sub #7; she speaks Spanish and wanted
to see my classes. Hence I know all of the gossip above..
But for some insane reason, sub #7 wants to stay.
She asked if I could observe the class during my planning
to help her.. sure.

Here is what I saw:
Teacher: Saif, please go sit in your assigned seat..you 3
are talking in Arabic and not working.

Saif: YOU..Spanish Spanish ALL DAY SPANISH..NEVER
ENGLISH! Me no Arabic?? F--k you!

Note: The teacher spoke NO Spanish when I observed.. she
understood questions from Hispanic students and answered
the students in English.

Teacher: Work (she reads the book), speak Arabic..fine.
No work.. no talking in Arabic. Move.

Saif: continues along these lines..

Anima: No learn; no English..Arabic Arabic ARABIC and you
SPANISH SPANISH NO ENGLISH.. I go to another class!

Teacher: If you could I would help you, but there is no
other class for beginners here..

Anima: My parents are coming.. you only Spanish, all
Arabic, bad teacher!

Then they all scream like this..

Jorge: (when told to stop eating) I eat.. c-nt!

A female student climbed onto the desk, gyrated, and
rubbed herself all over provocatively.

After school the teacher said "I WILL be "fired" when the
"real teacher" hears that I have talked to Hispanics in
Spanish.. and I am surprised she hasn't heard yet. When
she hears she will tell me to leave.

Good.. I said.

But if I get removed from a long term sub job I don't
think I can continue subbing--even in other schools--
anymore.

NO..a teacher can't "fire" a sub. Only an administrator
can fire you.

If she is the teacher of record and I am her helper, she
legally can request my removal.

Overall, I now feel that I need to confront the principal
about all of this.

I don't get to decide who teaches what..I get it!

It's none of business if a teacher of record wants a
teacher below her removed, nor do I get to learn the
legal details of what happens next.. I get that, too!

But this is just NOT ACCEPTABLE.

So..how do I approach this delicately and yet forcefully?

Posts on this thread, including this one