Meanwhile, my darling wife suggested I take the person up on his offer to obtain a couple of laptops and continue with the project.
If I was in your shoes this is what I would do. You're probably on your way out anyway, with or without a fight; instead of a fight, give them a stick in the eye by doing what you know is right and be developing your other options so that when they come down on you for it you can give them an enthusiastic middle finger and move on.
If you have a 29 year old son it appears that we are probably around the same age (I'm 48). I work in industry and in the last 25 years I've engaged thousands of people in hundreds of industries in several states and more than one country :-) I've seen operations like your school and they can persist for years in a kind of perverse squalor because some tyrant has got the controls. You can hope for radical change (Have you seen the movie /Pump Up the Volume/?) but it's safer and more realistic to find a greener pasture.
localroger: Wow! I love the way you've nailed every petty empire I've ever encountered. With appropriate attribution, I'm passing it on to educators and administrators in my family.
Many excellent suggestions here. Scope, you're a man of principle (certainly NOT principal!) and it definitely sounds like it's time to come up with an escape route. Whether you change schools or start a business (very exciting and VERY risky), start seriously weighing options and deciding what you want to do.
I'm a passionate hothead, my overzealous kneejerk reactions to many crazy situations (while still defendable in most situations, looking back) over a 29-year career could have easily been the end of my career. As PJ's Dilbert reference suggests, modern bureaucracy (in both public and private sectors) is hard to put up with; common sense often has NO place. It's easy to let things escalate and spiral out of control when you're caught in the crossfire. But if you can keep your composure and attempt to stay the course in spite of the many foolish people around and above, you come out the bigger man. It's easier to put up with/work around obstacles when you realize that the end is in sight and you won't be stuck in that rut forever. If you know you're leaving, try to make a few memorable changes that will last even after you go.
Good on ya, God bless ya in however this unfortunate situation resolves itself.
Now that you know what you're dealing with, keep cool, smooth things over, put up with stuff, bide your time, do your best, make & keep friends, make yourself indispensable, turn negative into positive, work it out so parents, school children and administration will like you, and move on immediately when a better opportunity presents itself so everyone will miss you.
It is unfortunate to learn things the hard way. Most people I've worked with have been very quiet and reserved about what they do for fear of stepping on toes and accidently causing other problems. Being able to navigate a workplace landscape to achieve extraordinary results is not something any new employee can do easily.
I would find a way to apologize for being out of line, learn how to get "in-line" quickly, and secretly start looking for another job. Getting fired or quitting without having another job lined up is very bad for a career where one depends on an organization for a pay-check.
While I can understand some of the issues the Principal have(about trying to install non-standard SW), the rest is an utter hogwash.
I suggest you bring TWO recording devices to that meeting.
The first you activate before entering, and keep hidden all the time.
The second, can be activated when the meeting begins.
If there's a lawyer or someone claiming to be a lawyer there, the second MUST be activated in plain sight.
If they try to deny you the use of that recorder, ask calmly for a reason. Don't argue, just say OK, and switch it off.
Keep your voice calm at all times. You want the principal to rant as much as possible.
Be polite!
Afterwards, if you believe they're going to fire you, you'll have a great tape to hand over to any local journalists you happen to bump into...
If you could get the principal to admit on tape that he was upset about reporting the sewage problem to the health department, especially after requesting repairs on numerous occassions, I do believe that would be a very powerful recording.
Bruce
EDIT: With a recording like that, I would seriously consider asking for a raise
EDIT: Without any doubt, it sounds like a tough spot to be in. When I am in a tough spot and there are other people involved, I try to produce a stategy, such as in a chess game, that will help gain some leverage and put me in a better position to come out on top. And it sounds to me like you could gain some serious leverage by applying the old noodle and gain a nice advantage.
EDIT: I should also mention that the laws pertaining to the recording of a conversation vary from state to state.
I don't think that taking the principal head on is going to have a desired outcome. If would be far better if Ken Gracey wrote him a nice letter explaining how many school have had good outcomes from using these products and that Parallax is more than willing to offer support to assure that they do not have the kinds of problems that he imagines might occur.
The fact that he gets a responsive and caring letter from the president of the the company that makes the product, might get a lot more done.
I don't think that taking the principal head on is going to have a desired outcome.
Perhaps not, but it certainly would not hurt to have some leverage, to use only if necessary. As they say, "If I am going down, you are going down with me."
Doesn't really sound like this is about computers as much as it about egos. I may not know much about computers, but I certain know a lot about the latter.
Teachers do indeed get railroaded out of a school if a principal take a dislike to them, especially in rural America. And small towns schools can be very much 'my way or the highway'.
On the other hand, if you are a principal is a small conservative and extremely red-neck town in rural America and the high school kids have be hacking the Internet for XXX material, this might be the only alternative you have to keeping your retirement pension. You don't need a teacher to come along and get the local church leaders in an uproar over something that may have happened in the past.
Loopy, I agree whole heartedly. Sounds like the principal has an ego problem. Time to put him in "CHECK" by obtaining some proof of any undesirable character traits (leverage). Educators get fired all the time because of unscrupulous internet activity or perhaps he might be having an affair with nurse Betty.
Frankly, if you are non-core subject public school teacher in the USA, taking on and getting the principal of your school in trouble is pretty much a career ender.
You might as well tell this teacher to plan on joining the Peace Corp for two years in Africa in order to get a Federal hiring priority to restart his career. Either that, or to move on to teaching English in rural Philipenes, Thailand, or Mainland China.
It is sad that it has gone this far, but I think the only next move is to try to negotiate a decent no-fault exit, maybe with the help of a lawyer. Otherwise, the principal is likely to make sure that the teacher will have to at least relocate to another state to find employment.
I believe this is still salvageable. It appears to me that there is something of a disconnect between Scope and the administration-- likely exacerbated by the Director of IT. I find it difficult that one letter delineating the inadequacies of the additional PCs would have been enough to send people over the edge.
Scope is frustrated because the administration doesn't understand what he's trying to accomplish. I imagine that the reverse is true for the administration. Granted, it appears that they were needlessly melodramatic, and handled things in an entirely unprofessional manner-- and just to make it clear, I'm a Christian conservative living in a small midwest town, married to a teacher who's staff hasn't had a pay raise in the past eight or nine years now.
Scope, be clear to them what you are trying to do in a clear, calm manner, even if they bluster and huff. Let them know that you understand if things are delayed through budget or other resource allocations, but that it's something that you actually need to hear from them and not let things fester into the situation you're in now.
I'm sure I'll get flamed for this, even if nothing is posted, but I believe that God has a specific plan for you. I have no idea whether it's to stay or go, that's ultimately between you two. Regardless, the tritely used "let not your heart be troubled" really does apply here. Sorry for waxing philosophical.:)
Amen, Brother Jordan! Wise words. There is usually a "way out", but in the midst of such ridiculous frustrations, it can be very hard to remain calm and objective enough to see the forest for the trees. Hopefully Scope can regroup and see the situation for what it is and act accordingly.
I agree with Jordan, tread carefully since the resistance you are getting may come from a source that isn't obvious. I have a friend who was the head of IT in the local school district that retired early due to his frustrations in dealing with the school board desires and what the schools needed. So it may be the principal, It person or the school board that is ultimately creating the resistance.
Scope, I do commend your stand on giving your students the best education you can possibly give. It sickens me greatly when I hear that bureaucracy or egos impede education. I nearly had my education destroyed by a ego driven principal in the mid 60s. He had the attitude that only "perfect" students deserved a normal education. If you had a lisp or a limp you were special ed material. As an infant I suffered light brain damage due to a fever. It only affected my motor skills and not my intellect. I did have difficulty with speech and walking. The principal labeled me as "uneducateable" despite the results of a battery of tests including IQ tests stating otherwise. I was dismissed from school. When I was 8 the state required me to attend school and with some aggressive therapy correcting my speech and walking we went back to the school only to have me put into special ed. Also that was the year my brother started and he had issues with understanding a teacher with a thick British accent and since he was my brother they informed my parents that they were looking into placing him into special ed as well. That made my parents move the family to a nearby city where I was streamlined into normal classes where I did well. I graduated in the top 10% in high school and went onto college and got a BS in Electrical Engineering. I think I did well for being "uneducateable". I do wonder how many lives were affected by that narrow mindedness.
Sorry about the rambling but I'm passionate about getting past the narrow mindedness of people. Scope, it is people like you that make the difference. Thanks! My prayers are with you.
At this point, during the upcoming meeting, I really don't have any desire to come across as a winner, or promote a tone of dominance but I will probably - very politely - ask Mr. Principal to refrain from telling me the same thing three times (he's really bad about this and it's highly irritating - hey, I already got it the first time okay - ha).
I'm not a quitter but my heart just isn't in this job or any other public high school teaching job. It's time to move on and like someone else mentioned, these types of jobs will always be plagued with the gigantic government bureaucracy. Given these eight years teaching in three public high schools, I don't believe the typical administrative goal truly involves doing what's best for the student. Instead, their mindset seems locked onto the numbers games - the endless bar graphs which identify the high stakes test scores. And, this is incredibly ironic because educators, above all others, should understand that multiple choice tests (exceptions for the writing test) are really a lousy way of determining how well a school performs.
Yes, these instruments can be given to students and then graded more cost effectively than most other methods of assessment but it's ridiculous that nobody can trust the schools to do their job. It's necessary, yes, but ridiculous that these "litmus tests" exist to determine funding and many other outcomes and that so much emphasis is placed on these scorecards.
I do enjoy what I do and, at the risk of tooting my own horn, I do a good job. But this is the only time in my entire life I've ever routinely woken up at night worried about my job - how incredibly unsatisfying it is, how unstable it is, and how ironically unappreciated I am to the administration. It was never like this before in my previous other two positions - never.
The bottom line: I should have done a much more thorough job of shaking the dust out of this rug before I threw it on my living room floor. It looked good, I was told it was "world class" with "cutting edge technology" and rather than simply believing their stories, I should have done more investigating, more prodding, more research before changing schools.
Live-n-learn, as they say.
I am seriously grateful for all the comments - it seems everyone is genuinely concerned and we all just want to see the best outcome - and, isn't that what the best friends are always about?
Thank you all very much.
Now, let's do something fun and make another robot: design, electronics, mechanics, and programming - woo hoo!
Scope, if you decide to take the advice to record your meeting -- which is in fact good advice -- LEARN YOUR STATE LAW FIRST. There are basically two types of US state on this kind of taping. States like Louisiana permit taping of conversations where one party (that would be you) in the conversation is aware of the taping. (These laws are passed, incidentally, for the convenience of police surveillance). If you live in one of these states you're good to go.
But some states still require all parties to be aware of the taping. Make sure you don't live in one of these or you will get in more trouble for making the tape than the bad people you're taping will get into.
I had the first of three meetings this morning - the assistant principal trashed the first part of my evaluation because she observed two students texting and another reading a book while I was giving a brief presentation. Of course, she went on to explain how I have nearly zero classroom management skills and then she got really nasty after that - I just apologized, kept smiling and went along with it. Out of nine criteria, I received zero exemplary, two satisfactory, three needs improvement and the rest were below that rating.
I left the meeting wanting to throw up - seriously.
My darling wife reminded me we can pay our bills even if I get another job that's much less than what I had and what I'm making now. It's time to move on - it's a job that's not worth fighting for - it's a career that's not appealing, desirable, or satisfying anymore.
But thanks everyone - really, your combined comments and suggestions have given me more encouragement and hope for a better future than I can express in words.
I'll be okay - somehow, some way, everything will work out.
Let's make some robots and enjoy life. I'm working on some awesome projects!
Wow! You have a kid that can read no two that can use technology! That's more than some classrooms can boast!
Seriously, it sounds like time to move on. Your wonderland wife and kids are behind you to carry you through this rough spot. As you and others have said, there's a plan for you. Sometimes you just need a little push to find it!!
Onward to robots!!
I like your signature line! When you think about it, grabbing a bull by the horns has a better chance of a good outcome than grabbing a bull by the other end!!!
Scope is giving me flashbacks of my teaching years... I suspect I'll never go back to teaching. If it hadn't been for the support of my principal, the other administrators probably would have eaten me alive.
@Scope, hang in there! There is life outside the classroom if it comes to that.. Heck, I'll bet your stress level comes down too. (I know mine did)
Sorry to hear that. From your description, it does sound like you are being set up. Meetings, evaluations, paper trail. Makes me sick just hearing about it. It must have been difficult to sit through that. Hang tough, your family and forum family are with you, there are far better opportunities out there for a gifted and caring person like you.
Scope, I hope you never give up trying to find a way to share your knowledge with the kids. There has got to be some other avenues that you can use. This is a very disappointing thread to read. It really sounds like that school system has some major issues to overcome. There are some public school systems that are not like this. In the area where I am the Public Schools are outstanding, have a great administration, top notch teachers, and good parent involvement. Some of the issues brought up in this thread would never fly here.
When I returned to my classroom, I wrote my resignation letter but didn't turn it in yet. I told a fellow teacher about resigning and he said if I didn't finish the school year that the district would file a complaint with the state board of education, putting a hold on my teaching certificate which would prohibit me from teaching for at least three years.
I'm going to Home Depot tomorrow to look for a job, then maybe UPS and some other places. I don't think I've ever been this depressed in my entire life.
Well Scope I'm sorry to hear it's gone downhill so badly. It seems clear someone with some juice has it out for you. Sadly, it's very common for the best teachers to be targeted like this once a school or district has been taken over by people who are more interested in hierarchal conformity than actual education.
I once read a story (I'm about 90% sure it was in John Taylor Gatto's Underground History of American Education) about a lady who was given the Special Needs class basically because nobody else wanted it. She threw herself into it, introduced a lot of innovations, and at the end of the semester was fired for not following the standard Special Needs curriculum -- she had taught the normal curriculum, and her students scored better than the normal students. So, out with you nonstandard lady who makes us look bad!
I have seen in my father the power of the desire to use one's skills to enrich the next generation, so I know how disappointing this is. I suggest you heed your own signature line and once you get a strategy in place for survival issues, maybe you can volunteer at (or create if one doesn't exist) a local makerspace, or tutor, or find another way to follow your ideal. Just don't get down thinking it's your fault. It sounds like you did have a misunderstanding that the purpose of the school was to do the thing you want to do. It's sad, but well documented, that in a lot of cases that's not so. (In fact, if you haven't read Gatto's book you probably should; the whole thing is online, and it's quite an eye opener.)
I told a fellow teacher about resigning and he said if I didn't finish the school year that the district would file a complaint with the state board of education, putting a hold on my teaching certificate which would prohibit me from teaching for at least three years.
Can you file a complaint with the state board of education about the insufficient learning environment provided by the school?
Can you file a complaint with the state board of education about the insufficient learning environment provided by the school?
Sure, I guess I could but I'm guessing they would make a counter complaint and produce a plethora of "evidence" they've been collecting (like I mentioned in post #50).
Sure, I could take all the emails I forwarded to my private account and share them online, maybe giving the local newspaper a heads up on what it's like "teaching" these days but that's really not my style. Really, what's the point - who really cares? Now, if a lawyer wanted to take the case and sue them, then I'd be all over it but I doubt anyone would take the case without some green up front and that aint gonna happen.
Some good news - I've been practicing my fingers off with SolidWorks lately - I passed the Certified SolidWorks Associate exam last summer with a perfect score and with my ~8 years teaching all levels of Pro/ENGINEER (renamed Creo) along with my Inventor experience, someone, somewhere, someday will want me.
I suspect in the face of a "hostile work environment" claim, the "evidence" you mention in post 50 won't be quite as valuable. Basically, I figure you need to file first. I suspect a complaint from the school would probably have less gravity if there are complaints about the people making the complaints. It may also be worth looking up the terms of service for the various school officials, and look up standardized test scores for the school over time to see if they've gone down while the principal has been in tenure. If you can make the case that the school is bad because the people running it don't care and are lining their pockets, you may be able to come out on top.
Can you file a complaint with the state board of education about the insufficient learning environment provided by the school?
Whether the learning environment is sufficient will be determined by a bunch of set criteria which, in nearly the entire US now, involve standardized test scores. Lack of access to certain lab environments will not be considered insufficiency. Instead, it's now mainly on the teachers; if the kids score well everything's OK, and if they don't it's the teachers and school which are to blame. This is all part of a nakedly obvious attempt to gut the US system of public education for obvious political purposes. One person trying to fight this might as well be one person trying to stop a runaway train by standing on the tracks and yelling STOP.
Comments
If I was in your shoes this is what I would do. You're probably on your way out anyway, with or without a fight; instead of a fight, give them a stick in the eye by doing what you know is right and be developing your other options so that when they come down on you for it you can give them an enthusiastic middle finger and move on.
If you have a 29 year old son it appears that we are probably around the same age (I'm 48). I work in industry and in the last 25 years I've engaged thousands of people in hundreds of industries in several states and more than one country :-) I've seen operations like your school and they can persist for years in a kind of perverse squalor because some tyrant has got the controls. You can hope for radical change (Have you seen the movie /Pump Up the Volume/?) but it's safer and more realistic to find a greener pasture.
I'm a passionate hothead, my overzealous kneejerk reactions to many crazy situations (while still defendable in most situations, looking back) over a 29-year career could have easily been the end of my career. As PJ's Dilbert reference suggests, modern bureaucracy (in both public and private sectors) is hard to put up with; common sense often has NO place. It's easy to let things escalate and spiral out of control when you're caught in the crossfire. But if you can keep your composure and attempt to stay the course in spite of the many foolish people around and above, you come out the bigger man. It's easier to put up with/work around obstacles when you realize that the end is in sight and you won't be stuck in that rut forever. If you know you're leaving, try to make a few memorable changes that will last even after you go.
Good on ya, God bless ya in however this unfortunate situation resolves itself.
I would find a way to apologize for being out of line, learn how to get "in-line" quickly, and secretly start looking for another job. Getting fired or quitting without having another job lined up is very bad for a career where one depends on an organization for a pay-check.
I suggest you bring TWO recording devices to that meeting.
The first you activate before entering, and keep hidden all the time.
The second, can be activated when the meeting begins.
If there's a lawyer or someone claiming to be a lawyer there, the second MUST be activated in plain sight.
If they try to deny you the use of that recorder, ask calmly for a reason. Don't argue, just say OK, and switch it off.
Keep your voice calm at all times. You want the principal to rant as much as possible.
Be polite!
Afterwards, if you believe they're going to fire you, you'll have a great tape to hand over to any local journalists you happen to bump into...
Bruce
EDIT: With a recording like that, I would seriously consider asking for a raise
EDIT: Without any doubt, it sounds like a tough spot to be in. When I am in a tough spot and there are other people involved, I try to produce a stategy, such as in a chess game, that will help gain some leverage and put me in a better position to come out on top. And it sounds to me like you could gain some serious leverage by applying the old noodle and gain a nice advantage.
EDIT: I should also mention that the laws pertaining to the recording of a conversation vary from state to state.
The fact that he gets a responsive and caring letter from the president of the the company that makes the product, might get a lot more done.
Perhaps not, but it certainly would not hurt to have some leverage, to use only if necessary. As they say, "If I am going down, you are going down with me."
Teachers do indeed get railroaded out of a school if a principal take a dislike to them, especially in rural America. And small towns schools can be very much 'my way or the highway'.
On the other hand, if you are a principal is a small conservative and extremely red-neck town in rural America and the high school kids have be hacking the Internet for XXX material, this might be the only alternative you have to keeping your retirement pension. You don't need a teacher to come along and get the local church leaders in an uproar over something that may have happened in the past.
You might as well tell this teacher to plan on joining the Peace Corp for two years in Africa in order to get a Federal hiring priority to restart his career. Either that, or to move on to teaching English in rural Philipenes, Thailand, or Mainland China.
It is sad that it has gone this far, but I think the only next move is to try to negotiate a decent no-fault exit, maybe with the help of a lawyer. Otherwise, the principal is likely to make sure that the teacher will have to at least relocate to another state to find employment.
Scope is frustrated because the administration doesn't understand what he's trying to accomplish. I imagine that the reverse is true for the administration. Granted, it appears that they were needlessly melodramatic, and handled things in an entirely unprofessional manner-- and just to make it clear, I'm a Christian conservative living in a small midwest town, married to a teacher who's staff hasn't had a pay raise in the past eight or nine years now.
Scope, be clear to them what you are trying to do in a clear, calm manner, even if they bluster and huff. Let them know that you understand if things are delayed through budget or other resource allocations, but that it's something that you actually need to hear from them and not let things fester into the situation you're in now.
I'm sure I'll get flamed for this, even if nothing is posted, but I believe that God has a specific plan for you. I have no idea whether it's to stay or go, that's ultimately between you two. Regardless, the tritely used "let not your heart be troubled" really does apply here. Sorry for waxing philosophical.:)
Scope, I do commend your stand on giving your students the best education you can possibly give. It sickens me greatly when I hear that bureaucracy or egos impede education. I nearly had my education destroyed by a ego driven principal in the mid 60s. He had the attitude that only "perfect" students deserved a normal education. If you had a lisp or a limp you were special ed material. As an infant I suffered light brain damage due to a fever. It only affected my motor skills and not my intellect. I did have difficulty with speech and walking. The principal labeled me as "uneducateable" despite the results of a battery of tests including IQ tests stating otherwise. I was dismissed from school. When I was 8 the state required me to attend school and with some aggressive therapy correcting my speech and walking we went back to the school only to have me put into special ed. Also that was the year my brother started and he had issues with understanding a teacher with a thick British accent and since he was my brother they informed my parents that they were looking into placing him into special ed as well. That made my parents move the family to a nearby city where I was streamlined into normal classes where I did well. I graduated in the top 10% in high school and went onto college and got a BS in Electrical Engineering. I think I did well for being "uneducateable". I do wonder how many lives were affected by that narrow mindedness.
Sorry about the rambling but I'm passionate about getting past the narrow mindedness of people. Scope, it is people like you that make the difference. Thanks! My prayers are with you.
I'm not a quitter but my heart just isn't in this job or any other public high school teaching job. It's time to move on and like someone else mentioned, these types of jobs will always be plagued with the gigantic government bureaucracy. Given these eight years teaching in three public high schools, I don't believe the typical administrative goal truly involves doing what's best for the student. Instead, their mindset seems locked onto the numbers games - the endless bar graphs which identify the high stakes test scores. And, this is incredibly ironic because educators, above all others, should understand that multiple choice tests (exceptions for the writing test) are really a lousy way of determining how well a school performs.
Yes, these instruments can be given to students and then graded more cost effectively than most other methods of assessment but it's ridiculous that nobody can trust the schools to do their job. It's necessary, yes, but ridiculous that these "litmus tests" exist to determine funding and many other outcomes and that so much emphasis is placed on these scorecards.
I do enjoy what I do and, at the risk of tooting my own horn, I do a good job. But this is the only time in my entire life I've ever routinely woken up at night worried about my job - how incredibly unsatisfying it is, how unstable it is, and how ironically unappreciated I am to the administration. It was never like this before in my previous other two positions - never.
The bottom line: I should have done a much more thorough job of shaking the dust out of this rug before I threw it on my living room floor. It looked good, I was told it was "world class" with "cutting edge technology" and rather than simply believing their stories, I should have done more investigating, more prodding, more research before changing schools.
Live-n-learn, as they say.
I am seriously grateful for all the comments - it seems everyone is genuinely concerned and we all just want to see the best outcome - and, isn't that what the best friends are always about?
Thank you all very much.
Now, let's do something fun and make another robot: design, electronics, mechanics, and programming - woo hoo!
But some states still require all parties to be aware of the taping. Make sure you don't live in one of these or you will get in more trouble for making the tape than the bad people you're taping will get into.
I'm not going to record anything
I had the first of three meetings this morning - the assistant principal trashed the first part of my evaluation because she observed two students texting and another reading a book while I was giving a brief presentation. Of course, she went on to explain how I have nearly zero classroom management skills and then she got really nasty after that - I just apologized, kept smiling and went along with it. Out of nine criteria, I received zero exemplary, two satisfactory, three needs improvement and the rest were below that rating.
I left the meeting wanting to throw up - seriously.
My darling wife reminded me we can pay our bills even if I get another job that's much less than what I had and what I'm making now. It's time to move on - it's a job that's not worth fighting for - it's a career that's not appealing, desirable, or satisfying anymore.
But thanks everyone - really, your combined comments and suggestions have given me more encouragement and hope for a better future than I can express in words.
I'll be okay - somehow, some way, everything will work out.
Let's make some robots and enjoy life. I'm working on some awesome projects!
Seriously, it sounds like time to move on. Your wonderland wife and kids are behind you to carry you through this rough spot. As you and others have said, there's a plan for you. Sometimes you just need a little push to find it!!
Onward to robots!!
I like your signature line! When you think about it, grabbing a bull by the horns has a better chance of a good outcome than grabbing a bull by the other end!!!
@Scope, hang in there! There is life outside the classroom if it comes to that.. Heck, I'll bet your stress level comes down too. (I know mine did)
Jeff
When I returned to my classroom, I wrote my resignation letter but didn't turn it in yet. I told a fellow teacher about resigning and he said if I didn't finish the school year that the district would file a complaint with the state board of education, putting a hold on my teaching certificate which would prohibit me from teaching for at least three years.
I'm going to Home Depot tomorrow to look for a job, then maybe UPS and some other places. I don't think I've ever been this depressed in my entire life.
I once read a story (I'm about 90% sure it was in John Taylor Gatto's Underground History of American Education) about a lady who was given the Special Needs class basically because nobody else wanted it. She threw herself into it, introduced a lot of innovations, and at the end of the semester was fired for not following the standard Special Needs curriculum -- she had taught the normal curriculum, and her students scored better than the normal students. So, out with you nonstandard lady who makes us look bad!
I have seen in my father the power of the desire to use one's skills to enrich the next generation, so I know how disappointing this is. I suggest you heed your own signature line and once you get a strategy in place for survival issues, maybe you can volunteer at (or create if one doesn't exist) a local makerspace, or tutor, or find another way to follow your ideal. Just don't get down thinking it's your fault. It sounds like you did have a misunderstanding that the purpose of the school was to do the thing you want to do. It's sad, but well documented, that in a lot of cases that's not so. (In fact, if you haven't read Gatto's book you probably should; the whole thing is online, and it's quite an eye opener.)
Sure, I could take all the emails I forwarded to my private account and share them online, maybe giving the local newspaper a heads up on what it's like "teaching" these days but that's really not my style. Really, what's the point - who really cares? Now, if a lawyer wanted to take the case and sue them, then I'd be all over it but I doubt anyone would take the case without some green up front and that aint gonna happen.
Some good news - I've been practicing my fingers off with SolidWorks lately - I passed the Certified SolidWorks Associate exam last summer with a perfect score and with my ~8 years teaching all levels of Pro/ENGINEER (renamed Creo) along with my Inventor experience, someone, somewhere, someday will want me.
Whether the learning environment is sufficient will be determined by a bunch of set criteria which, in nearly the entire US now, involve standardized test scores. Lack of access to certain lab environments will not be considered insufficiency. Instead, it's now mainly on the teachers; if the kids score well everything's OK, and if they don't it's the teachers and school which are to blame. This is all part of a nakedly obvious attempt to gut the US system of public education for obvious political purposes. One person trying to fight this might as well be one person trying to stop a runaway train by standing on the tracks and yelling STOP.