His principal refused to train a teacher, telling him that only the best students counted. So he quit his job and may also drag the administration down with him

His principal refused to train a teacher, telling him that only the best students counted. So he quit his job and may also drag the administration down with him » TwistedSifter

It is often said that teaching is a calling, but it is also a profession.

And often an ungrateful one.

This story from Reddit illustrates what happens when a teacher who truly cares about the well-being of his students meets a principal who doesn't—and who ends up “winning.”

I have been teaching for 6 years, at my last school for 2 years. I have a BA in History and an MA in Education.

My principal and administrative staff pulled me out of one of my classes during an intensive lecture and ambushed me in the hallway to ask me and tell me that I would be teaching IB courses next year.

That's never a good start. No teacher wants to be taken out of class to talk to the administration.

For those who don't know, International Baccalaureate courses are intensive courses for high school students that last 1-2 years.

These courses are very intensive and, according to some teachers, require the time of a part-time job to plan and prepare… with no additional pay and not part of my contract!

IB courses place enormous demands on students and teachers. Asking an educator to take on this role without any training is not fair to them or the students on the course.

For context, in my first two weeks working at this school, I noticed that the other side of the pendulum, namely students with learning disabilities, were being pushed aside in order to achieve the headteacher's goal of becoming an “elite IB school.”

I began to advocate for these students and offered to co-teach a class with a special education teacher to help the students achieve success.

It was a great success, as many of the former “problem students” actively participated in the lessons and through the grapevine I learned that I was one of their favorite teachers because I “understood” them.

After the first semester, I began to ask staff to allow me to teach more of these specialized courses in my department.

This teacher did everything he could to help students who were falling behind and had a huge impact on their success.

That's right: There was no change in the curriculum, just in the way I presented it to the class.

Although the principal rejected my proposal, he allowed me to continue attending my single class the following year.

Back to the present: After the ambush, I went home and discussed the matter with my wife.

She has been my rock and understood that the additional task, which essentially meant 15 extra hours of work per week, was causing me problems.

She said, “Listen to your heart.”

I think we all know what this very caring teacher will do.

The next week I scheduled a meeting with the principal. I told him that I was not prepared to teach the IB course THIS YEAR, but if he gave me time this year to prepare the additional materials and create a curriculum, I would be ready for next year.

I also asked him if there were any other courses he wanted me to organize and teach for next year.

He said, “No, teach this course next year or find another job.”

WOAH. I wasn't expecting that answer!

When I asked about additional co-taught courses for the overlooked joint students, he said they were not important.

I reminded him again that I was currently working on my PhD in history so that I could teach college-level courses in high school so that students could receive double credit and have a head start in college and technical schools.

He laughed at me and said, and I quote: “The additional training you have completed since you started working here does not benefit the school at all. Nobody cares about that.”

So a school principal devalues a person's education. That sounds like someone has their priorities wrong!

That took the wind out of my sails.

I love teaching. All the extra work, time and effort I put in away from my family is to be a better teacher and role model for my students.

I told him I had to think about it and quietly left the room.

I took the next day off, spent time with my family, and talked to my therapist. I'm very lucky to have a wonderful support system.

I went back to work afterwards and several coworkers spoke to me privately.

They agreed that his statement was shameful.

They told me I wasn't the only teacher he spoke to this way; from turning failing grades into passing grades to having teachers sponsor several extracurricular clubs without pay.

This clearly shows a pattern of disrespect.

I went to my union representative and added my statement to his ever-growing pile of employee statements about the principal.

I assured him that I was willing to go to the school board, etc., and that he should just call me.

Yes, I decided that was it. I wrote the principal an excellent resignation letter full of positive words, thanking him for the wonderful opportunity to work at his school and for letting me learn from his “outstanding” example of leadership.

Did I also mention that I forwarded the email to all employees? There was no way he could publicly react negatively to my resignation and he was furious!

This is a smart move and his colleagues appreciated the passive-aggressive game.

The majority of the staff knew what was going on. There were lots of smiles and fist bumps.

Office staff later told me that five more teachers had resigned, representing the largest staff turnover in a decade.

The headmaster must now appear before the school board next month and explain what is happening at his school.

I wonder if I will get a call?

I imagine there will be some support for this in the comments, so let's take a look.

People want the author to follow this principle.