Should I confront?

[Lori2006]

Last year I mentored (and continued this year) a new teacher that came from literally across the country. She came to our city ALONE - which had to be tough. Recently, though, she has decided to return home because she got engaged and her father has taken ill. She mentions many times how hard it is to get a teaching job in her home state because the requirements are strict. She knows how difficult it might be to get a job if she moves back home. We have all wished her well - but she confided in some of us that she asked the principal for a letter of recommendation. Her response was "I'll give you what you want if you give me something in return. Find out what the teachers think about me and tell me." We won't even go into how terrible that is...but twice our principal has confronted different people about things that only a handful of us knows (including our transplant teacher). My dilemma is - should I confront her? Or is it even worth it with 13 days left of school?

 

[dee]

Leave it....

You know what you're dealing with, which is much more knowledge than some teachers ever have the opportunity to know about their principal.

Your principal is obviously insecure. It's not worth any repercussions with only 13 days left since I am assuming you have to work with her next year too.

 

[PrivateEyes]

No

Confront her with your suspicions? That's unfair. You don't have any proof. A secret held among a handful of teachers is no secret at all. She is only one of a handful of possibilities. You single her out only because her motive (if she had one) is known. Other unknown motives might be responsible. All you really is know is that YOU haven't told, and one of a handful of people (or someone they told) is responsible.

With 13 days left of school, just be very discreet. If it is her, she was put in a very unpleasant position by a very unprofessional administrator and ought to be pitied. If it wasn't her, you haven't made her last days unfairly stressful.

 

[Lori2006]

Thanks

Thanks for your advice. I plan on just letting it go. I do feel bad for her because our principal put her in such an awkward position.