WHERE is the PRINCIPAL??!!!!!

[no name]

Do any of the rest of you have this problem? Our principal has decided to "work" from home most of this year. She seems to either be at meetings or at home. She is never here and there is no vice principal. It is making me want to tear my hair out. If she is sick or something I completely sympathise but there is no way to know that. Basically she is just AWOL.

We are a very small school and we asked her what we were supposed to do with really disruptive kids when she wasn't on campus. We've been told that we can no longer send them to the office because the office staff isn't trained to deal with them. Her reply was that we were supposed to walk them around the school grounds until they calmed down. WHAT?!!!

Thanks for letting me vent. It is seriously wearing me out!

 

[MusicTeach]

?????

I'm so sorry! I think you need to talk to your superintendent about this principal and see if you can't find a better one. You need a principal who has leadership qualities, and it doesn't sound like you have one. If you get enough staff support and go to your superintendent, maybe he/she will listen.

 

[TexTeacher]

Are you joking? How does the upper administration allow this? The teachers at my school had a fit because the principal shut her door and told us she was too busy to deal with discipline today. I can't imagine what they would do if she just decided she wasn't coming to school.

 

[gatorgal]

document, document, document then complain

I would keep a tally of days that the principal is out for the next few weeks. Then I would write a short note or e-mail (keep a copy for yourself) and ask in that note that you need to meet with the principal to discuss some problems you are having. Explain in the meeting that you are feeling that you are not being supported by her when she is absent. Blah, blah, blah. Document what is said.

THEN go to the superintendent to complain. These people like data and 'back up' to what you say. If you say she is out alot... show him the amount of time. If she said to you verbally or in a note the crazy things about discipline, give that to the superintendent also. It looks much better when you say "on Thursday, November ___ she said......" "The week of November ____ she was only at school half of one day...." If you can, have more teachers go with you to see the big boss. I know my principal always took a deep breath when the whole grade group went to her at one time. She knew we were united in our efforts!

If your district has a school board- give all of that information to each member also. They need to know that they are paying someone who is not earning their paycheck! Express your concerns in a nice tone of voice and without getting over excited. The students' needs are your focus and if the teacher is not being there to support you in discipline and curriculum then you are not as effective of a teacher. Then the kids suffer.

Just be careful... sometimes it is a good 'ol boy system. You don't want to involve yourself in complaining without being able to back up what you say. And like you mentioned, she really may have personal problems or sickness. You certainly don't need to go above her head without some facts.

 

[teacher4]

Report

I say report her to your union. I cannot believe you have not complained or the other teachers. She need to find another job. Ask her if she can leave someone in charge when she is out. Personally I could not work with her.

 

[teach4fun]

i agree...document everything

to safe yourself, i would document everything and anything. If there is a problem you know that you are the one that is ultimately be responsible, but that is UNREAL that she is working from home. I thought it was a misprint there for a moment until you said it again. I cant not even believe that it would be a reasonable thought process that a trained principal would think to have ... hey i can take care of all these teachers, staff and oh yea all the children that i am in charge of from home. yea that is a great idea. ..... hey when can we do that??????

 

[M.]

Re

I definitely feel that you need to tell the superintendent about this. Just think, she is probably getting payed to sit at home! You don't even know if she's actually doing work at home! I'm sure the superintendent doesn't have the slightest clue about her whereabouts either. I would tell him. It's not fair to you and your co-workers not to have anyone there when you have behavioral issues to deal with!

 

[Megg]

I feel your aggravation, but...

Count your blessings! My principal runs our school by the books, so to speak. She does 100 unannounced observations every nine weeks, and constantly walks the halls to monitor us. She has been principal for over 15 years and has only been absent a few times. The one time she was, I actually had a day in which I could teach without panicing over my door opening and I could deal with discipline issues without worrying about being off schedule. If I had the liberty to take a disruptive kid outside to walk, I'd take my entire class out for a walk around the track and catch a breath. As I was saying, I am sure your situation is frustrating, but I am sitting here on the other side of the fence. And frankly, your grass looks a little greener than mine from this vantage point.

 

[Aisling]

Been there

We did go through something similar a few years ago. The principal was obviously just not interested anymore and had enough tenure that she could get away with not being around. She also had good friends in the administrative staff who enjoyed lots of perks. In exchange, they would cover for her. THEN her husband died suddenly, her father died and her daughter's fiance got very very sick. Now she had a good reason for not being around and we were really on our own.
She transferred to a school closer to her home last year and we thought we were going to be much better off. But her old friends really resent her replacement because they don't get the same special treatment. Lots of tension and while we now have a resident principal, the situation is just as bad. Sometimes a problem you know is much better than what you might end up with.