Teacher, feeling bullied.

LegacyUser

Hi all,

I'm in my mid twenties and I have been teaching for around 3 years now. I've taught in a university as a tutor, in secondary schools as a sub teacher, and in language schools as a TEFL teacher.
I started working in a new language school 6weeks ago, and for the first time in my working career I have encountered problems with a colleague(s.) <snip> It's an acclaimed language school and it is alligned with an important educational institution within the city. Hopefully, someone can give me some advice as to what I should do.

<snip>

Anyway, problems related to this theme arose last tuesday. At around 2p.m, after all the morning teachers had left, I returned to the staff room to find two afternoon teachers(one of whom I had never met.)
One of the ladies remarked that she had heard the music from my classroom, as she had been correcting exams in an empty room next door. I apologised, saying that I'd keep the music down in future, but was thinking in my head 'what a bitch, do your corrections in the staff room.' However, I could appreciate the comment and I will take it on board.
Then, she turned half her face toward me and said in a very accusative tone 'are you just sitting around and playing tracks ALL morning?' She then turned to her friend as if to look for some sort of affirmation (with a scough.)
I was a bit taken aback and very offended by the comment and chose to ignore it, and made my excuses to leave. I think it is the implication that I am lazy and would not cater for my students needs that upsets me most, as this is not the case.
Anyway, after class on thursday, my team leader asked to have a word privately. She proceded to take me to a room and said the music activity had been brought to her attention by another teacher. She proceeded to question my teaching methodologies and I inferred from this that once again it was being suggested, without any basis, that I was not fulfilling my duties correctly. This is simply not the case!!!!!
After this I contacted former colleagues within the wider institiution, who affirmed that I had been mistreated and that the behaviour of these two women was inappropriate(described as ageism in reverse.) I then decided to speak to someone in authority, within my workplace, to get assurances that this behaviour wouldn't be deemed acceptable by management.
Yes, there's a then. On friday morning, without even a hello, the woman who made the original comment came up to me and said 'we have to have your "inspection" next week.' At this point, after saying I had no problem with the inspection, I told her I had been offended by her comment. She said, I had misunderstood her and that she had told my team leader in passing. Later that day, I arranged to meet my team leader who proceeded to tell me I was sensitive and that she hadn't spoken to the woman in question(her best friend.) It was now her who had heard it and that there was an examiner in the room next door who mentioned it (the room the lady who commented orginally said she was in.) Following this meeting, I then met the original commetator again who then told me she had not spoken to my team leader all week, depsite the fact I had seen them together in the staff room on many occassions. As you can prob tell, all the above contradictions are now confusing me too.

Anyway, I want to let it pass at this stage. However, I am wondering, should I go to my boss to seek assurances that this type of behaviour woudln't be considered appropriate and that this is not an impression of the department I should be giving out to my former colleagues within the wider isntitution?

p.s sorry for rattlin on.

Ok -you need to relax a little and not take what everyone says and does too seriously otherwise you run the risk of alienating some of your work mates.
You need to learn the ability to let some things pass or to treat them with less importance ie not give them any more worry than they deserve.They might need little worry.
You will always come across people like your two work mates who may through a lack of subtlety or just through a rank lack of interpersonal relationship skills express them selves devoid of any thoughts as to how it feels to you.
Thats humanity for you.

At present from what you are saying all this is a plethara of mis-understandings.
How important is the music end of the lessons to you ? Can you carry on without them? Have you got the ok from the school to be having that in your class [whether it is required or not] ?

The opposite of age-ism is one thing but it could simply be that your older colleagues just dont agree or aren't familiar with the music part of your teaching methods.
It's none of their business as long as you have approval for what you are doing and you are getting results.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

I think you need to have more faith in your teaching skills! If the music is fun and the students are learning, what IS the problem...?

I had teachers who played the guitar in class for the last hour or so once a week or so. Really enjoyed it, as I asusme your students do.

Anyway, I want to let it pass at this stage. However, I am wondering, should I go to my boss to seek assurances that this type of behaviour woudln't be considered inappropriate and that this is not an impression of the department I should be giving out to my former colleagues within the wider isntitution?

Liberty of a quick correction there:D. But absolutely you should. My appraoch would be to tell the boss outright, how you conduct this part of your class and what both you and the students gain from it. THEN ask whether or not it's acceptable. If not, why not? Is this a progressive educational institute or do they prefer teachers to rigidly follow guidelines reguarding course content?

MagicMarker

There are an awful lot of details in your post that make your anonymity almost pointless. The last thing you want is your students finding out about this as it will only escalate the situation.

As for the situation yourself, sounds like a big misunderstanding by all accounts. Your colleague jumped to conclusions and you took offence. I personally don't think you should have gone to the ''higher authority''. You should have just explained your methods to your team leader and then forgot about it.

Craft25

I'm assuming this is a place where students pay to be taught... In which case they should decide if your teaching methods work for them or not.

I'm assuming you are young and the others are old, they are questioning your 'new fangled' ways... whoever said it above is spot on... have faith in the quality of your work.. stand up for yourself... tell them if they want to evaluate you do it on the basis of the improvement among your students & not their teaching beliefs.. things evolve & that's how it is..

I cant believe the noise would be too much of an issue... i took a foreign language intensive course on the continent in the summer & we used music, tv/documentary clips with questions, little singing games & alot of other stuff that would make noise.. so as long as you arent blaring the house down then it's bullcrap

You cant go in like a bull in a china shop fighting against these people, but stick to your beliefs, try to be curteous & dont change what you believe to work...

Incedentally do your students not fill out evaluation forms when they leave to rate teacher performance... this is a much better barometer of performance than some auld teachers beliefs in 'the right way to do things'

Ps.. in uni i've had a number of teachers for my foreign languages... the ones with quizzes, a good balance of learning by rote (verbs & adjectives at the start), loads of talking practice(most beneficial to me personally), tape work, comprehension, internet games etc worked best for me.... but the extremes: 1)tying to beat it in, waste of time & 2) too new fangled: we have one who refuses to help newbies in even the slightest english.. her class is like a game of charades & i really think u can go too far with that or the other is being too reliant on internet games and stuff & you end up with too long of gaps in the classes between activities & don't get enuf done..

(rant on lecturers over :P) Stick to your guns!!!!!!!!!!

Craft25

PS.. i agree with magic marker & someone else to an extent... do you really need to go all the way to the top straight away?.. can you not argue for your methods straight to the face of the people who are questioning them?..

ask them directly.. what's your issue with it? I think it works, why do you not?

peekyboo

Hey I am a teacher also and this seems to me to be typical of the way teachers carry on! I really wouldn't take it too seriously. If they ask how this helps your students let them know but then let it go. Teachers are always giving out about noise, resources, whiteboards not being cleaned blah blah blah, we are a narky lot at the best of times. I get the reserve ageism sometimes too but don't take it to heart.

Maybe you actually were playing the music too loud so next week make sure it's not disturbing anyone else. But sounds like you have a good multisensory approach so keep it up

LegacyUser

Yeah thats just the world of work. It will blow over. And you will look better if you just get on with. Have faith in your ability. If this come back again from a higher level deal with it then, no need to overplay it.

Kidchameleon

Hi OP,

You sound like an incredibly good teacher, don’t let a bully step on you. They’re just jealous that you have a more fun (and in my experience, better) method of reaching your students. Keep it up, be strong and believe in yourself.

Regards.

Just sounds like a case of typical female bitchiness. You have a right to do what you like in your class (within reason!) and that involves playing music and videos. I would have turned around and pointed out that there's a staff room for staff to use. She had absolutely no right to complain about noise unless it was seriously interrupting her own class and no right to stick her nose into your teaching methods. Who does she think she is, FFS? I'm a TEFL teacher as well and it's really important not to take any crap from anyone or apologise for something you haven't done.

Gyalist

peekyboo wrote: »

Hey I am a teacher also and this seems to me to be typical of the way teachers carry on!

Actually, it seems to me to be more typical of the way that women in female dominated workplaces carry on.

rainbowtrout

[quote=[Deleted User];59043657]Just sounds like a case of typical female bitchiness. You have a right to do what you like in your class (within reason!) and that involves playing music and videos. I would have turned around and pointed out that there's a staff room for staff to use. She had absolutely no right to complain about noise unless it was seriously interrupting her own class and no right to stick her nose into your teaching methods. Who does she think she is, FFS? I'm a TEFL teacher as well and it's really important not to take any crap from anyone or apologise for something you haven't done.[/QUOTE]



Actually I think the other teacher has a point there (on the noise issue anyway). Some teachers prefer to work in their classrooms instead of the staffroom, it can be because the layout of the staffroom isn't conducive to work, teachers not getting on with other teachers or because they end up chatting if they go to the staffroom. I don't get much done in the staffroom because I tend to end up chatting so I go elsewhere. And whether not or she was teaching a class, she could hear the music through the walls so it might have been too loud. It can be irritating if you're teaching a class and have that going on in the background.

peekyboo

Gyalist wrote: »

Actually, it seems to me to be more typical of the way that women in female dominated workplaces carry on.

I'm just being light-hearted. I mean, of course not every teacher is like this! Just trying to make the OP feel better and get her to not take it so seriously!

Nevyn

Unhelpful and off-topic posting will get you banned from this forum.
Do take time to read the charter which contains the rules and abide by them.
Have a nice day.
Thaedydal

LegacyUser

Hi,

It's the op here! Thanks for all your positive and helpful comments, they're very much appreciated. I've decided to let it pass in the hope that things will blow over.


P.s I agree with Magic Marker that details within my op may compromise my anonymity and was wondering how some elements might be editied out?

dudara

I've removed some elements that might help ID you, but there might be more that you want removed. I don't know if you're a registered user, but if you are, you can drop me, or one of the other PI mods a PM and we can remove parts for you.

Actually I think the other teacher has a point there (on the noise issue anyway). Some teachers prefer to work in their classrooms instead of the staffroom, it can be because the layout of the staffroom isn't conducive to work, teachers not getting on with other teachers or because they end up chatting if they go to the staffroom.

And if someone happens to be playing music in the class next door, that's too bad. You have no 'right' to expect teachers who are actually teaching to keep the noise down just in case someone happens to be in the empty room next door! Even if you were teaching a class next door, you still can't really tell another teacher to be quiet. Listening exercises need to be done, films need to be shown. It's inevitable that the noise will travel to other rooms. Once the noise isn't excessive or constant, it's something that comes with teaching, especially TEFL. I had a room last year where I could hear EVERYTHING from the class next door because we just had a dividing door instead of a wall. Slightly annoying when I was doing a test, but what can you do?

LegacyUser

OP here again,



Thanks dudara! Also just to add that the methodology had been ok'd and I did outline the educational merits of the task. Also, yes the students do enjoy it and see the benefits of it for their language learning.

Thanks again for all the positive and constructive feedback.