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Teacher's daring response when principal asks to teach extra classes inspires mass resignation

upworthy.com 4 days ago

The principal gave them two choices—teach intense classes or quit and the teacher prioritized his peace and inspired others too.

Teacher's daring response when principal asks to teach extra classes inspires mass resignation
Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels | Fauxels; Reddit | Reddit User

Teachers have one of the most stressful jobs, where they have to deal with unruly kids and the pressure from the school management. At times, schools can be a bit harsh on the teachers and this particular teacher on Reddit decided not to let the stress get to him. In a recent post, a teacher who majored in History and Education mentioned that he had a total of 6 years of experience in teaching. However, his stressful times started in this school, where he had worked for the past couple of years. "The principal told me to instruct courses I was not trained to teach or look for another job, so I did!" he mentioned in the title.

Representative Image Source: Pexels | Max Fischer
Representative Image Source: Pexels | Max Fischer

In the middle of an intense lecture, the teacher was "ambushed" by the principal and administrative staff to ask him to teach IB classes the following year. "These classes are intense, requiring what some teachers have said to be the time equivalent of a part-time job for them to plan and prepare," the teacher explained. There weren't any additional pay benefits for him and it was also not a part of his contract. The teacher then gave a brief context about the school's practices of striving to earn the "elite IB school" status while ignoring the children who needed special attention. The teacher tried to bring a change by using alternate teaching methods to help the low-performing students, but the principal "shot down" his idea.

Representative Image Source: Pexels | energepic.com
Representative Image Source: Pexels | energepic.com

Confused about this upcoming additional responsibility that might add 15 more hours to his work week, the teacher pondered over it with his wife. "The next week, I scheduled a meeting with the principal. I told him I was unprepared to teach the IB course this year, but if he would give me this year to prepare the additional materials and create a curriculum, I would be good to go for the next," said the teacher. But the principal replied, "No, teach this course next year or look for another job." The teacher also tried to convince the principal that he was doing his Ph.D in History, which might help him teach college classes for students who wish to jump credit.

The principal disregarded all his attempts to convince him. As the principal said, "None of the additional education you have taken since you started working here benefits the school at all. No one cares." The teacher wrote, "I love teaching. All the additional work, time and effort spent away from my family has been to be a better teacher. A better example for my students." To relieve stress, the teacher took a day off and spent time with his family. Also, he realized that other teachers were against the school management's unfair practices. "I decided I was done. I wrote the principal an outstanding resignation letter, full of positivity and thanked him for the wonderful opportunity to work at his school and to have learned from his 'outstanding' example of leadership," he mentioned.

Image Source: Reddit | u/Casual_Observer999
Image Source: Reddit | u/Casual_Observer999
Image Source: Reddit | u/upset_pachyderm
Image Source: Reddit | u/upset_pachyderm

In a hilarious twist, the teacher learned that after he quit, five other teachers resigned. Now, the principal had to appear before the School Board to explain this mass resignation. People rallied around the teacher's decision. "Keep your head up, man. You sound like the type of person who should be a teacher, and your principal sounds horrible," reassured u/Manawah. "You seem like an excellent educator and person," lauded u/MotherOfCats9258. "Thank you for being awesome and legendary. I don't know how these types of people keep getting into leadership. It is not their position or power that leads people. It is their actions and attitude. People don't quit jobs but leaders," added u/LinuxMar.

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