To be disappointed about this good luck card

[Marshmallow44]

I left a job in March, and I’ve received the good luck card only this week for some reason. It was a school role I suspect they closed for the summer and found it lying around somewhere, realising they forgot to post it.
It was a large school, with probably close to 100 staff members. I was there for almost a year and a half, granted it’s not that long, but it wasn’t a couple of weeks either.

I remember in my last week at the school in March, they sent out an email to all staff saying that I was leaving and that my card was in reception waiting to be signed. It was the time when all staff and pupils were back at school too.

I’ve opened it and I have a grand total of 8 people who’ve signed it, 3 of them are the office staff.

It’s not the end of the world but I guess I thought a few more people would. I am a quiet and shy person but I was polite to everyone there, I didn’t have any close friends or see any out of work though but I wasn’t part of a department or anything, I was the only one in the school doing that role.

It was nice of the organiser to do that card but at the same time they do it for everybody who leaves. Just feel a bit unpopular but I should get over it I guess.

Or maybe it doesn't happen in your workplace @MasterBeth?
I recognised exactly what @PizzaCrust was talking about so we clearly have the same experience. There are certain members of SLT at mine who only like people who 100% agree with them very vocally... I won't sit in a meeting and loudly cheer them on every time they make a mundane point or announce how hard they work (every bloody meeting).
I am not rude or disparaging just quiet at these points.
The SLT member i respect the most is to the point, gets the job done and doesn't rely on being cheered every 5 minutes. She is incredibly fair, effective and reliable. Maybe you only work with this sort of person and so haven't experienced the alternative. Fingers crossed you never do, because it's really fucking dull. As is watching their cheerleaders being favoured purely due to their arselicking.

Some really nasty people on here.

@User5827372728

I think I remember your previous threads about being a cover supervisor and feeling like other meme bets of staff haven’t been treating you well and supporting you.

I really would just leave that whole experience behind you and move forward; maybe trying to learn from previous mistakes

Me too.

In the kindest way, I don't think you'd a great experience at the school and described in other threads that staff weren't being very nice to you. But your story didn't quite convince & there were clearly some performance issues.

I'm glad you're happier now. Think best to put this behind you.

Unfortunately there is a hierarchy in all schools, and as a supply you are always going to be bottom of the pile. It really won't have been anything personal.
Actually I would say for them to have sent you a card at all shows that they are probably quite nice people. It's quite unusual in a lot of schools for temporary staff to receive leaving presents in my opinion.
Treat it as a learning experience. I've done a bit of supply in the past and remember how it felt. I always make sure I am super kind to any new cover staff, you never know if they are going to join permanently in the future and its nice to be nice.
All the best for the future :)

I think I remember your previous threads about being a cover supervisor and feeling like other meme bets of staff haven’t been treating you well and supporting you.

I would move on from this and maybe learn from previous mistakes

The thing about leaving cards is that they get passed around and they get lost. Usually it is obvious who will make sure the person gets a decent send off but if you are not in a department and don't have any specific friends your card was in limbo land. My guess it was left sitting on someone's desk to sign. Maybe they lost it. Maybe the got COVID and didn't come in.

Don't worry about the card. Usually people will sign it even if they don't like you, so it's very unlikely to be that.

It obviously bothers you, so maybe you should make the effort to find some people to hang out with at your new place?

I have a colleague who started April 2020, works full time and because of lockdown really only knows 4 people.
Secondary schools are big, busy and perhaps many people intended to sign but got caught trying to manage everything else.
I have a lovely friend who I see everyday, did I manage to sign the card for her wedding? Nope, just kept going out of my brain.

I remember your previous threads and it was clear then that you hadn't bonded with many staff and felt poorly treated. You then left mid year after your performance was called into question.

To be fair to the OP, she was not supply - she quite clearly says she was a cover supervisor.

OP I have done that job in a similar size school and for a similar time actually. I was lucky enough to be part of a team of cover supervisors and we all got on well. Sounds as though you didn't; it's tricky to find a group in school if you are not in a department.

When I left the cover role, I would have been surprised if anyone outside the immediate team signed my card tbh.

I went on to be a teacher and was there for a good number of years but even then, I don't recall a big card with dozens of signatures when I left. I did have a lovely evening out with my team and other close colleagues whom I would class as friends. Mostly people just write "good luck" without it meaning much tbh. I recall giant cards would come round for staff to sign and I sometimes wondered who I was writing it to!

You weren't there long and are quiet and introverted. Most of your time there was during the covid pandemic. You left in March, at what must have been a nightmare time for any secondary school teacher. I don't think it's surprising that not many people made the effort to find and sign your card.

You say you were looking forward to receiving it which I find unusual. Tbh I can only think of one leaving card ever that I actually enjoyed, and that was when I left a role rather suddenly and didn't say goodbye to lots of people - one genuine friend found out where I had gone to and sent on a lovely card they had clearly taken round the whole wider team. That did make me cry as it was so thoughtful.

Maybe in your new role try to get on a bit better with people and make the move towards finding some friends? That's worth a lot more than "good luck in the future" from someone you have nodded at in the corridor.

I had a leaving card once that said GOOD RIDDANCE across the middle of it, and another comment that said "WHO???" - at the time I thought it quite witty but not sure I would now, as I consider looking back it was rather a toxic environment.

At my last proper job we had a wonderful exchange type person, worked her socks off and was pleasant and interesting to have around. Brave of her to come over and get involved, further CV etc. Good old management insisted on an organised lunchtime farewell, at which two of us talked to her and made jokes and so on while the boss couldn't be bothered to turn up and two would-be-seniors just sat on their phones only looking up if they were mentioned. We all looked like tw*ts as a consequence. I think I want to say these things are rather forced anyway and only a happy environment to haul your butt to and work hard (I have worked in a couple of these so I know they exist) will result in a farewell that actually means anything. 25 hr ago I left in tears one place where my face definitely did not fit in, and after 18 months on my last day I just sort of - wandered out. No gift as all other leavers, even ones who could not hack it, had received gift vouchers. And while I hadn't fit the organisation I had worked pretty hard and put up with quite a bit of nonsense. The receptionist came out from behind her desk and said "I can't let you leave you like this" and gave me a hug. Style. I hope you find your right fit OP and there is something here that makes me think that any emails about leaving cards ready for signatures, personally I'm on it perhaps particularly if that person has not been happy in their role.

I mean 25 years... Not 6.30pm yesterday... derrr

I have to also add that it is really strange to chase up a leaving card. As a teacher I can also confirm schools were crazy this last year so it would be unfortunately low on the priorities.
Also some flashing lights from OP’s posts that maybe provide reasons to the low amount of signatures. AIBU? Yeah a bit. Oh no I’m not. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Some of the replies seem to suggest maybe just not the done thing in schools? Personally never had anyone leave without a card and gift of some sort. Box of chocs if not popular or short term employment! And someone generally takes the card to people to get some signatures.

It is weird to chase up a leaving card. Especially if you didn’t get on with any of the staff and the had concerns about your standard of work.

‘Hey I know you’re probably glad I’m leaving but where’s my card and hopefully a gift voucher?’

😂😂😂

I sign cards for people I've never met or heard of at work. It's part of basic social nicety: it's not like they were getting charged for it. It's weird not to partake in this.

If you left in March and were there as cover supervisor for a year you must have spent a lot of that time at home- you were surely only in school for a term (Sept-Dec 2020) or thereabouts and managed in that time to be put on a support plan. Forgive me if I have got the dates wrong here OP but expecting a huge fanfare after a tiny amount of time that seems to have not gone well for you, at the point in the year when schools were just returning to some sort of "normal" after a second arduous lockdown is asking a lot, don't you think? Move on and put it behind you, hopefully in a role more suited to you.

As they have only just found your card to send it to you, I think the most likely explanation is that it got lost quite soon after it was put at the front desk and that's why few people signed it. "Can I sign Marshmallow's card?" "Yes of course, um, oh I don't know where it is, someone must have taken it." And all the time it was under a folder.

@Marshmallow44

I don’t think it’s odd to ask for a card really, I was looking forward to receiving it. I’ve just binned it anyway now, posting it 5 months later was a bit shit.

Sorry but this is coming across as really weird. Asking for a leaving card and then binning it when you do get it.

@Winemewhynot

It is weird to chase up a leaving card. Especially if you didn’t get on with any of the staff and the had concerns about your standard of work.

‘Hey I know you’re probably glad I’m leaving but where’s my card and hopefully a gift voucher?’

😂😂😂

This! I felt quite sorry for the OP at first. Then I read their later posts and the way they responded to people and suddenly it became clear why there were only 7 signatures.

Life happens and people get forgotten! I worked for an org for 15 years snd had to arrange my own leaving night. No-one from management came and half of those who sis, this, was the first time I had met them! A group from head office was meant to give me 2 expensive bottles of wine from a close colleague but they drank them coming over in the taxi.
Be grateful for what you got... Try explaining that you didn't receive the wine after the group had said they did!!!

@boomwhacker

If you left in March and were there as cover supervisor for a year you must have spent a lot of that time at home- you were surely only in school for a term (Sept-Dec 2020) or thereabouts and managed in that time to be put on a support plan. Forgive me if I have got the dates wrong here OP but expecting a huge fanfare after a tiny amount of time that seems to have not gone well for you, at the point in the year when schools were just returning to some sort of "normal" after a second arduous lockdown is asking a lot, don't you think? Move on and put it behind you, hopefully in a role more suited to you.

This. Honestly, OP, it’s a bit unreasonable to have expected a lot of signatures in the circumstances.

I'm sorry you were hurt by this - I would be too.

I have worked in lots of different work environments and localities and it is funny how some places are welcoming and friendly whilst others are cliquey and not very friendly at all. The same goes for clubs, like choirs, evening classes, exercise classes, etc, etc.

I think probably once there are a few people who aren't very pleasant then the organisation seems to attract similar people - or newcomers learn from their co-workers to keep themselves to themselves.

Just looking at the issue of the card though, I feel, as someone else said, that probably the card was mislaid before many people had had a chance to write in it. The last year or so has been pretty chaotic and I expect lots of things went awry.

Please don't let this prey on your mind. You sound like a perfectly nice person.

If it makes you feel better, I worked for my last company for 11 years, across several offices locally, and when I took voluntary redundancy & left last year, I didn't even get a leaving card. After the dozens that I had organised for every other bugger's birthday, wedding, baby, leaving do, previously! Still stings I'm afraid 😢

It was a weird year. Forget it.

@Marshmallow44
I recently left my job after five years (2 years in this particular team) and didn't get a card or even any goodbye messages at all so I completely empathise with you. It really upset me, so I feel your pain.

My manager was not very thoughtful, and I found out later one of my colleagues asked about a card and collection and he said with covid they weren't doing anything. I wasn't expecting anything given I knew what their personalities were like, and so was annoyed at myself for caring to the point of tears.