Vaping at work

[Supermummy88]

Good evening all,

Not quite a AIBU, but I’m in a really difficult situation at work. I just started a new job back in October at a secondary school(I’m a teacher). It’s a nice department and I feel like I’ve settled in well. One of the other teachers who I get on well with has vaped in my classroom on an occasion. This was when there was also another member of staff in my classroom. Considering I’m new and don’t like to get involved in any work place conflict, I didn’t say anything to anyone but did advise her not to and recommended that she perhaps go outside of the school building.

However, today my line manager has told me that other members of staff have told her that this teacher has vaped in my classroom and that i now need to write up a statement confirming that she has vaped. I had no choice but to write a short statement. I also got told that she already had a verbal warning about vaping on the school premises before I had started.

She is a lovely person and very helpful…shares her resources etc. Should I talk to her and tell her about the situation and that she could perhaps get a written warning about this? And maybe let her know that I had to write a statement, or should I leave it? I’ve never been in any sort of situation like this before. I don’t want my line manager being annoyed with me either as I’ve just started here.

Thank you xxx

I'll bet you a tenner that he didn't tell her anything of the sort - she probably said 'It was Supermummy, wasn't it? Wasn't it?' and he didn't respond one way or the other (or said 'that's not important, what is important is that you were vaping in a classroom').

Actually, no, twenty quid.

As a professional head teacher he shouldn’t have told her anything at all! He knew she had vaped before in a classroom and still took time out to listen to her side of the story

Of course he listened to her side. That's how investigations work.

I concur with the poster who says he told her nothing.

Exactly that's what I said earlier in thread she's bullsbitting to save her own skin and to take others down.

Don't converse with her at all from now on. Shes made her bed and she's vile.

Not your clown and not your circus.

All her own doing and let's be honest you can't believe anything she says anyway. The woman has zero credibility.

Ignore it, forget about it and if there's as much of a sniff of bullshit out if management. Ask him what is the issue - they asked you about something and you answered truthfully.

You cannot avoid this teacher but if she mentions anything about the incident say that it is better that it is not discussed.
this. Stay a professional distance from the vaper as she clearly has form. Be factual with your side with the head.

And there was me thinking that she was such a nice person. I only realised yesterday when I saw her dramatic reaction when I told her that I’ve been approached by line manager about her vaping in my room and to please not do it again as it’s put me in a very awkward situation. She went straight to line manager shouting that she’s resigning because there’s no trust in the school and that line manager has breached staff confidentiality by talking about her to me.
I just couldn’t believe that she didn’t hear me out properly and reacted the way she did. She could have stayed quiet and calm and thought ‘ok I’ve been caught out, I need to stop vaping in the classrooms’. She also then said to me ‘your either a very good liar or your telling the truth’ (about me saying that I was approached, as headteacher has said I approached management)

There are two types of people who absolutely love drama - those who shout about absolutely loving drama from the roof tops and those who shout from the roof tops they 'absolutely don't want any drama' while engaging in drama.

How have things been @Supermummy88?

@stomachameleon I just feel things were a bit awkward between me and the other teacher today…however she still came into my room to have lunch for some reason. She kept saying that she can tell from my face that I look very stressed out! I just kept quiet and kept the conversation very generic! The headteacher still hasn’t spoken to me about it yet. He did see me today but didn’t really make eye contact.