Hello all
I have been working at my current school as a chemistry teacher since September. It is my 8th year in teaching, having been head of chemistry twice in 2 former schools (here I am not- this role doesn’t exist and we only have Head of Science who manages all 3 sciences). Things have generally gone very well for me here, with many happy students, all making progress, and happy parents.
My HoF (Head of Science) is never around since he is mostly at the school’s other site. He also doesn’t care too much about being here or about his job. I’ve even had to re-teach his former students things which he should have taught them last year but didn’t. I have noticed also, in the limited interactions with this man, that he seems sceptical about me, for reasons I know not.
I got a promotion to be head of year a month ago, for which almost everyone congratulated me, except for my HoS, who seemed surprised that I had even applied for it. I have been met with a lot of appreciation for my HoY role so far by my line manager for this new role: the Deputy Head.
In all the time I’ve been at this school so far, I had one relatively minor issue come up last week. One of my chemistry students (NOT in the year for which I’m HoY) seemed to have a personal issue with me since the day she first met me. I finally raised the issue recently, with both her in person and also with her mum via email. Both her and her mum were defensive but I stood my ground, which led to her mum getting angry and then changing her daughter’s chemistry class to be with a different teacher. This was the only issue I have had here with any student or parent. (It is worth mentioning here that this lady is known to be a ‘problem parent’ at this school, with her other child frequently being in trouble from his teachers).
The Deputy Head spoke with me about this issue, as did the HoS when he found out about it later, separately. We reached an understanding, or so I thought.
I thought that that was the end of it, and then came the weekend which I used to recover from the heavy week. On Monday morning, I find that the HoF has called a formal meeting with me and the Deputy Head, to tell me what he told me before the weekend again, this time in the Deputy Head’s presence, and officially document it too by following this minuted meeting with a conclusion/targets for me in written form. He put some restrictions on me, such as, all email communications to parents need to go via him (the HoS) first.
The HoS even tried to exert control into my HoY duties, for which he is not even my line manager and which have nothing to do with him. The way that he said and wrote things, made it seem as though I am a recurring problem who needs putting in her place. More to the point, the HoS felt the need to tell me the same thing 3 times. An informal meeting when it first happened, a formal meeting a few days later, and an email conclusion to the formal meeting afterwards.
Given that no issues have ever come up in relation to my work at this school apart from this one thing, I find the HoS’s reaction extreme and disproportionate. I had a chat with him about this after work, to which he just recurrently gave me the answer: “I wanted to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Take it as a warning”. ?!!
Naturally, this has left me feeling very surprised, and that I have been dealt with unfairly, by a man who is clearly determined to clip my wings and exert control over me. It is making me want to leave the otherwise very nice school.
I would love advice on what to do?
Thank you for reading 💐