What would you do

[Bendigeidfran]

Colleague A thinks colleague B has taken a worksheet they created and used in their class. Is this misconduct? Colleague B says they created a similar sheet.

It’s fucking petty is what it is.

In what way petty please?

I wouldn't mind if someone used something I had created. I suppose it would be courtesy to just say "I really like that sheet you created, do you mind if I magpie it?" There should be a culture of sharing resources anyway.

Misconduct??!! To use resources created by a colleague? Do you not work as a team?

Misconduct seems rather dramatic.

Whether or not I’d be annoyed depends on the situation, I feel we need more detail.

If I made a worksheet and accidentally left a copy in the photocopier room and someone saw it and liked the look of it and used it, I’d be genuinely pleased someone liked what I made and found use of it.

If someone came in my room when I wasn’t there and rifled through my stuff and took it, I might be a bit more put out, but tbh irritation would be more that they were pinching my stuff, not specifically annoyed over the exact worksheet.

I really don’t think I’d care.
In fact, this is making me reflect on only a few days ago when my teacher friend Harry’s TA was doing some copying in the copier room and I saw a good looking GPS sheet on her pile and I said “did Harry make that? It looks good, would you mind running off 30 for me as well?” And she was more than happy to. I’ve neglected to go to Harry and tell him i used his worksheet. Hope I don’t get done for misconduct!!!

Think the issue is that colleague b went into colleague a ' s room and took sheet unasked.

Poor etiquette if they deliberately took it, as opposed to stumbling upon it, and didn't ask if they could use it. Definitely not misconduct though!

Did colleague A not save a copy anywhere? As long as they did I'm struggling to understand why it has caused such a drama. As I said, it's poor etiquette to take without asking, and try to farm it off as their own, but if you think about it it's a compliment. Colleague A should be flattered others like their ideas, rather than wanting to keep their resources all to themselves. You're a team. You should be working together, not against each other.

Beg, borrow and steal was one of the first things one of my university professors said when I began teacher training.

Ownership of content created for a school normally belongs to the school anyway, so the teacher who made it does not have a claim to it. At least that is what most of my contracts state (and even that is widely ignored by everyone - plenty of people blatantly reuse resources from other schools and some even sell bit with logos on TES).

So, in short, it happens all the time and isn't worth getting your knickers in a twist about.

Came to say what @Elendel said!
Ownership of content created for a school normally belongs to the school anyway, so the teacher who made it does not have a claim to it.

If it was created in work time using work resources then copyright is the school's.

And besides, there's no I in team. Colleague B should have asked, but also colleague A should have offered it too.

Colleague B has been a cheeky fucker but colleague A needs to get a grip. Of course it isn’t misconduct! It sounds like a pretty toxic team too!

I'd be a bit annoyed if they tried to pass it off as their own to get the credit for it. Other than that it wouldn't bother me in the slightest; like others have said I'd be flattered they thought it was good enough to use.

Are you one of A or B OP?

I'm afraid your 'team' sound toxic. Teaching is difficult enough at the moment. You should all be willing to share everything and no one should need to take without asking. Most schools upload everything onto a shared space so anyone can use.
As a previous poster said anything you create while employed by a school is owned by the school. The more we share the less we all have to do.

I often see worksheets I've created being used by colleagues eg. maths or grammar/spelling worksheets of 'mine' (Y1) being used in Y2 or Y3 for lower achieving children who are working at Y1 level or need to revisit Y1 level stuff before moving on. They search the Y1 database of planning on our server, where I save everything, and choose work from 'my' resources that fit their objective but at a lower level. Which is exactly how it should work within a Primary team. They don't ask.

I would be annoyed at a colleague rifling through stuff in my room without asking, but that's different, I think.

Out of courtesy, colleague B should have asked before just going into someone's room and taking a copy of the sheet.

Honestly though, I wouldn't give this headspace! Certainly think misconduct is making a mountain out of a mole hill - it's a worksheet!!

The job is hard enough without people being precious about sharing resources.

My dept is centrally planned, though we can tweak for classes, and all of my team share things. I'm really pleased they do!

A worksheet made in school time or on school property belongs to the school. It's ludicrous to suggest that's its misconduct.

I am colleague c - caught in the middle. Wanted outside viewpoints!

When you say caught in the middle- are they turning this into a big thing? Rowing over it?

Tell them both to stop being ridiculous

Tell them both to grow up. Tell colleague B to stop rifling through other people's things and tell Colleague A to share their resources and work as a team rather than hoarding everything.

In a nutshell this. But if you are their line manager you may want to be tactful 😂

What did you do OP?

I'm in team tell them to grow up.

Misconduct?? It is a worksheet - colleague a sounds like they are a bit bonkers.

Wtf, why is anyone wasting any time over this? It’s not misconduct, it’s good practice. Schools should encourage sharing of resources to save teachers time.

I hope colleague A was laughed out of the office for trying to suggest misconduct.