Hi fellow teachers, I'm feeling so stuck recently. I teach preschool and my class is 12 2-3 year olds. They are awesome kids, just amazing. The school and my co-workers are troublesome.
The school revamped in the past year, and all of us on staff are new; it's been a chaotic transition for everyone. I started in August 2024, and my co-teacher started in January 2025. I initially took the job here because I was told the environment would be loving and gentle, and we would be expected to speak to children in certain, guided, kind ways.
My co-teacher, who I'll call Edith, is difficult for me to work with. She's more than 40 years older than I am, very brash, loud, and distracted. We both have backgrounds as nannies, and getting back into preschool teaching has been a challenge. But somehow Edith has an air about her, seemingly thinking that her ideas or ways are much better than mine. Edith undermines my authority in front of the children (eg. says "I don't like that, don't do that" when I am actively and safely guiding a child through an activity), doesn't see value in risky play (I value risky play immensely), hates and describes herself as "OCD" about messes (we teach toddlers), thinks I don't clean enough (we both float between classrooms, so I am constantly moving around picking up), thinks I go to easy on these toddlers (again.. they're 2 and 3 years old), and is as impatient with me as she is with the children (repeating herself and raising her voice at the drop of a pin). We talk about these issues and nothing changes. She's nothing like what I was told this preschool was "meant to be" like, and I'm so frustrated and disheartened. Don't preschool teachers need to be kind?
Is there anything I can do? Have you been in a place like this, working with someone who just seems to hate the reality of the job they chose? I just need some encouragement and advice.
Thanks so much for reading.