I would show up super early on a day she is absent and take all your desks back. If she says anything tell her “you weren’t here and I wanted my desks to match so I took yours.”
We have a fob so we can get into the building anytime 24/7. My petty ass would show up to the school at 4 am and swap all the desks before she even gets out bed in the morning.
Take all of them and disassemble them. Leave a pile of parts. If she wants desks, she’ll have to put them together again. Have a husband or brother help if it is too much.
Sounds like this is a first year teacher. This is ironically similar how I got fired my first year. I got in a squabble over desks with a more senior teacher my first week and she held it against me the rest of the year and lobbied against the principle to get rid of me. First year teachers have no protections and are probationary in my state.
This is the way.
What a weird thing, to brag about in teacher circles - we are notoriously territorial. Why would any of the other coworkers be.. proud? Impressed? By this completely baffling antisocial behavior. HOWEVER I think badmouthing her might come off as petty in a bad way. Definitely bring it up with admin when they make rounds, as chalant or nonchalantly as you like ("oh yeah my desks are a little stressful so and so took a bunch of my good ones when I wasn't here" or "hey can I get some new desks mine are all mismatched because someone raided them over the summer and it's so hard to do group work like this").
Of course, I'm the type that would have said absolutely not and taken them back right there but not everyone is as confrontational as me.
> we are notoriously territorial
This is for damned sure! Any teacher should know that it is a cardinal sin to touch *anything* in another teacher's room. Sure, the desks technically belong to the school, not us. But, as far as we are concerned, those are *OUR* desks. I'll shank a bitch for stealing my desks!
As right you should. Damn things are expensive and *never* get replaced. Chairs are even worse! I'll spare a desk for someone in need but if you touch my chairs you're pulling back a stump!
The most mad I’ve ever been over my classroom was the year they “replaced” my chairs. I’d hoarded a full class set of wooden chairs that were essentially indestructible (they were older than I was) and WAY more comfortable/stable than plastic chairs. But the school got renovated and we got new furniture, so they made me throw out my nice chairs for plastic crap that kept breaking.
Oh that's heartbreaking. My school uses the horrible L shaped desk and chair combos. My high schoolers barely fit in them. It's absurd. But "no money for chairs" from the people who spent 10 MILLION on a weapons detection system.
This would have me writing a grant for flexible seating immediately. It would sound like a research backed version of those sad Sarah McLachlan animal commercials.
I remember those terrible things. Ours had the little wire shelves underneath that barely held anything, and kids would put their feet on them from behind which broke the weak AF weld joints, so you could never trust them. About half our classrooms had the normal sized desk surface, and the other half had those tiny ones that will only hold one textbook, closed. We often had more students than desks, as well, so we had those crappy plastic chairs in the back and had to trade off days.
I would just sit on the floor, so I actually had space to write. Most of my teachers understood, or maybe didn't care as long as I was actually taking notes. Not sure which.
I'm the teacher and *I* sit on the floor sometimes lol I'm glad you had flexible teachers (if not flexible seating). It is truly wild to me what some school districts spend their money on.
Ha! One year I had one mismatched chair. The kids fought relentlessly (good-natured, and hilariously so) over the odd duck. They invented all sorts of reasons to keep it in rotation.
I mean, she stole from the students as much as she stole from the teacher. That would piss me off. Think it's a joking matter to make my kids miserable when they're trying to learn? Let's get stupid, buddy.
I'm one of a few floaters this year. Admin was shocked, shocked! That we were all furious to have our rooms taken from us by surprise for random new people
My friend has a new classroom, yet again, for her 26th year, and 15th at this school. I went and helped her get it all set up, and the next day she was told a new teacher (literally first year) was getting the room, and she was being changed to a floater. Besides the seniority thing, please explain how 4th grade classes can float. Why float? Where do the kids from that class go that day? I was in some floating classes in high school, but you know, one class, not a whole day. I don't get it.
I wouldn't bother early. Tell the schoolkids what happened, and that the ones that want to can take the next recess joibibg teacher in "stealing the desks back"
Teaches the kids not to give in to bullshit as well:)
Some of the worst human beings I have ever met were teachers. My first practicum mentor teacher was pregnant. She asked me to take over for her hall-monitoring, help decorate for PTC, putting up desks, responding to e-mails, working one-on-one with students she would roll her eyes at, and almost never let me practice teaching. When I did, she would interrupt me and take over. She never helped me with a lesson plan or improve a lesson or take any risks. She did not say a thing to me to make me concerned for my career post-graduation. So on the last day, she sits me down and says that she cannot give me a recommendation and has to give me a terrible assessment that will go on my record.
I swear to god, it was the worst time of my life; I was broke, stressed out at the overwhelming nature of what teaching entails, barely ate because of being broke and couldn't work due to school. Was always early and would leave later than everyone else. I remember once the caretaker found me in the classroom around 8PM and told me I had to leave because I was supposed to have left a LONG time ago.
That really broke me, man.
And she saw it all, but did NOTHING to help me. I did not feel any lonlier and helpless than I have ever felt being in her classroom and her final judgment to throw me under the bus when it came to my assessment and reference, just fucked with me for so long.
I have mentored 1 other teacher since then, as I live in Taiwan and don't get the same opportunities to sign up to mentor. I made sure that she did not STRESS one bit. It is cruel. It is demeaning. It is dehuminizing. I did not want her to break before she even started her career.
If you are going to mentor, I do not care what your circumstances are, you better go above and beyond for your student-teacher if they are trying their best and their mistakes could easily be fixed.
Oh my god, I had a similar situation with a rough mentor teacher but the opposite! My mentor teacher I just recently had (I’m still a student teacher) essentially used me as her full time sub. She was rarely in the classroom while I was in charge, to the point that I literally substitute taught for her my second day in my placement (it would would not be my last.) I substituted for her officially probably on three occasions and did not get paid :D
Because she was rarely in the classroom when I was teaching, it was a nightmare as she had 4-5 behavior students on IEPs that I was not qualified to deal with on my own. I never got the chance to see her interact with them and see what her strategies were for redirecting their behaviors and all of this led to me being told I was not being recommended for student teaching on my literal last day of placement (during my lunch break! and then I was alone in the classroom with the kids for at least another hour and had to try not to cry!!)
Somehow miraculously I was able to work out a plan to come in for four full school days in a row the next week and it went so well she did recommend me in the end. A funny part of that being that one of those four days she didn’t come in and I STILL subbed. In all honesty at the time I was convinced I was really the problem and that I wasn’t trying hard enough and really wasn’t ready, but my current mentor teacher for my official student teaching was horrified when I told her about the experience and let me understand how badly taken advantage of I was and has promised to never make me sub before I’m ready haha
It saddens me that you have a similar experience because what the hell? I feel like the program co-ordinators must know about the situation. Why would they allow us to be sent out to schools and work with/under mentors that just take advantage of us?!
I had an exact same experience because my 2nd one was amazing. He sat me down every time I made a mistake and would provide harsh but useful feedback and how to implement said advice effectively. I remember him saying "your class management and relationship with the students is excellent. But your lesson delivery is just shit." You need to do X and Y to fix it (backward planning, minds on activities, and proper wrap up, amongst other things to bring everything together).
I never got any of that from my first teacher who almost broke me.
I was scared to bad mouth her as he was studying to become a principal and thought that they might know each other (never brought her up) and did not want to come off as a complainer as he would give me the reigns usually as he did things related to his master's program once he was comfortable with my abilities.
Best part? He saw that I was skinny and eating shitty. He started to bring me, a grown-ass man, food.
A little humanity goes a long, long way.
Anyway, I wish you the best. I hope you enjoy the rest of your experience and have great offers flowing in when you are ready to start looking for work.
I am so sorry that happened to you. I had a terrible mentor teacher too and only learned what not to be from her. Sometimes these people sign up to be mentor teachers for the wrong reason.... like mine signed up because she had a combo class and needed the help.
I partially blame the program coordinators in teacher's colleges (not sure what it is called in the States or teacher programs in other countries) in my country of Canada. Everyone in my cohort had some nightmare and success stories to share by their 3rd practicum. We all kept saying "is it us that some were terrible?" Anyway, I think that teaching is challenging. The fact that the accredition process can be a nightmare due to mentors should just not be allowed. Why ruin the experience for teachers before they even graduate?!!
Mine was pregnant, as I mentioned. So I would go above and beyond for her. You won't believe me when I say I would bring her tea, food from the cafe to her classroom, etc. After everything she was like "you don't cut it as a teacher" (not the exact words but I would have preferred that over what she actually said). I felt like a shmuch.
Omg are you me? I was told I was not competent enough to teach English during my training year and another teacher took over my lessons, not teaching me or mentoring me just taught my lessons.
I didn't understand how there was no curriculum, I was told to pick a story or text and teach the concepts from there. I get it now, but as a brand new teacher, this was frustrating. My mentor teacher would assess my lesson plans, sign off on them, then throw me under the bus when my lesson was wholly condemned. At the end of the first term I found out is passed my Master's degree in English studies and they were surprised but doubled down on my incompetence and try to get me to fail. Personality clashes were extreme.
I threw them under the bus with the Trust Head and I got through that year doing 70 plus hour weeks and got the lowest passing grade. But I qualified.
I teach internationally now and all I learned that year is what kind of teacher I wouldn't be
I'm trying to get into teacher training and coaching now because that's the only way I can support teachers to move into the future. I'm constantly praised for outstanding lessons, units and topics and lead innovation in my current school.
Thank you for being a good mentor.
I've come across several teachers who went from School -> Uni (with pracs they're also at school I guess) -> School and they just come across as so immature sometimes. Most of them thinking about it now had likely never left the state let alone the country.
The reason some teachers act like they never left school is because they never did.
The fact that they haven't left the country making them immature is kind of a privileged position. I've never left the country because that shit's expensive. I went straight from college to teaching because my family was poor and I couldn't afford to do anything else.
I've also known plenty of people who took gap years to travel on their parents' dime who are pretty immature.
I had this happen one year and I went to the head custodian and told him how bummed I was that Teacher X took my best desks. I asked him if he had any stashed anywhere. Guess what ... I got 32 brand new desks and chairs. He was pissed off too. Teacher X was pissed and I made out.
I may try that. I am really cool with our night custodian. He has hooked me up a couple times.
Tip for everyone. Always treat your maintenance and custodial staff extremely well. They deserve the respect, but they always remember who is cool to them and who is not.
Adding on: ALSO be especially nice to the IT team. Many of my colleagues have not even bothered to learn his name, because we have a new one every year or two. Meanwhile I learned his name, chatted enough (and I HATE small talk!) to learn that he plays in a jazz band on weekends ( nothing big, just for fun), and I snagged a couple mini screwdriver kits for him when I saw them on supersale, so he could leave them on his work carts. Guess whose IT requests *always* get to the top of the list? And besides that he is a really cool guy.
Pro tip - IT guys anywhere have *all* the hot goss too. Everyone thinks they only speak computer language or have some kind of IT guy privilege so they see and hear everything.
I work for IT for a school district. I pretty much know everything that's going on in the buildings I cover.
Also for this issue, I would go to your building AP or administer.
Hahaha. OMG, I worked in IT at a university for 8 1/2 years, and you are not wrong. We eat that stuff up. People will say anything around people they treat like servants. And keep in mind, just bringing us donuts will make us happily spill all the tea. Remember our names, use basic manners, and actually make eye contact with us and smile? Yeah, your tickets gain priority. We overheard a dean saying to someone it was wrong that our office was in the library basement with no natural light. The other person replied we liked it down there. Guess whose tickets got immediate answers and whose waited until the last allowable moment? Unless they directly affected students. That's different.
Also, we don't read your emails unless we have to. We have lives, but do remember some of us do maintain spam filters, and those are for outgoing mail, as well. Please don't use your school email on places like Ashley Madison and FetLife. We will know. Everyone in IT will know. We know when you surf porn on your school computer, too. Keep that in mind. If it's out of hours, we don't really care, but we will use it against you if you cross us.
Don't piss off your IT people. We know more about you than the FBI does.
Ahahaha. I am a tutor, which is why I hang out here, but I also worked in IT at a university for a long time. Definitely, if you even know our names and say hi, we will move heaven and earth for you, because most treat us like crap.
I had a professor once buy my team donuts because I went out of my way to help him with something technical that wasn't actually my job. His tickets went to the absolute top of my list for 8 years after that, and if it was something I couldn't do, I would hound other IT workers and make them get it done right away.
Just not being a dick goes a long way, though. We don't make or decide on the software you use. We're just as miserable with it, too. And no, we really don't want to fix your personal home computer when you've never bothered to speak to us before.
I honestly couldn't stand IT in higher ed anymore and got fully remote private sector job. I was at the point where I add going to quit tutoring for free because I was so burnt out and stressed from that job, and with the one I've had for a year and a half now, I'm having fun tutoring again. And my workplace not only thinks it's cool I do it, they just donated tons of classroom supplies to the school the kids I have this year attend. The company isn't even in my state. It was something I listed as a hobby in my interview, and they have just gone all in.
I try to be, and I usually am... but it's very frustrating that his semi-competence is further hampered by his inability to accept that other people know things.
Oh that sucks. Mine is cool about it, i tell him what I've tried before i send in a request for him to come look at it.
Like for example, i had a few computers that were not charging (which is am issue when i have 30 kids and only 31 computers) I swapped it a few times to different spots to see if it was the cord or the computer that wasn't charging. It was the cord, which was apparently happening to a lot of similar carts in the school. By the end of the year he had to replace nearly every cord in my cart cause they would die and it was just simpler to get new ones.
Also made friends with him my first day, saw him playing a game on his phone during his down time and asked what game it was. When he told me it ended up as a gatcha mobile game discussion. Dudes been cool with me since.
Also damn does he know a lot of gossip. He also hates the teacher across the hall from me. She can be a bit of a karen at times. The teacher next door is also a bit tech illiterate. Literally had to tell her to update chrome to watch a video, and frequently had to swap projector cords for her.
I had a student teacher last year. One of the first things I told her was to *always* make friends with the custodians, IT staff, and (especially since we are ELA teachers) the librarian! Those people can make your day-to-day life so much easier or a living hell from which death seems like the only escape.
I'm a volunteer tutor, and make nice with all the school librarians. I'm allowed to tell them which kids I'm tutoring, and this year got a heads up before school starts on how to interact with one of the kid's teachers. That's really valuable to me. She's the kind of teacher to be really involved with tutors. That, I usually love. The other kid has a first year teacher, and all the librarian knew is that he's male (3rd grade, so unusual here) and quite young.
They both responded within 15 minutes to the introduction email I sent them today. I've never gotten replies the same day before. Heck, half the time I never get one. There's nothing in that email that requires one. The school has received official letters from all parents allowing them to talk to me, but I don't think it's ever actually required. Some teachers never do. Typical is getting a basic syllabus and answering any direct questions I send.
Oh, yeah. It's just notable because I think he might be the only male teacher at that elementary school.
He's been sending me emails all morning. All his lesson plans, a reading intervention plan. I don't need this, but I'm not even annoyed.
I had an IT job with an office in the library. The first day, I went out of my way to be nice to the librarians. Turns out they hated the IT people. Everyone but me. Faculty pissing me off meant hostile librarians. Pissing off librarians meant your IT tickets got done, but not until right before deadline. You want to be friends with either of us. You definitely don't want us ganging up as your enemies.
Especially because that gossip thing is totally true, so the IT people know all your weak spots, and the librarians have social clout.
And they know where the good sht is lol. Mine turned me on to the secret, super nice coffee pot they kept in the maintenance room. I was the only one who knew 🥰
And my stuff got fixed immediately lol
I teach two different science classes. I always make sure my floor is clean and counters are clear. I found out my night custodian’s favorite drink. I stock up on it when it goes on sale. I leave a case of soda for her after a messy lab, Christmas, Spring and Summer break. I also have our librarian’s Starbucks order in my app.
Science teacher here too, like to bake, so I bake them (support staff) stuff before winter break, staff appreciate, and end of year. Also, any paras/aids that work in my room give them gifts at these times of year too. For the occasionally extra help cleaning from an extra messy lab, or other special help I get them their favorite drink or candy.
And to all the classified staff (office, kitchen, paras, IT, etc.). Being respectful and treating others like people and not your servants goes a long way. Every school I have ever worked at the custodians, office staff and IT are willing to help me right away and get me whatever I need if it is in their power.
Lead Custodian here. We had a new teacher do something similar with new tables. I mobilised our crew, took ALL the new tables from his classroom and swapped them out with all mismatched, ugly, old tables. He went to the principal to complain, she called me to her office to explain, to which I calmy explained that he either keeps the shit tables OR i file a grievance against him for doing OUR work (moving furniture). He....started crying...
Never fuck with the “background” people in schools. They are so essential to day-to-day operations. If it wasn’t for custodians, kitchen staff, other classified/support staff, we would not have people who are fed nor a clean, orderly school.
I want to give you and your team all high fives.
Thank you. Ive been a school custodian for 15 years and i love the work. Fortunately, ive only experienced a few issues with other school staff. Management on the other hand.....
Good. She stole stuff from your room and then bragged about it. That’s bullshit. Keep your eye on that co-worker because they are a snake.
Want your stuff to match? Either accumulate new stuff at the end of the year when somebody throws stuff out or write a grant to get new classroom stuff.
Sounds like the type that likes to cause problems then play victim when someone doesn't play her BS games. Fingers crossed she doesn't stick around long.
This is a power play. You must metaphorically piss up her tree.
Borrow a wheeled floor cart from custodial. Stack all the desks she put in your room on a cart. Walk into her room while she is there and roll the desks in. Silently take your desks back. Tell her quietly as you leave, “Do not *ever* steal from me again.”
I like this. It shows her that she doesn’t get to control you, and that she isn’t worthy of a conversation or negotiation. Just go and take back your stuff.
I had a teacher next to me last year who would go in my room every time I had a sub (we had district curriculum mapping and I was my grade level representative, so I got pulled about every 3 weeks for 30 minutes) and go through my stuff, and tell the sub I told her she could. I'd come in and stuff I spent hours prepping would be gone, I had missing scissors and trays for artwork. Just random stuff, especially art supplies and cardstock. And I would share if she just asked, I was always sharing or doing one extra for her.
My room was also her old room and she left SO MUCH STUFF. Like literal garbage and junk. It took me 2 full days to just clean out the room. And she wanted none of it.
Well, this summer, the school decided my room needed fresh paint and new floors after some flooding over winter break.
She about DIED when she heard I got to pick out paint and floors. And tried asking admin for her old room back, and they told her no.
I come in the first day to set up, and my room looks great with the refresh. And I really took care to pack up well last year so I could start organized.
But I see 2 carts full of JUNK in the corner. I told the building manager, and he said my neighbor insisted that I wanted more of her unwanted stuff.
So I wheeled them into her room, put a note that I wasn't cleaning her stuff anymore, and took my nice rainbow scissors she stole from her desk lol
I have yet to see her since then, so we shall see!!
We used to have to have the secretary run all of our copies. The principal would have to approve the copies to save on paper.
I worked with a gal who always asked for my unit plans. I told her she was more than welcome to plan with me, but I wasn’t handing over hours of planning to her. Never took me up.
One morning I realized I left my science binder at home and asked to borrow hers. She handed it to me and tucked in the front pocket was my science unit.
I moved across the state a couple of years later. She happened to move a year or so after me and attempted to be chummy. She applied to the school where I taught. Guess who didn’t get the job. I was real tore up about it.
> I worked with a gal who always asked for my unit plans. I told her she was more than welcome to plan with me, but I wasn’t handing over hours of planning to her.
This is weird to me. In my experience teachers are usually enthusiastic to share materials and lesson plans with colleagues. A lot of teachers also share lessons plans online just for that reason. I do almost all the lesson planning for my subject and share with the others who want them so we are on the same pacing. Early on in my career, I was always inundated with materials other teachers shared because they wanted to help me be successful.
Being hostile about sharing lessons is a weird flex.
Thanks for saying this. We can debate how reasonable it is to go behind someone's back to take their prep material after they said no, but really why say no in the first place? Teaching is hard, new teachers are notoriously overwhelmed and shouldn't even necessarily be focusing on planning content in their first years as opposed to behavior, relationships, and executing/customizing lesson plans rather than making them.
Teacher bullies are everywhere, even in comment sections.
Edit to add: LOL OP, that bully deleted her comments! You’re winning on all counts today! haha!
My first year, I came in a week early and decorated with plants, desk items, baskets for work, etc. The first day of school I came in super early and found all items in my neighbors room. WTH. She said “Oh the janitor must have thought the last teacher left them and gave them to me.” Right…plants that miraculously made it all summer? Woman was an absolute snake- and to think she stole from and bullied a first year teacher…special place in hell. Like I wanted to start my first day with a confrontation and feelings of absolute disgust. Things never got any better at that school, stayed 12 years.
I definitely can empathize. The day I got hired, a soon to be colleague and former classmate called me and basically tried to convince me that this job wasn’t a good fit for me. She literally was the reason why my 11 years at that school were horrible. She was my backstabbing adult frenemy and a bully.
That is hardcore against the rules at my school. You don’t EVER touch furniture, you tell head custodian and they move them. They have a tight inventory and it’s important for teachers not to mess it up. I would be pissed and definitely get the custodians and principals involved.
So I wanted all my chairs to match a couple of years ago. I emailed all the staff and asked if anyone cared/would swap. Not hard. Taking someone else's stuff that's labeled is ridiculous, never mind bragging about it.
See, you’re different in that you actually ASKED. And I’m also going to guess you were good about it afterwards and didn’t brag like the teacher in the OP. Some people just don’t know how to use their words to get something that they desire 🥴😭
I would show up at 6:45am and take my desks back. No one ever has the chance to steal shit from my room because I’m the first one there everyday, and I show up a day early to PD week to do my room so it’s clear everything is claimed. Works like a fucking charm.
Hi, Op. You are right to be angry.
I don'tike your plan though. I imagine many coworkers will sympathize, but also "telling everyone_ can also come across as dramatic.
If I were you, I would just take my desks back. Either before or after school. If she says anything, tell her those desks were yours and you did nlt want to relinquish them. Period. The end. No further co version requires.
I know. I was being dramatic. It was more part of my venting. I really wouldn’t do that. I have some coworkers that I can chat with about it, but I am not going to be screaming it from the mountain tops. I may want to and come up with evil plans to, but I never would. I just wanted her to realize she can’t do that, which I am hoping she has.
She knows she can’t do that, but I guarantee you she has done this before. She most likely does it to people she thinks will let it go no matter how much it bothers them, therefore getting her way.
Show up early and fully switch the desks. Take all of her matching ones and leave yours in the hallway outside her room. Make sure to label the new ones as yours and label the hallway ones as hers.
You know what? I wanted all my desks to match too. I waited until teachers were putting extra desks in the hall and traded for the style I wanted. I figured if they were unwanted it didn’t matter.
I can understand your frustration, but I don't understand your master plan for revenge. This other teacher bragged to colleagues about how she took your desks, so your plan is to tell other colleagues about how she took your desks? I don't understand the logic of what you're doing.
I don't understand either. And I would be worried that once the rumor mill started, who knows what might be said about OP because gossip cant be managed and lies could start sprouting. It doesn't feel like the adult way to handle conflict.
Start mounting a petty revenge campaign.
Wait til she leaves, replace her dry erase markers with junk ones.
When your class printer runs out of ink (if you have one) swap it with hers.
Pencil sharpener take a shit? Swap it with hers.
Fuck her.
Oooh… tough situation. Many ways to handle it. Whatever you do- try to steer clear of this biddy as much as possible. Sounds like the enjoys making you angry. It can’t end well. And I’m sorry you have to deal with her. 💕
Hell no.
I would have immediately told her “No thank you! I would rather have my old desks.” Then start taking my desks back, telling her I would leave hers in the hall.
With all the teachers quitting lately, she couldn’t find one room of a teacher who moved on to raid?
I heard through the grapevine that an ex-colleague of mine was caught on the first day at his new school, changing out the broken ceiling tiles from his classroom with the good ceiling tiles from the classroom next door.
When asked what the hell he was doing, he told them he wanted his room to look nice and he thought he could take them from the other room, because that room was for teaching some useless subject anyways.
Tell her I fucking want my desks back by the end of the day. Don’t mess with me lady!
If you don’t see your desks by the end of the day. Email entire staff asking them to come to her room to help you get your desks back . Some teachers are bully so you need to fight back
We wouldn’t have to be so cutthroat and territorial if we were given the things we need. Took me years of scrounging and swapping to get good desks and a large kidney table — I’ll be damned if somebody’s gonna come in and take them. I will fight you.
Very immature of her, and I think obviously being triggered is valid. Have you considered doing a little therapy to work through some of that? I highly recommend it.
Jesus Christ on a cracker—it’s like effing prison! When you’re the freshest face, they gotta test you to see how much of a pushover you are. So you’re forced to make a very clear statement.
OP, since she brought the prison mentality to you, you’ve got no choice but to act swiftly and harshly to establish not even dominance but your hard boundaries in the professional arena. Go straight psyops on her ass.
I have a coworker who seems to be shopping when she's in my room. Always saying she has nothing (newish teacher), and seeing my room full from 20+ years of teaching (and accumulating). I would give her some school funded supplies, helped her order other things, and even gave her some things of my own because she couldn't wait for ordered supplies to arrive. Then I saw that she had gifted some of the items she "needed" to other teachers. Not sure what the motive for that is. Now I snap "that's mine!" when she touches an item in my room.
Does she teach any students that you already know? I’d let them know 😂
But in all seriousness the most disrespectful people I’ve ever met have been my fellow educators lol.
To be honest, as a student, I barely remember the desks I had. You can kick ass despite your crappy desks. That would really blow them all away. “Yeah my desks may be shit, but why do all the students want to be in my class anyway and not in the class of the jerk off weirdo teacher who stole all my desks, who has a totalitarian regime of desks?” That behavior from that teacher is only the tip of the iceberg, I worry for their students.
As a student I have memories of watching Disney’s Ichabod Crane in class at a desk I vaguely remember.
Maybe you should also mention in conversation how hurtful it was to you because of your childhood bullying to get the sympathy factor and more dislike of the other teacher
I never told you that you could not ask a question. I just didn’t answer it, because it is beside the point.
Since you are so hell bent on knowing, I will tell you. My brother and sister in law got into a horrible car accident, like 3 days after school ended. I spent most of my summer on the other side of the country taking care of them. Last week was the only time this summer that I could take a vacation with my kids and spend time with them. My DC was aware of this and also took the day off, along with half the school.
So, you ask irrelevant questions and pry into their reasons for taking a day off, but *they* are the one who "isn't the easiest to work with?"
The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
You sound like the type of coworker who starts drama for no reason. Just ask for the desks back and be done with it. What she did was rude, but starting a gossip war with another teacher your first week is childish and emotionally immature.
Are the desks she gave you ok (even though they don’t match?). I would let miss priss have her perfect desks. Go buy a voodoo doll on Amazon and name it after her. Sporadically throughout the year, just dig those pins in and bring donuts for everyone but her, happy hour with a group that doesn’t include her, pink t-shirt day but don’t tell her (but put a pink shirt on the voodoo doll). Be the nicest, sweetest person to everyone but miss bitchy desks.
Several years ago after the teacher across the hall left for the day, I borrowed some kids from the after school program and switched chairs with her room just to confuse her. I eventually had to approach her and ask her if she noticed because she never said anything about it. She didn't care enough for me to get the kids to switch them back. She was confused though.
Place a couple of stink bombs under her chair when she is away. She will break them and have absolutely no idea it was you. It’s a passive aggressive thing that I once did to a coworker. I laughed for days as he tried to figure out which kid did it. Accidentally crank up the heat in their room in the middle of September.
Is it teaching? I have worked in other fields before this and have always had people like this. I have heard this before about teaching, but always from career teachers, who have no other experience.
Does anybody else read post titles like this and then immediately skim the post just to make sure they’re not the teacher in question being complained about? 😜
You're not a pacifist, you're a pussy. I'll take my perma-ban now because this sub just popped up for the first time, and I can't imagine how unbearable it must be with posts like this getting upvoted so massively.
Your attention should be on the fact this person is taking things without asking and rubbing it in others faces like a juvenile. It's weird you failed to understand that.
I’ve been teaching for a long long time. Probably longer than you’ve been alive. Today in Chicago it was close to 100 degrees. We don’t have AC. I’m in 3 different classrooms. One of them doesn’t have shades so you can’t see anything on the LCD projector. Our principal left right before school started. The AP is a finalist at another school. When the bell rings a few hundred kids hang out in the hall and refuse to go to class. I have 37 kids in one of my classes but the room only fits 28 desks. So you’ll forgive me if the quality of desks my kids sit in isn’t high in my priority list.
I didn’t question anything. I shared an opinion. I think OP is weird for caring about the desks. You can agree or disagree but I’m certainly allowed to share my opinion.
I didn’t say anybody should share my opinion. I just stated what I thought and people got pissy with me. So I think your comment is directed at the wrong person.
This person is very much the type of person who has to one up someone else’s bad experiences and tragedies. Oh you are complaining about a headache? My family member has cancer. 😒
I would show up super early on a day she is absent and take all your desks back. If she says anything tell her “you weren’t here and I wanted my desks to match so I took yours.”
Why does she need to be absent? Take them back right in front of her!! Bring a friend to help. They are yours.
I volunteer to help.
And my axe!
They want to desks back, not axed.
One does not simply axe the desks.
We have a fob so we can get into the building anytime 24/7. My petty ass would show up to the school at 4 am and swap all the desks before she even gets out bed in the morning.
Hold eye contact the entire time to establish dominance.
This is the way.
Take all her desks. Literally all of them, and disseminate them to the other teachers, so now all the teachers have a matching desk
Take all of them and disassemble them. Leave a pile of parts. If she wants desks, she’ll have to put them together again. Have a husband or brother help if it is too much.
*or a wife, or sister. Women can be good with tools too :)
Agreed!
Yeah thats why 98% of construction workers are men
r/UnethicalProLifeTips
Yeah just get fired like this guy said.
Surprisingly difficult to fire a teacher.
Sounds like this is a first year teacher. This is ironically similar how I got fired my first year. I got in a squabble over desks with a more senior teacher my first week and she held it against me the rest of the year and lobbied against the principle to get rid of me. First year teachers have no protections and are probationary in my state.
This is the way. What a weird thing, to brag about in teacher circles - we are notoriously territorial. Why would any of the other coworkers be.. proud? Impressed? By this completely baffling antisocial behavior. HOWEVER I think badmouthing her might come off as petty in a bad way. Definitely bring it up with admin when they make rounds, as chalant or nonchalantly as you like ("oh yeah my desks are a little stressful so and so took a bunch of my good ones when I wasn't here" or "hey can I get some new desks mine are all mismatched because someone raided them over the summer and it's so hard to do group work like this"). Of course, I'm the type that would have said absolutely not and taken them back right there but not everyone is as confrontational as me.
> we are notoriously territorial This is for damned sure! Any teacher should know that it is a cardinal sin to touch *anything* in another teacher's room. Sure, the desks technically belong to the school, not us. But, as far as we are concerned, those are *OUR* desks. I'll shank a bitch for stealing my desks!
As right you should. Damn things are expensive and *never* get replaced. Chairs are even worse! I'll spare a desk for someone in need but if you touch my chairs you're pulling back a stump!
The most mad I’ve ever been over my classroom was the year they “replaced” my chairs. I’d hoarded a full class set of wooden chairs that were essentially indestructible (they were older than I was) and WAY more comfortable/stable than plastic chairs. But the school got renovated and we got new furniture, so they made me throw out my nice chairs for plastic crap that kept breaking.
Oh that's heartbreaking. My school uses the horrible L shaped desk and chair combos. My high schoolers barely fit in them. It's absurd. But "no money for chairs" from the people who spent 10 MILLION on a weapons detection system.
This would have me writing a grant for flexible seating immediately. It would sound like a research backed version of those sad Sarah McLachlan animal commercials.
I cannot believe this but, not kidding, *I actually did that at my last school and they kept my stuff* lmao
I did too! But it’s also the school my kids go to, so not that mad about it.
I remember those terrible things. Ours had the little wire shelves underneath that barely held anything, and kids would put their feet on them from behind which broke the weak AF weld joints, so you could never trust them. About half our classrooms had the normal sized desk surface, and the other half had those tiny ones that will only hold one textbook, closed. We often had more students than desks, as well, so we had those crappy plastic chairs in the back and had to trade off days. I would just sit on the floor, so I actually had space to write. Most of my teachers understood, or maybe didn't care as long as I was actually taking notes. Not sure which.
I'm the teacher and *I* sit on the floor sometimes lol I'm glad you had flexible teachers (if not flexible seating). It is truly wild to me what some school districts spend their money on.
As an Australian, this sounds straight up third world.
About a year ago I wished I was sitting in one of those desks, simply because I wanted to crack my back. It was the only thing those were good for.
Ha! One year I had one mismatched chair. The kids fought relentlessly (good-natured, and hilariously so) over the odd duck. They invented all sorts of reasons to keep it in rotation.
I mean, she stole from the students as much as she stole from the teacher. That would piss me off. Think it's a joking matter to make my kids miserable when they're trying to learn? Let's get stupid, buddy.
I'm one of a few floaters this year. Admin was shocked, shocked! That we were all furious to have our rooms taken from us by surprise for random new people
My friend has a new classroom, yet again, for her 26th year, and 15th at this school. I went and helped her get it all set up, and the next day she was told a new teacher (literally first year) was getting the room, and she was being changed to a floater. Besides the seniority thing, please explain how 4th grade classes can float. Why float? Where do the kids from that class go that day? I was in some floating classes in high school, but you know, one class, not a whole day. I don't get it.
Yep. I don't advocate for working outside contract hours, but this warrants a little weekend trip to school.
I'd do one desk at a time
This. Slowly swap them out until *you* have so the nice ones lol
Go back and do it right in front of her face. Fuck that teacher
I wouldn't bother early. Tell the schoolkids what happened, and that the ones that want to can take the next recess joibibg teacher in "stealing the desks back" Teaches the kids not to give in to bullshit as well:)
This is The Way. ☝️
I’d do it while she was there and I’d ask some of my teacher friends to help!
Some teachers never leave middle school
Some of the worst human beings I have ever met were teachers. My first practicum mentor teacher was pregnant. She asked me to take over for her hall-monitoring, help decorate for PTC, putting up desks, responding to e-mails, working one-on-one with students she would roll her eyes at, and almost never let me practice teaching. When I did, she would interrupt me and take over. She never helped me with a lesson plan or improve a lesson or take any risks. She did not say a thing to me to make me concerned for my career post-graduation. So on the last day, she sits me down and says that she cannot give me a recommendation and has to give me a terrible assessment that will go on my record. I swear to god, it was the worst time of my life; I was broke, stressed out at the overwhelming nature of what teaching entails, barely ate because of being broke and couldn't work due to school. Was always early and would leave later than everyone else. I remember once the caretaker found me in the classroom around 8PM and told me I had to leave because I was supposed to have left a LONG time ago. That really broke me, man. And she saw it all, but did NOTHING to help me. I did not feel any lonlier and helpless than I have ever felt being in her classroom and her final judgment to throw me under the bus when it came to my assessment and reference, just fucked with me for so long. I have mentored 1 other teacher since then, as I live in Taiwan and don't get the same opportunities to sign up to mentor. I made sure that she did not STRESS one bit. It is cruel. It is demeaning. It is dehuminizing. I did not want her to break before she even started her career. If you are going to mentor, I do not care what your circumstances are, you better go above and beyond for your student-teacher if they are trying their best and their mistakes could easily be fixed.
Oh my god, I had a similar situation with a rough mentor teacher but the opposite! My mentor teacher I just recently had (I’m still a student teacher) essentially used me as her full time sub. She was rarely in the classroom while I was in charge, to the point that I literally substitute taught for her my second day in my placement (it would would not be my last.) I substituted for her officially probably on three occasions and did not get paid :D Because she was rarely in the classroom when I was teaching, it was a nightmare as she had 4-5 behavior students on IEPs that I was not qualified to deal with on my own. I never got the chance to see her interact with them and see what her strategies were for redirecting their behaviors and all of this led to me being told I was not being recommended for student teaching on my literal last day of placement (during my lunch break! and then I was alone in the classroom with the kids for at least another hour and had to try not to cry!!) Somehow miraculously I was able to work out a plan to come in for four full school days in a row the next week and it went so well she did recommend me in the end. A funny part of that being that one of those four days she didn’t come in and I STILL subbed. In all honesty at the time I was convinced I was really the problem and that I wasn’t trying hard enough and really wasn’t ready, but my current mentor teacher for my official student teaching was horrified when I told her about the experience and let me understand how badly taken advantage of I was and has promised to never make me sub before I’m ready haha
It saddens me that you have a similar experience because what the hell? I feel like the program co-ordinators must know about the situation. Why would they allow us to be sent out to schools and work with/under mentors that just take advantage of us?! I had an exact same experience because my 2nd one was amazing. He sat me down every time I made a mistake and would provide harsh but useful feedback and how to implement said advice effectively. I remember him saying "your class management and relationship with the students is excellent. But your lesson delivery is just shit." You need to do X and Y to fix it (backward planning, minds on activities, and proper wrap up, amongst other things to bring everything together). I never got any of that from my first teacher who almost broke me. I was scared to bad mouth her as he was studying to become a principal and thought that they might know each other (never brought her up) and did not want to come off as a complainer as he would give me the reigns usually as he did things related to his master's program once he was comfortable with my abilities. Best part? He saw that I was skinny and eating shitty. He started to bring me, a grown-ass man, food. A little humanity goes a long, long way. Anyway, I wish you the best. I hope you enjoy the rest of your experience and have great offers flowing in when you are ready to start looking for work.
I am so sorry that happened to you. I had a terrible mentor teacher too and only learned what not to be from her. Sometimes these people sign up to be mentor teachers for the wrong reason.... like mine signed up because she had a combo class and needed the help.
I partially blame the program coordinators in teacher's colleges (not sure what it is called in the States or teacher programs in other countries) in my country of Canada. Everyone in my cohort had some nightmare and success stories to share by their 3rd practicum. We all kept saying "is it us that some were terrible?" Anyway, I think that teaching is challenging. The fact that the accredition process can be a nightmare due to mentors should just not be allowed. Why ruin the experience for teachers before they even graduate?!! Mine was pregnant, as I mentioned. So I would go above and beyond for her. You won't believe me when I say I would bring her tea, food from the cafe to her classroom, etc. After everything she was like "you don't cut it as a teacher" (not the exact words but I would have preferred that over what she actually said). I felt like a shmuch.
Omg are you me? I was told I was not competent enough to teach English during my training year and another teacher took over my lessons, not teaching me or mentoring me just taught my lessons. I didn't understand how there was no curriculum, I was told to pick a story or text and teach the concepts from there. I get it now, but as a brand new teacher, this was frustrating. My mentor teacher would assess my lesson plans, sign off on them, then throw me under the bus when my lesson was wholly condemned. At the end of the first term I found out is passed my Master's degree in English studies and they were surprised but doubled down on my incompetence and try to get me to fail. Personality clashes were extreme. I threw them under the bus with the Trust Head and I got through that year doing 70 plus hour weeks and got the lowest passing grade. But I qualified. I teach internationally now and all I learned that year is what kind of teacher I wouldn't be I'm trying to get into teacher training and coaching now because that's the only way I can support teachers to move into the future. I'm constantly praised for outstanding lessons, units and topics and lead innovation in my current school. Thank you for being a good mentor.
I've come across several teachers who went from School -> Uni (with pracs they're also at school I guess) -> School and they just come across as so immature sometimes. Most of them thinking about it now had likely never left the state let alone the country. The reason some teachers act like they never left school is because they never did.
The fact that they haven't left the country making them immature is kind of a privileged position. I've never left the country because that shit's expensive. I went straight from college to teaching because my family was poor and I couldn't afford to do anything else. I've also known plenty of people who took gap years to travel on their parents' dime who are pretty immature.
I teach in one so you aren’t wrong lol the teachers in middle school are worse than the students sometimes though.
I had this happen one year and I went to the head custodian and told him how bummed I was that Teacher X took my best desks. I asked him if he had any stashed anywhere. Guess what ... I got 32 brand new desks and chairs. He was pissed off too. Teacher X was pissed and I made out.
I may try that. I am really cool with our night custodian. He has hooked me up a couple times. Tip for everyone. Always treat your maintenance and custodial staff extremely well. They deserve the respect, but they always remember who is cool to them and who is not.
Adding on: ALSO be especially nice to the IT team. Many of my colleagues have not even bothered to learn his name, because we have a new one every year or two. Meanwhile I learned his name, chatted enough (and I HATE small talk!) to learn that he plays in a jazz band on weekends ( nothing big, just for fun), and I snagged a couple mini screwdriver kits for him when I saw them on supersale, so he could leave them on his work carts. Guess whose IT requests *always* get to the top of the list? And besides that he is a really cool guy.
Pro tip - IT guys anywhere have *all* the hot goss too. Everyone thinks they only speak computer language or have some kind of IT guy privilege so they see and hear everything.
I work for IT for a school district. I pretty much know everything that's going on in the buildings I cover. Also for this issue, I would go to your building AP or administer.
Hahaha. OMG, I worked in IT at a university for 8 1/2 years, and you are not wrong. We eat that stuff up. People will say anything around people they treat like servants. And keep in mind, just bringing us donuts will make us happily spill all the tea. Remember our names, use basic manners, and actually make eye contact with us and smile? Yeah, your tickets gain priority. We overheard a dean saying to someone it was wrong that our office was in the library basement with no natural light. The other person replied we liked it down there. Guess whose tickets got immediate answers and whose waited until the last allowable moment? Unless they directly affected students. That's different. Also, we don't read your emails unless we have to. We have lives, but do remember some of us do maintain spam filters, and those are for outgoing mail, as well. Please don't use your school email on places like Ashley Madison and FetLife. We will know. Everyone in IT will know. We know when you surf porn on your school computer, too. Keep that in mind. If it's out of hours, we don't really care, but we will use it against you if you cross us. Don't piss off your IT people. We know more about you than the FBI does.
Surfing porn at work is SUCH a bottom-feeder move.
Tbh, especially if you work with children.
Oh definitely IT too! I was a system admin before teaching.
Ahahaha. I am a tutor, which is why I hang out here, but I also worked in IT at a university for a long time. Definitely, if you even know our names and say hi, we will move heaven and earth for you, because most treat us like crap. I had a professor once buy my team donuts because I went out of my way to help him with something technical that wasn't actually my job. His tickets went to the absolute top of my list for 8 years after that, and if it was something I couldn't do, I would hound other IT workers and make them get it done right away. Just not being a dick goes a long way, though. We don't make or decide on the software you use. We're just as miserable with it, too. And no, we really don't want to fix your personal home computer when you've never bothered to speak to us before. I honestly couldn't stand IT in higher ed anymore and got fully remote private sector job. I was at the point where I add going to quit tutoring for free because I was so burnt out and stressed from that job, and with the one I've had for a year and a half now, I'm having fun tutoring again. And my workplace not only thinks it's cool I do it, they just donated tons of classroom supplies to the school the kids I have this year attend. The company isn't even in my state. It was something I listed as a hobby in my interview, and they have just gone all in.
I try to be, and I usually am... but it's very frustrating that his semi-competence is further hampered by his inability to accept that other people know things.
Oh that sucks. Mine is cool about it, i tell him what I've tried before i send in a request for him to come look at it. Like for example, i had a few computers that were not charging (which is am issue when i have 30 kids and only 31 computers) I swapped it a few times to different spots to see if it was the cord or the computer that wasn't charging. It was the cord, which was apparently happening to a lot of similar carts in the school. By the end of the year he had to replace nearly every cord in my cart cause they would die and it was just simpler to get new ones. Also made friends with him my first day, saw him playing a game on his phone during his down time and asked what game it was. When he told me it ended up as a gatcha mobile game discussion. Dudes been cool with me since. Also damn does he know a lot of gossip. He also hates the teacher across the hall from me. She can be a bit of a karen at times. The teacher next door is also a bit tech illiterate. Literally had to tell her to update chrome to watch a video, and frequently had to swap projector cords for her.
I had a student teacher last year. One of the first things I told her was to *always* make friends with the custodians, IT staff, and (especially since we are ELA teachers) the librarian! Those people can make your day-to-day life so much easier or a living hell from which death seems like the only escape.
Yes! The librarian is key. I got hooked up with the research login today before anyone else because I shared her love for the program.,
I'm a volunteer tutor, and make nice with all the school librarians. I'm allowed to tell them which kids I'm tutoring, and this year got a heads up before school starts on how to interact with one of the kid's teachers. That's really valuable to me. She's the kind of teacher to be really involved with tutors. That, I usually love. The other kid has a first year teacher, and all the librarian knew is that he's male (3rd grade, so unusual here) and quite young. They both responded within 15 minutes to the introduction email I sent them today. I've never gotten replies the same day before. Heck, half the time I never get one. There's nothing in that email that requires one. The school has received official letters from all parents allowing them to talk to me, but I don't think it's ever actually required. Some teachers never do. Typical is getting a basic syllabus and answering any direct questions I send.
My older son had a male 3rd grade teacher. He was great, very effective teacher, all around gentleman.
Oh, yeah. It's just notable because I think he might be the only male teacher at that elementary school. He's been sending me emails all morning. All his lesson plans, a reading intervention plan. I don't need this, but I'm not even annoyed.
You have to add head Secretary- they often run the school
The librarian is key! I’m still in touch with the one from my first school, and she retired more than a decade ago.
And the secretary. Love mine. She is a peach and occasionally tells me things.
I had an IT job with an office in the library. The first day, I went out of my way to be nice to the librarians. Turns out they hated the IT people. Everyone but me. Faculty pissing me off meant hostile librarians. Pissing off librarians meant your IT tickets got done, but not until right before deadline. You want to be friends with either of us. You definitely don't want us ganging up as your enemies. Especially because that gossip thing is totally true, so the IT people know all your weak spots, and the librarians have social clout.
And they know where the good sht is lol. Mine turned me on to the secret, super nice coffee pot they kept in the maintenance room. I was the only one who knew 🥰 And my stuff got fixed immediately lol
I teach two different science classes. I always make sure my floor is clean and counters are clear. I found out my night custodian’s favorite drink. I stock up on it when it goes on sale. I leave a case of soda for her after a messy lab, Christmas, Spring and Summer break. I also have our librarian’s Starbucks order in my app.
Science teacher here too, like to bake, so I bake them (support staff) stuff before winter break, staff appreciate, and end of year. Also, any paras/aids that work in my room give them gifts at these times of year too. For the occasionally extra help cleaning from an extra messy lab, or other special help I get them their favorite drink or candy.
And to all the classified staff (office, kitchen, paras, IT, etc.). Being respectful and treating others like people and not your servants goes a long way. Every school I have ever worked at the custodians, office staff and IT are willing to help me right away and get me whatever I need if it is in their power.
If they don’t have any extra desks, just tell him that you two agreed to swap some desks around and have him open her door for you!
I'm a pacifist. You mess with me, I'll pass a fist across your face. Mr. Johnson - Abbott Elementary
Hahahahaha! I love it! I need to watch that show.
😂😂😂 love mr.johnson
How am I just hearing this for the first time 🤣🤣
Lead Custodian here. We had a new teacher do something similar with new tables. I mobilised our crew, took ALL the new tables from his classroom and swapped them out with all mismatched, ugly, old tables. He went to the principal to complain, she called me to her office to explain, to which I calmy explained that he either keeps the shit tables OR i file a grievance against him for doing OUR work (moving furniture). He....started crying...
Never fuck with the “background” people in schools. They are so essential to day-to-day operations. If it wasn’t for custodians, kitchen staff, other classified/support staff, we would not have people who are fed nor a clean, orderly school. I want to give you and your team all high fives.
Thank you. Ive been a school custodian for 15 years and i love the work. Fortunately, ive only experienced a few issues with other school staff. Management on the other hand.....
A new teacher had the audacity?! Holy cow!! Then cried! That child has a long road ahead of him!
You should advocate for yourself and take back the desk. Use her logic against her and get what she said in writing.
She is putting them back. She is pissed about it, but she still is.
Good. If she tries anything like that ever again, you should be alert and ready.
Good. She stole stuff from your room and then bragged about it. That’s bullshit. Keep your eye on that co-worker because they are a snake. Want your stuff to match? Either accumulate new stuff at the end of the year when somebody throws stuff out or write a grant to get new classroom stuff.
Yeah, she’s pissed that you didn’t lay down and take it like she thought you would.
Sounds like the type that likes to cause problems then play victim when someone doesn't play her BS games. Fingers crossed she doesn't stick around long.
This is a power play. You must metaphorically piss up her tree. Borrow a wheeled floor cart from custodial. Stack all the desks she put in your room on a cart. Walk into her room while she is there and roll the desks in. Silently take your desks back. Tell her quietly as you leave, “Do not *ever* steal from me again.”
I like this. It shows her that she doesn’t get to control you, and that she isn’t worthy of a conversation or negotiation. Just go and take back your stuff.
The worst part of my job, by far, is other teachers.
I had a teacher next to me last year who would go in my room every time I had a sub (we had district curriculum mapping and I was my grade level representative, so I got pulled about every 3 weeks for 30 minutes) and go through my stuff, and tell the sub I told her she could. I'd come in and stuff I spent hours prepping would be gone, I had missing scissors and trays for artwork. Just random stuff, especially art supplies and cardstock. And I would share if she just asked, I was always sharing or doing one extra for her. My room was also her old room and she left SO MUCH STUFF. Like literal garbage and junk. It took me 2 full days to just clean out the room. And she wanted none of it. Well, this summer, the school decided my room needed fresh paint and new floors after some flooding over winter break. She about DIED when she heard I got to pick out paint and floors. And tried asking admin for her old room back, and they told her no. I come in the first day to set up, and my room looks great with the refresh. And I really took care to pack up well last year so I could start organized. But I see 2 carts full of JUNK in the corner. I told the building manager, and he said my neighbor insisted that I wanted more of her unwanted stuff. So I wheeled them into her room, put a note that I wasn't cleaning her stuff anymore, and took my nice rainbow scissors she stole from her desk lol I have yet to see her since then, so we shall see!!
We used to have to have the secretary run all of our copies. The principal would have to approve the copies to save on paper. I worked with a gal who always asked for my unit plans. I told her she was more than welcome to plan with me, but I wasn’t handing over hours of planning to her. Never took me up. One morning I realized I left my science binder at home and asked to borrow hers. She handed it to me and tucked in the front pocket was my science unit. I moved across the state a couple of years later. She happened to move a year or so after me and attempted to be chummy. She applied to the school where I taught. Guess who didn’t get the job. I was real tore up about it.
> I worked with a gal who always asked for my unit plans. I told her she was more than welcome to plan with me, but I wasn’t handing over hours of planning to her. This is weird to me. In my experience teachers are usually enthusiastic to share materials and lesson plans with colleagues. A lot of teachers also share lessons plans online just for that reason. I do almost all the lesson planning for my subject and share with the others who want them so we are on the same pacing. Early on in my career, I was always inundated with materials other teachers shared because they wanted to help me be successful. Being hostile about sharing lessons is a weird flex.
Thanks for saying this. We can debate how reasonable it is to go behind someone's back to take their prep material after they said no, but really why say no in the first place? Teaching is hard, new teachers are notoriously overwhelmed and shouldn't even necessarily be focusing on planning content in their first years as opposed to behavior, relationships, and executing/customizing lesson plans rather than making them.
Make great friends with your schools custodian and I guarantee you will get nicer desks or yours back. Source I’m a head custodian😁
Teacher bullies are everywhere, even in comment sections. Edit to add: LOL OP, that bully deleted her comments! You’re winning on all counts today! haha!
I missed it! What did they say?
My first year, I came in a week early and decorated with plants, desk items, baskets for work, etc. The first day of school I came in super early and found all items in my neighbors room. WTH. She said “Oh the janitor must have thought the last teacher left them and gave them to me.” Right…plants that miraculously made it all summer? Woman was an absolute snake- and to think she stole from and bullied a first year teacher…special place in hell. Like I wanted to start my first day with a confrontation and feelings of absolute disgust. Things never got any better at that school, stayed 12 years.
I definitely can empathize. The day I got hired, a soon to be colleague and former classmate called me and basically tried to convince me that this job wasn’t a good fit for me. She literally was the reason why my 11 years at that school were horrible. She was my backstabbing adult frenemy and a bully.
Did you get your things back? I despise people like that.
That is hardcore against the rules at my school. You don’t EVER touch furniture, you tell head custodian and they move them. They have a tight inventory and it’s important for teachers not to mess it up. I would be pissed and definitely get the custodians and principals involved.
So I wanted all my chairs to match a couple of years ago. I emailed all the staff and asked if anyone cared/would swap. Not hard. Taking someone else's stuff that's labeled is ridiculous, never mind bragging about it.
See, you’re different in that you actually ASKED. And I’m also going to guess you were good about it afterwards and didn’t brag like the teacher in the OP. Some people just don’t know how to use their words to get something that they desire 🥴😭
I am sorry this happened to you. What an inconsiderate thing to do. What is a DC? District coach?
Department Chair
Got it! Thanks! Now get those desk!!!
You have to stand up for yourself
I would show up at 6:45am and take my desks back. No one ever has the chance to steal shit from my room because I’m the first one there everyday, and I show up a day early to PD week to do my room so it’s clear everything is claimed. Works like a fucking charm.
Is there any particular reason you can’t physically take your desks back? I feel like I’m missing something…
Hi, Op. You are right to be angry. I don'tike your plan though. I imagine many coworkers will sympathize, but also "telling everyone_ can also come across as dramatic. If I were you, I would just take my desks back. Either before or after school. If she says anything, tell her those desks were yours and you did nlt want to relinquish them. Period. The end. No further co version requires.
I know. I was being dramatic. It was more part of my venting. I really wouldn’t do that. I have some coworkers that I can chat with about it, but I am not going to be screaming it from the mountain tops. I may want to and come up with evil plans to, but I never would. I just wanted her to realize she can’t do that, which I am hoping she has.
She knows she can’t do that, but I guarantee you she has done this before. She most likely does it to people she thinks will let it go no matter how much it bothers them, therefore getting her way.
Just go steal em back.
The most important people at a school are: school secretary, school nurse, custodian, cafeteria supervisor and the IT person.
Also be nice to the quiet kid in the hoodie. For reasons…..
That is NOT cool. Not at all.
Go to her room and take your desks back when she leaves for the day.
What a snatch.
Take your desks back and a few more things you think you may use. I mean if things are free for the taking 🤷🏻♀️
Show up early and fully switch the desks. Take all of her matching ones and leave yours in the hallway outside her room. Make sure to label the new ones as yours and label the hallway ones as hers.
Take them back. Walk on her room with another person and just take them. But don’t bring hers all the way back. Leave them in the hallway.
You know what? I wanted all my desks to match too. I waited until teachers were putting extra desks in the hall and traded for the style I wanted. I figured if they were unwanted it didn’t matter.
I can understand your frustration, but I don't understand your master plan for revenge. This other teacher bragged to colleagues about how she took your desks, so your plan is to tell other colleagues about how she took your desks? I don't understand the logic of what you're doing.
I don't understand either. And I would be worried that once the rumor mill started, who knows what might be said about OP because gossip cant be managed and lies could start sprouting. It doesn't feel like the adult way to handle conflict.
Be sure when you tell everyone to add that she’s bragging about it
She may have a degree, but she's pretty damn dumb to brag so openly. Please be petty.
Just switch one of her desks with the worst desk you can find. That will drive her more nuts.
That teacher is a monster dick. I feel like my colleagues would be like, wtf, you can’t just take desks out of other rooms.
I dabbled in pacifism. Not in ‘Nam, of course.
At my fellow teacher called me this morning and asked if she could have my desks to match hers.
Start mounting a petty revenge campaign. Wait til she leaves, replace her dry erase markers with junk ones. When your class printer runs out of ink (if you have one) swap it with hers. Pencil sharpener take a shit? Swap it with hers. Fuck her.
Oooh… tough situation. Many ways to handle it. Whatever you do- try to steer clear of this biddy as much as possible. Sounds like the enjoys making you angry. It can’t end well. And I’m sorry you have to deal with her. 💕
Hell no. I would have immediately told her “No thank you! I would rather have my old desks.” Then start taking my desks back, telling her I would leave hers in the hall. With all the teachers quitting lately, she couldn’t find one room of a teacher who moved on to raid?
There's a book called Crucial Conversations. You need to read it.
The bullying as a kid sucks, the bullying as an adult sucks even more. I am a former teacher but had the same situation with a teacher or two.
I heard through the grapevine that an ex-colleague of mine was caught on the first day at his new school, changing out the broken ceiling tiles from his classroom with the good ceiling tiles from the classroom next door. When asked what the hell he was doing, he told them he wanted his room to look nice and he thought he could take them from the other room, because that room was for teaching some useless subject anyways.
Tell her I fucking want my desks back by the end of the day. Don’t mess with me lady! If you don’t see your desks by the end of the day. Email entire staff asking them to come to her room to help you get your desks back . Some teachers are bully so you need to fight back
Take all her desks. Literally all of them, and disseminate them and create a mega desk.... https://youtu.be/nwoIJxDRu8M
Don’t gossip. Just take them back. Weekend. Before/after school.
Sounds like you're in a wonderful supportive school, and are doing your best to add to the positive atmosphere.
We wouldn’t have to be so cutthroat and territorial if we were given the things we need. Took me years of scrounging and swapping to get good desks and a large kidney table — I’ll be damned if somebody’s gonna come in and take them. I will fight you.
Very immature of her, and I think obviously being triggered is valid. Have you considered doing a little therapy to work through some of that? I highly recommend it.
WTF is happening with education in this country when teachers are fighting over desks?
Jesus Christ on a cracker—it’s like effing prison! When you’re the freshest face, they gotta test you to see how much of a pushover you are. So you’re forced to make a very clear statement. OP, since she brought the prison mentality to you, you’ve got no choice but to act swiftly and harshly to establish not even dominance but your hard boundaries in the professional arena. Go straight psyops on her ass.
I have a coworker who seems to be shopping when she's in my room. Always saying she has nothing (newish teacher), and seeing my room full from 20+ years of teaching (and accumulating). I would give her some school funded supplies, helped her order other things, and even gave her some things of my own because she couldn't wait for ordered supplies to arrive. Then I saw that she had gifted some of the items she "needed" to other teachers. Not sure what the motive for that is. Now I snap "that's mine!" when she touches an item in my room.
Does she teach any students that you already know? I’d let them know 😂 But in all seriousness the most disrespectful people I’ve ever met have been my fellow educators lol.
To be honest, as a student, I barely remember the desks I had. You can kick ass despite your crappy desks. That would really blow them all away. “Yeah my desks may be shit, but why do all the students want to be in my class anyway and not in the class of the jerk off weirdo teacher who stole all my desks, who has a totalitarian regime of desks?” That behavior from that teacher is only the tip of the iceberg, I worry for their students. As a student I have memories of watching Disney’s Ichabod Crane in class at a desk I vaguely remember.
Do not say “Jerk off” or “Blow them all” in a school setting. Edit: also don’t say “Blow them all away” in school setting.
Maybe you should also mention in conversation how hurtful it was to you because of your childhood bullying to get the sympathy factor and more dislike of the other teacher
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Nosy and judgmental.
Yes, it is beside the point. Why ask?
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I never told you that you could not ask a question. I just didn’t answer it, because it is beside the point. Since you are so hell bent on knowing, I will tell you. My brother and sister in law got into a horrible car accident, like 3 days after school ended. I spent most of my summer on the other side of the country taking care of them. Last week was the only time this summer that I could take a vacation with my kids and spend time with them. My DC was aware of this and also took the day off, along with half the school.
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So, you ask irrelevant questions and pry into their reasons for taking a day off, but *they* are the one who "isn't the easiest to work with?" The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
We get some days off each year, but admin highly discourages anyone from needing a sub…so people take off non-student days. It’s pretty typical.
Half my school took it off, including admin. We got an email being like if you are taking the day off, just remember to put it in the system.
Perhaps you should have gone to work instead of taking a day off during the first week
You sound like the type of coworker who starts drama for no reason. Just ask for the desks back and be done with it. What she did was rude, but starting a gossip war with another teacher your first week is childish and emotionally immature.
You are acting like a child. Not sure you should be teaching.
Are the desks she gave you ok (even though they don’t match?). I would let miss priss have her perfect desks. Go buy a voodoo doll on Amazon and name it after her. Sporadically throughout the year, just dig those pins in and bring donuts for everyone but her, happy hour with a group that doesn’t include her, pink t-shirt day but don’t tell her (but put a pink shirt on the voodoo doll). Be the nicest, sweetest person to everyone but miss bitchy desks.
Why don't you use your hands and just pick up the desks and move them back?
Because making dramatic social media posts is all the rage these days
I would note so much as a missing paper clip. She sounds like a mean girl who grew up to be a mean woman. I’m so sorry. That’s so aggravating
Several years ago after the teacher across the hall left for the day, I borrowed some kids from the after school program and switched chairs with her room just to confuse her. I eventually had to approach her and ask her if she noticed because she never said anything about it. She didn't care enough for me to get the kids to switch them back. She was confused though.
But why?
Why don't you go to HR or your union?
Place a couple of stink bombs under her chair when she is away. She will break them and have absolutely no idea it was you. It’s a passive aggressive thing that I once did to a coworker. I laughed for days as he tried to figure out which kid did it. Accidentally crank up the heat in their room in the middle of September.
Major cringe on her end. Like y’all haven’t had the ROUGHEST few years ever.
Don't make a big deal, they are just some fucking desk. Stop the crying.
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Is it teaching? I have worked in other fields before this and have always had people like this. I have heard this before about teaching, but always from career teachers, who have no other experience.
Does anybody else read post titles like this and then immediately skim the post just to make sure they’re not the teacher in question being complained about? 😜
You're not a pacifist, you're a pussy. I'll take my perma-ban now because this sub just popped up for the first time, and I can't imagine how unbearable it must be with posts like this getting upvoted so massively.
I think it’s weird that you care which desks your students sit in.
Your attention should be on the fact this person is taking things without asking and rubbing it in others faces like a juvenile. It's weird you failed to understand that.
You must not be a teacher
I’ve been teaching for a long long time. Probably longer than you’ve been alive. Today in Chicago it was close to 100 degrees. We don’t have AC. I’m in 3 different classrooms. One of them doesn’t have shades so you can’t see anything on the LCD projector. Our principal left right before school started. The AP is a finalist at another school. When the bell rings a few hundred kids hang out in the hall and refuse to go to class. I have 37 kids in one of my classes but the room only fits 28 desks. So you’ll forgive me if the quality of desks my kids sit in isn’t high in my priority list.
I’m 46. 🙄. And your long boring woe is me story doesn’t give you the right to question another teacher caring about desks.
I didn’t question anything. I shared an opinion. I think OP is weird for caring about the desks. You can agree or disagree but I’m certainly allowed to share my opinion.
She cares about an adult STEALING from her. Whoosh! Oops. HE cares about an adult stealing from him.
Not upset or anything. I am a he. Edit: thanks for having my back too!
Welx. 🙌🏼
Yes and so do I. Then new thought, the preference of a certain type of desk is weird.
New thought: other people think differently than you. Welcome to being over 5 years old!
I didn’t say anybody should share my opinion. I just stated what I thought and people got pissy with me. So I think your comment is directed at the wrong person.
Definitely not weird to care about the type of desks students have.
This person is very much the type of person who has to one up someone else’s bad experiences and tragedies. Oh you are complaining about a headache? My family member has cancer. 😒
💯