Notice

In the last few days I have heard several stories of teachers receiving notice, or pink slips. The timing is now because the end of the semester is nigh and, at least for the terminator, provides a natural break. This of course happens every year and every semester, so why am I now curious? Because many of those terminatees had had no warning.

A couple of tales in particular stand out as both had recently received "outstanding" and/or "highly effective" performance evaluations. As mine is an "at will" state, no grounds need be given so neither knows why, but of course self-doubt immediately emerges.

A couple of other letters referred vaguely to re-organization. Generally, this would mean financial issues thus retrenching, combining classes and programs and things of that ilk. And yet, again, there had been no signs of any impending financial strictures.

Meanwhile, another group consists of teachers in schools and/or with principals I know and, without any facts of the cases at all, I can confidently assert that they were each and all bad hires to begin with. For example, an elementary teacher being recruited to a high school role. You will not be surprised to know that reportedly, these too were gobsmacked.

Breaking up is always hard to do, and more often than not, the legally safe route is not to explain or excuse. However, I have always felt that any evaluation (teacher, staff or student) should not be a surprise and should merely record formally what is already known. That this "out of the blue" event is apparently so widespread that even little old me has heard of nearly a dozen cases would suggest that school leadership may not be as competent as we would hope.

And of course if treatment such as this goes one way, guess what will inevitably happen in the other direction.

*Please leave comments and queries below.*