I (25F) am a teacher. I work with two other teachers for my subject and age range. One of those two is a new teacher in the school but someone with lots of experience (she’s my mom’s age). At the start I was really excited to get an experienced new coworker because we it has been a revolving door lately which is also stressful for me and the other colleague.
She had tons of questions which at first was fine, she’s new, she needs to get used to our way of working. But it kept going, taking the whole planning period. Worst of all, we could spend an hour planningt things and she would just not do it that way.
We are noticing that she doesn’t seem to do well mentally and we think this might be the reason. I am experiencing a lot of added pressure though. My other colleague is also taking on work to helm our new coworker out but this is not a sustainable situation. Our planning period has turned into new coworker support and we have to get the job done at home.
My other colleague however is blaming everything on the suspected mental issues of the new coworker. I believe she thinks I’m a bit hardh because I do not think it’s sustainable and that something has to be done. I have already contacted the mentor who was also my mentor so there is a lot of trust there. I’m also a bit scared because we heard the principal might be asking us about it soon. I feel caught between my frustration and my compassion. I understand mental issues are extremely difficult but I also feel a bit drained constantly having to rush to get everything done.
WIBTA if I speak up and say we’re struggling to get things done? I don’t want to throw her under the bus but it needs to be a sustainable, healthy working situation in my opinion.
sounds like a tough spot, balancing compassion and workload. maybe a chat with the mentor could help find a middle ground. better than staying silent and letting it fester.
NTA.
I think you would be if you approached it without any compassion.
But y’know, having read your post, I don’t think you are? You seem a fairly reasonable person. Just have a quiet chat with the mentor, try to approach it as concern over getting the work done and over getting the new teacher up to speed rather than about criticising people.
NTA. You aren’t throwing her under a bus, you’re trying to get get out from under the one she’s been throwing you under. Mental issues are an explanation, not an excuse, for how she might be behaving. You owe it to yourself and your colleague to get the planning problem resolved ASAP. You will eventually burn out if this keeps up. Perhaps there are employee assistance programs or counseling services she can consult. But be honest with the principal and emphasize that your feedback is confidential.
Have you spoken to her directly?
OP, while you perceive an honest assessment of her abilities as “throwing her under the bus” I assure you it is not. Having a teacher who struggles so much at the job is not fair to anyone – not coworkers, students, and actually not to herself. My best boss once told me that problem employees know that they are not doing the job. I am betting Your coworker knows that she is struggling. Her supervisor needs to know this. Perhaps she is at the wrong grade level or she is the wrong fit for the curriculum. Perhaps she has a personal problem that is not your issue to address. Speak up and be honest with your supervisor. It is the best thing to do.
NTA, just calmly and objectively provide a few examples of specific situations without making it personal
YWNBTA- When your ability to help hinders your own actual work, then you have to speak up. Your planning periods are built into your schedule for a reason. If your entire period is helping a co worker who just isn’t getting it, and you’ve lost your own ability to plan, it’s a double loss. Someone needs to know. You can speak compassionately and honestly at the same time. Your students deserve a teacher that has had the proper time to plan lessons. You as a professional deserve to have the adequate time to plan your lessons.
NTA. Assessment of you kids and coworker is your responsibility. You also have the responsibility to ensure the kids are getting an adequate education.
Former teacher here. This is a “shut your door and teach” moment. Can you suggest that you only have 1 common planning period per week so that you can all have time in your rooms to work on the other things you need to focus on? Do you have to have a common planning period at all? Do you have the ability to avoid the new teacher for a while?
Depending on the circumstances, you might be TA if you speak up, but you might be TA if you don’t. Is the health and safety of the students in danger as a result of her potential mental health issues? Is her own health and safety in danger? If either of these, then absolutely escalate. If not, keep quite and shut your door and teacher: Set firm boundaries regarding how much time you are willing to dedicate to common planning. Start your common planning time with a list of things that MUST get done and stick to it – lean on your other coworker. If the new one tries to pull you off task or spend more time on something with questions, firmly let them know that you’ll be happy to discuss that once you’ve checked off the boxes, but that getting \_\_\_ done is the priority. Time is a precious commodity and it must not be wasted. Fill your own cup.
My perspective comes from a place of working with someone best described as incompetent – teacher of 10 years that would steal lesson plans from the brand new teachers and enlist them to do things like set up materials for their classes or clean up after their classes. No matter how often administrators were brought in, this person kept doing it every time there was a new hire, so us other veterans learned to rally around the newby and straight up intervene whenever we first got wind of it. Eventually, that teacher decided to move to a different building and become someone else’s problem. I doubt your new teacher will change on her own, so set the boundaries now to maintain your own excellence and sanity. even if it seems a bit cruel.
This new teacher doesn’t have a mentor like you did?
She does. We have two mentors across the school, one’s the same as I had. For subject specific things I and my other colleague are responsible (to share some material, the planning, making exams together, …)
You wouldn’t be the AH. You mentioned that you have not really addressed her directly about the issue. I think it would be appropriate if you spoke to her privately and asked if she felt like she could use more help than you are able to give her. Say that you sense she is struggling and it might be time to ask whoever it is at the school, for more guidance. If she does not respond to that suggestion, then it really is your professional obligation to make someone above you aware of the problem. Your obligation is to educate kids and if there is something getting in the way of either yourself being to do that, or another teacher not doing that then it needs to be addressed. It affects you, your students, her students and the other teacher who is trying to help. A health problem, mental or other, should be treated differently than just someone who is slacking off or does not have the skills required to do the job. If you have spoken to her and that doesn’t help, then you are not throwing her under the bus, or blindsiding her. Like you said, you think she knows she is not performing well. Maybe she will be relieved to have the issue brought forward so she can get whatever help she needs,
NTA If the principal or mentor or any other superior asks, be truthful. You can be both honest and compassionate. The students deserve a capable teacher. The teaching team deserves a capable co worker. Maybe she needs a leave to deal with personal challenges, maybe she needs part time work, maybe she shouldn’t be teaching now, or ever again. Maybe your new co-worker needs more help than you can give, or a different kind of help. She won’t get that help if you aren’t compassionately honest about her struggles.
Is the mentor willing to step in, attend your planning sessions and take pressure off you? Can you spend 5 or 10 minutes with her planning and then focus on your own work and suggest she ask the mentor if she needs more help?