The Terminated Teacher

This happened to a friend of mine. It is hard to understand why it happened this way. But who am I to judge the situation anyway. All I wish is the best interest of the children in school should be the priority of any school when problems arise.

Mila : How is everything? Heard you were in the hospital?

Bel : Yeah. Am dying...

Mila : What? What happened?

Bel : Tired of struggling. Who told you?

Mila : Victor. But know nothing about details of your hospitalization. What really happened?

Bel : Depression.

Mila : What depressed you?

Bel : But I am okay now and bouncing back. I was terminated from work and I'm going to fight for my right.

Mila : I see, good. Yes, it's good to fight for one's right.

Bel : I'm just waiting for the termination letter.  I still have to report everyday until I receive my termination letter.

Mila : I see. Why do you have to wait for the termination letter?

Bel : Yes, so I can fight back as per my lawyer's advise. They terminated me verbally and so I am waiting for the termination letter for confirmation.  

Mila : What is the reason for termination?

Bel : Teaching wrong strokes to the pupils after 5 yrs in teaching.  They just discover that recently and terminated me.

Mila : Hahaha... What a funny excuse for termination.

Bel : Yes, everyone's laughing when they heared the reason of termination. It's my first offense and dismissal served immediately.  I was even told that the school can terminate anybody without a cause. They told me to resign so I can get a good moral conduct when I leave.

It is absurd as I have noticed the parents were not the one doing the follow up for their child. It was my co teacher who always complain, so concern about her niece's failing grades. The fact that she is also tutoring her niece at home made me wonder if she is concern about her rather than the child's welfare and she's the one who push the parents to write a letter of complaint. And it took one letter to terminate me.

Our coordinator comes to my class to observe every now and then but no complains on my teaching style whatsoever. She even gave me a high rating for my teaching presentation all the time. There was not a single time where suggestions and recommendations to better my teaching were noted in my performance rating.   How could it be that this first offense did a termination decision from the board of administration? I just could not understand the logic behind.

One of the administrator told me that I better resign voluntarily to get a good moral certificate which will benefit me should I seek work somewhere else. She explained that if I decided to let them terminate me, they can not give me a good moral certificate because there will be a record of me being terminated. The word terminate is such a strong word of negation, it can hinder one from being hired. Which I think is a way for companies to decided whether to hire someone knowing the person was terminated. However, if the company would check on the reason and found out that after 5 years of working, one wrong stroke is the reason for termination, that would be a laughing matter. It's just a thought and I am smiling...

She even ask me if I told anyone about the matter? That very moment, my conscious mind was wondering why she ask this question. If I tell anyone, it is my decision. That made me wonder if the admin was concern they will be having problems should the matter be exposed...

Bel : I was overwhelmed with everything it was hard to breathe. That is how I end up in the hospital. But I am feeling fine now but unsure what to do. I am angered at how they handled the situation. I am angered that according to the administration, there was a lot of complains about me but never did tell me. I feel like an idiot, doing my best to teach the children appropriately and now dropping the bomb as if they did me a favor for keeping me despite the complains about me. I wish they had told me to better myself for the sake of the children in my class who will be future leaders.  I have high respect for this school, being a private school and a religious one but nowadays it doesn't matter who runs the school or how famous the school is because it all boils down to money, I guess.

I was so stressed trying to figure out what to do. It is very hard to take it all at once. As a teacher, I really enjoyed teaching the little ones. They are so cute, smart and full of curiosity everyday, it always made my day. They mean the world to me and I would missed them but life must go on. I am still waiting for the termination letter so I can fight for this. They terminated me verbally which is unofficial. My lawyer is waiting for the letter so we can go to the next step. I am not sure if this is the right thing to do but life is full of battles, it is best to fight rather than keep quiet for one's right. Wish me luck!

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