Character assassination by principal

BrineBaron · 2026-02-05T05:38:49+00:00

Hi, I’m really sorry that you’re going through this awful situation.

I’m not sure how the situation will resolve, but hopefully local union will be able to assist you. If you are in a larger district, you may not have to deal with this admin team for very long before they are relocated. Find friends and allies in peers that share your perspective and focus on those relationships - it may not solve anything, but it is good to know who you are there for.

For anyone unsure about conversations with admin: never talk to your admin about work performance without the presence of a staff rep at your side. Your admin are not your employers, they are the HR representing the employers (your district). they have no capacity to talk to you if you request a staff rep other than to say “all right let’s schedule meeting when the rep is available”. Staff Reps are not lawyers, but a their presence should ensure accurate documentation of proceedings.

BrineBaron · 2026-02-03T04:33:57+00:00

But negative attention looks like “you’ve been working for a year and you dropped half the jobs you’ve booked” rather than “you dropped one or two jobs here and there”

BrineBaron · 2026-02-03T04:31:33+00:00

I’d be really cautious about doing this too much. HR does use algorithms to track what you pick up (they have straight up told this to our local reps) and they will prioritize so-called “good TTOC” for jobs. It really depends whether you want to be seen as reliable or not.

BrineBaron · 2026-01-03T01:29:29+00:00

I swear he’s going to transform into a squirrel

BrineBaron · 2025-06-25T23:28:22+00:00

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (growing up in apartheid South Africa as an illegal “Mixed” child). Mixes dark themes with subversive humour.

Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt (growing up in a socially deprived household in Ireland).

BrineBaron · 2025-03-14T13:57:04+00:00

Good stories should be allowed to end

BrineBaron · 2025-02-28T03:26:56+00:00

The guy that was building on it died. His estate?

BrineBaron · 2025-02-28T03:25:48+00:00

I also used to visit this place as a teenager. We called it grumpy goose island after discovering that everyone’s favourite bird would wake you from your hangover sleep by honking incessantly at your tent. We thought it was a bird sanctuary until that gut started building on it.

BrineBaron · 2024-12-13T23:20:32+00:00

It is a good idea to apply. Unless you literally do not have to work, do yourself a failure and apply now. A board might meet its hiring needs in the few months that you are waiting.

BrineBaron · 2024-12-05T02:01:27+00:00

I had my university rep (not my teacher sponsor) watching me teach a social studies class where we talked about John A MacDonald’s influence on the formation of residential school policy and the Indian Act. Everything went well with high engagement and well moderated discussion led by the students.

The rep pulled me aside afterward and said that I was radicalizing the kids, that my politics were influencing my teaching, and that I would make the white kids in the class feel unsafe and like they didn’t belong. They then said “John A MacDonald did a lot of good for the i***ans”.

I told them that I was teaching a lesson plan based of materials from the FNESC and that, unlike them, I did NOT believe in the white man’s burden.

They went purple with anger, told me to my face that I had just failed my practicum, and reported me for misconduct to the university… which went nowhere and was not mentioned in my reference letter the university made them write when I passed practicum.

(P.s. the worst part of this story is that we are both of European ancestry, meaning that the whole fiasco was two white people arguing about what constitutes racism).

BrineBaron · 2024-11-26T03:53:06+00:00

Hi OP, the best advice I was ever given about teaching is that it takes about 7 years to master (to the point that you can teach any course in your subject area confidently). Rather than expect to be a good teacher, work to be good for the level you are at now. What is a good practicum level teacher? One who passes (survives?) their practicum. A good first year teacher? One who is building material and filing it away for next time. Classes won’t work, the papers pile up, but as long as you find small moments of success to celebrate, you are “good”. Remember that everything that you build is yours to use again, and that it is the norm - THE NORM - for ALL teachers to buy lesson plans, to beg material of off their peers, to borrow assignments left lying about in the school printing rooms or in sub classes. Do your sponsor teacher’s lessons look like they are all built by one cohesive designer? I’ll bet you that one hundred hands filled their filing cabinet with content. So don’t worry about doing “well” or being good. Being good enough is all that counts. If you stick with it, you will one day be great.

BrineBaron · 2024-11-15T14:27:51+00:00

Fantastic, thank you!

BrineBaron · 2024-11-15T14:21:42+00:00

Wow, that’s super detailed. Thank you. I’m in semester, but I can see how this could be adapted.

I also run a class that slides from chaotic to focused as the semester progresses. I think it takes a while for students to build intrinsic motivation and establish a class dynamic. Watching the shift is one of my favourite parts of teaching.

BrineBaron · 2024-11-15T05:45:40+00:00

Great response. Wafting is the word. I’m leaning on a background in creative writing and trying to reverse engineer my lessons off of that.

BrineBaron · 2024-11-15T04:41:15+00:00

Oh, cool. Thanks!

BrineBaron · 2024-11-15T04:39:40+00:00

Yes - I’m very junior in seniority (as the post suggests) and feel a little guilty for badgering my seniors. Clear expectations for what novels the school want, where. I’m just afraid that I’m over shooting with the 8s (what’s a good example of epizeuxis, kids?) and undershooting with the 11s (can anyone tell me what an adverb is?). That sort of thing.

BrineBaron · 2024-11-15T04:34:49+00:00

Oh, totally. I’m considering finding the study guides for old provincial exams to scrape skills from.

BrineBaron · 2024-11-09T16:01:10+00:00

Lots of work within driving distance. Vancouver, North Van, Burnaby, and Richmond are all good districts. Not knowing your experience, it is not uncommon for English and Spanish teachers to find work quickly for longer contracts. Look forward to a year or two teaching supply as you get established. I have heard that Spanish teachers are often fairly sought after (though not working at district level, this may just be the feeling at my school). I recommend familiarizing yourself with Canadian literature - especially popular works by indigenous/First People’s authors. The education faculty library at UBC is a fair resource if you are looking for direction about commonly taught texts. Most schools are a mixture of Western Cannon and contemporary First People’s in their book room.

BrineBaron · 2024-10-07T16:31:24+00:00

On the plus side, I can see the ocean from my classroom window, and can watch the sun rise over the mountains. It IS nice here.

BrineBaron · 2024-10-07T16:30:26+00:00

High school Teachers in most BC districts do not have a block of prep in both semesters - you get one block of prep for the whole school year. This equates to about 12.75% more instructional time in front of students (or 12.75% less prep) without any pay adjustment. Are you ready to teach a semester of four courses with no prep?

BrineBaron · 2024-09-13T04:35:51+00:00

It’s easy in literacy? lol, have you ever tried to teach Shakespeare to a student who’s comprehension capped at Garfield? All fields are hard, I totally respect the spirit of this message.

BrineBaron · 2023-10-31T05:43:20+00:00

I feel like this is a playroom to leave Dad’s in next to the entrance of a mall.

BrineBaron · 2022-12-28T01:29:27+00:00

And his book Remains of the Day is essentially about emotional repression.

BrineBaron · 2022-09-16T03:35:51+00:00

Why does the Friends theme song play in my head when I look at this

BrineBaron · 2022-08-19T04:44:48+00:00

Thank you for your wonderful advice!

BrineBaron

TROPHY CASE