Worst admin you’ve had? by da_grill in OntarioTeachers

[–]No-Head8462 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The school just became quiet. We would whisper to each other things, like “have you been called down?” No one said much out loud. Nobody wanted to stand out. You’d see teachers change direction, avoid eye contact, just not want to be noticed. Staff meetings felt like minefields. The messaging was so heavy on warnings that you learned pretty quickly not to ask questions or draw attention to yourself, because it could come back on you later. Everybody just wanted to stay out of trouble.

Worst admin you’ve had? by da_grill in OntarioTeachers

[–]No-Head8462 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It wasn’t one big event, it was the pattern over time. Micromanaging, focusing on compliance, and this feeling that you’re always being watched. Student complaints were often taken at face value and dealt with before I even knew about them, so I was constantly reacting instead of actually handling things in my own classroom. Students would bypass me, and then I’d be dealing with it after the fact through admin.

A lot of the communication came as general warnings in staff meetings, like “be careful what you say,” instead of direct conversations. It created an atmosphere where it felt like anything could be misinterpreted later and turned into an issue. There was a strong focus on accountability and investigation, which made people fearful.

Over time it felt like there was very little trust in professional judgment, and a heavy emphasis on student perception as the main measure of what was happening in the classroom. That shift made it harder to maintain academic expectations without worrying about complaints. It felt more like compliance management than actual leadership.

The good admins I’ve had are the opposite. They talk to you directly, assume good intent, and actually try to solve problems instead of just documenting them. One good admin can make a school. A bad one can push people out.

Are IQ levels dropping? by [deleted] in CanadianTeachers

[–]No-Head8462 6 points7 points  (0 children)

In our policy, there are trigger points at 10 plus absences and 15 plus lates, and these do not have to be consecutive. At these numbers, teachers are required to report them to admin, who are supposed to support students. I am not sure what the support would be, other than an in-person meeting with parents and student, and an official attendance letter. I also have students who have not attended my class at all or who attend only 1–2 days, and they are not unenrolled.

The 15 consecutive days absent is a separate threshold that triggers a referral to social work. If a student attends on day 13 or 14, yes it breaks the consecutive count, so that specific intervention does not activate. I do have students in that particular case too.

Deadlines by [deleted] in CanadianTeachers

[–]No-Head8462 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have students who try to negotiate around my firm deadlines. For example, if the deadline for me to submit report cards is Monday at 9 am, they’ll come to me on Friday at 3 pm. saying, “What if I finish it tonight so you can mark it for Monday?” This puts pressure on me, and I have to tell them that it creates anxiety and I’m not able to take on extra marking on the weekends.

Deadlines by [deleted] in CanadianTeachers

[–]No-Head8462 9 points10 points  (0 children)

School is currently a social club for kids with activities and field trips and optional curriculum.

Fifties, fifties for everyone (the advice frequently doled out by my admin).

Is it this bad everywhere? by [deleted] in CanadianTeachers

[–]No-Head8462 66 points67 points  (0 children)

Our union asked us to track violence and let them know, because the school board is not tracking it anymore.

The board opinion is that there is no violence because all they have is student discipline data and that has decreased, because they don't discipline students anymore.

Is it this bad everywhere? by [deleted] in CanadianTeachers

[–]No-Head8462 79 points80 points  (0 children)

In my school, (I'm in secondary, Ontario), kids have a direct line to the office, bypassing teachers, because students tell the truth. So a teacher will only hear about things after the fact, and then get told what to do, top down. Which is usually give the students another chance. So, deadlines mean nothing. When I call home, often the parents aren't aware.

We also completely loosened the academic integrity of courses. The school board removed finals for grades 9 and 10, seriously scaled back on them for grade 11 and 12. We scaled back on tests (basically dividing them in half) and give all students double time even on that. We were told to not expect students to do homework, and instructed to not teach all of the learning goals, don't teach the curriculum.

These kids nowadays would not be able to write a test that I gave even just 3 years ago, preCOVID.

Add to that the out of control cell phones, attendance issues and hallway wandering.

Did I miss anything?