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AITA for Quitting After Being Forced to Teach Unfamiliar Courses? After six years of teaching, including two at my current school, I hold a BA in History and an MA in Education. My principal and the admin team unexpectedly pulled me from a crucial lecture to announce that I would be teaching International Baccalaureate (IB) courses next year.
IB courses are known for their intense demands and require a significant amount of preparation, often comparable to a part-time job, and they weren’t part of my initial contract.
From the start, I noticed that students with learning challenges were being sidelined as the principal focused on turning the school into an ‘elite IB institution.’ I advocated for these students and successfully co-taught a class with a Special Education teacher, which led to noticeable improvements in their engagement and performance. Many students even told me I was one of their favorite teachers because I understood their needs.
Despite my success, the principal turned down my proposal to expand these specialized classes and only allowed me to continue with one class for the next year.
When I was told I had to teach IB courses, I discussed it with my wife, who advised me to follow my instincts. I then met with the principal to express my concerns. I asked for a year to prepare the necessary materials and curriculum and inquired if there were other classes he wanted me to develop.
His response was blunt: “Teach the course next year or find another job.” When I asked about the co-taught classes for the overlooked students, he dismissed them as unimportant. He even ridiculed my ongoing PhD studies, saying they didn’t benefit the school.
Feeling disheartened, I took a day off to spend time with my family and consult my therapist. With their support, I returned to work and discovered that many staff members privately agreed with my view of the principal’s behavior. They shared that he had treated others poorly too, including altering grades and demanding unpaid extra work.
I reported the situation to my union rep and offered to escalate the issue if needed. I then wrote a resignation letter filled with positive comments and thanks for the opportunity to work at the school. I also sent it to the entire staff to ensure the principal couldn’t respond negatively without facing consequences.
The staff’s reaction was overwhelmingly supportive, leading to the highest turnover in a decade. Now, the principal faces a School Board review next month, and I’m curious to see if there will be any follow-up.
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AITA for Quitting After Being Forced to Teach Unfamiliar Courses?
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A seasoned teacher with six years of experience, including two at her current school, was told by the principal that she would have to teach demanding International Baccalaureate (IB) courses next year tasks that weren’t part of her original contract and require significant preparation.
During her time at the school, she had advocated for students with learning challenges, successfully co-teaching a class with a Special Education teacher that improved student engagement. Despite her success, the principal rejected her proposal to expand these specialized classes.
When informed she had to teach IB courses, she asked for a year to prepare and for clarity on additional classes. The principal’s response was blunt: “Teach the course next year or find another job,” and he dismissed her suggestions and ongoing PhD studies.
After reflecting with her family and therapist, she found that many staff members shared her concerns about the principal’s behavior. She reported the issues to her union rep, resigned, and sent a positive resignation letter to the entire staff to ensure public scrutiny.
The staff’s supportive reaction led to the highest turnover in a decade, and now the principal must explain the situation to the School Board next month.
Let’s Find Out: AITA for Quitting After Being Forced to Teach Unfamiliar Courses?
This is so sadly true. My son has a hard fought for 504 and my daughter has an IEP and in just my little town I have had to advocate to an insane level just for their basic legal rights! And it has been several different Principles in several different schools. The last was the worst but karma came. He was suspended in a different state and unable to work in education when he came to our small town to try to play God. It is heartbreaking when we have so many truly amazing teachers too. The administration screws us all over and it is so pointless like it makes no sense except their ego and power trip. So record! Document meeting minutes and have them sign off on those minutes!
Where I work I pointed out that in my 20+ years of working, my knowledge and experience has never been disregarded like it was here.
The response was… “You can always leave if you’re not happy here!”
I just laughed and said “Why would I ever want to leave?”
(It’s super close to home and the work is good and fairly easy)
Your first sentence made me cackle. Took me back a decade when I was working in a mom and pop paper in a small rural community. The stories of the mismanagement are legendary, would take HOURS to write, but one is the week the owner put in a story about Prince George’s 1st birthday – we are in the U.S. The reporter was up in arms because there was no space for his township board meeting, but Prince George got 20 inches in the newspaper.
Yep, false consensus bias, where you overestimate how much your opinion or view is shared by other people.
Somewhat related: A band I liked was coming to play nearby. I had a choice to either see them in Detroit or Buffalo. Buffalo was slightly closer, so I bought four tickets (for me, my GF, my sister, and my roommate). On the night of the show, my roommate bailed on me so I had an extra ticket. As I was walking up to the venue I saw a couple heading for the ticket booth and gave them one of my tickets, so they only had to buy one for themselves.
We got in and I was shocked to find out that the five of us were the only people who came to the show. The band was actually waiting by the door to greet us as we came in, then they got on stage and did a full performance to the five of us.
After the show, I got online and went to a forum that the band was frequently on. I wrote them a note saying how thankful I was that they rocked out to such a small audience. The lead singer responded to my comment and said two things: (1) They were going to cancel the show, but found out that they had sold four tickets online, so they went ahead with it. (2) They said they gave all of their performances 100% whether there was only one person in the audience or thousands.
It turns out that the Detroit show the next day was completely sold out, and the place was packed.
