DeadpanAnn (old blogger version)

I submitted my resignation letter at work this morning, but thanks to a meddling payroll clerk, all hell broke loose before I had the chance to talk to my principal.

First of all, let me back up to Friday. The woman I had arrangements with to keep Charlie called me and said she wouldn't be able to keep him because she's been having some serious health problems. As I've said, I was considering not going back anyway, but I was waiting to hear from the babysitter. When she told me she couldn't take him, that sealed the deal.

So this morning I typed up a letter of resignation. I emailed my principal and asked him to tell me what time I could come by and meet with him; I said I needed to talk to him as soon as possible. My intention was to go resign in person and try to do damage control. He's a military guy, and I didn't expect him to be warm and fuzzy about it, so I wanted to be careful in how I presented this decision to him.

Shortly after I sent the email, the phone rang and it was a payroll clerk from the central office. Since I was out of sick days, I had NO check coming this month. She said they were going to prorate the days left on my contract so that I could get paid. Since I knew I wasn't going back, I didn't want them to cut me a check for days that I know I'm not going to work. I can just imagine the trouble that would cause, so I told her not to do it. I told her I wasn't coming back, and I told her that I hadn't had the chance to talk to Dr. Principal about it yet, but was going to talk to him this afternoon.

Fast forward ten minutes. I was literally sitting at the computer with my email open, waiting for the principal to tell me what time I could come meet with him. The phone rings again, and it's the principal. The stupid payroll bitch called him and told him I was quitting! GREAT.

He said he'd heard from the central office that I wasn't coming back. I told him that was true, but that I was hoping to talk to him about it, and I explained that I told the payroll clerk before I told him because I was trying to prevent them from paying me, and that I was trying to get in touch with him, etc.

He asked why I was quitting, and I told him about the babysitter situation. He immediately said, "Well I want you to know up front that I will not recommend that you be released from your contract." He went on to talk about how the board would be petitioning the state department to revoke my license, and then stopped to say, "Were you aware that this would be the consequence of quitting mid-year??" I told him that I was aware that it could be the consequence. I told him that I was doing what I had to do, and I'd just have to take the repercussions as they come.

Shortly after that, he finally checked his freakin' email and wrote me back. He told me to give him my request in writing. I assumed he was talking about my resignation letter.

I called the AFT representative at my school to ask if she knew what my options were. Surely I could go before the board myself if he refused to recommend releasing me from my contract, and I wanted to find out how to approach the situation. Should I call the superintendent or what? The local rep referred me to the state rep, and twenty minutes later I was on the phone with the state union president. Kudos to the AFT! I'm glad I switched to them from MAE. The MAE would've tied me down in red tape and nothing would've been done. (For you non-teachers, I am talking about teacher unions that I pay to be on my side.)

The president of the AFT told me to write a super professional letter detailing why I was leaving and saying that it was beyond my control, etc., and to formally request that he let me out of my contract, and to cc the letter to her. So I did.

Two hours later, I had finally managed to get showered and dressed and get Charlie loaded in the car. When I got to the school, baby in tow, the principal had changed his tone considerably. I gave him both letters, and he said that he would recommend that they release me from the contract if he can find a replacement teacher. Apparently, the girl who's been subbing for me this whole time isn't someone they want to keep.

I think it'll work out.

While I was there, several teachers who happened to be in the office held Charlie and passed him around. I also saw several of my students. They were so excited to see me; they hugged me and said they were looking forward to me coming back. That was rough.

I'm planning to go to the English Department Christmas party this Wednesday to say goodbye to my friends, and I'm hoping to be able to talk to the kids then. When a teacher quits, especially mid-year, they always think they've run them off. They take it personally. I don't know if it's that way everywhere, but I think these kids are more sensitive because they're harder to work with, and they know they have run teachers off. I've always told them they'd never run me off, and I want to make sure they know that me leaving has nothing to do with them, and that I'd like to have my cake and eat it too, but can't.

This sucks, but I still think it's the right thing. I don't think I should put Charlie in daycare so that I can go to a job that I don't have to have. It's too bad he can't just go to work with me every day.