Keeps gettin better n better

Alrighty, so I got an email from my school today about getting my belongings. Yeah, I guess I am a major threat to the school and they are afraid to let me in because who knows, I might just steal something or set a bomb or who the heck knows what? Anyhoo...I can not enter my former classroom. I was asked to send a list of what belongs to me that is in the room and they will box it up and have it ready for me. Mind you, this is not a desk or a cubicle but it is a CLASSROOM. A classroom that I have not been allowed to enter for two weeks now. Of course, I do not have an annotated inventory list or map of my classroom at home. So, I asked, very politely, if I could box it up myself and have someone there to supervise me (remember I could blow up the school or destroy something or God knows what). The response from HR was "while we know this is frustrating is it company policy that once an employee is terminated they are not allowed back into the building to retrieve things. We will do our best to get your belongings." Neat-o frito. Well, I did my best to compile the list. I have been a teacher for three years now. Was a teacher's assistant and a teaching resident for one year each before starting my own career, so I have five years experience in the classroom. Literature and reading is my passion, so I spent a great deal of time and money to create a diverse classroom library-with the help of many close friends and family-and my books have been assimilated into the New Visions Room Six library. There are several bins of books. Mine are labeled with my name. So, its going to be quite the job to ensure that I get all of my books back. Am I really expected to trust these people to return all of my books and belongings? I am so irritated, angry and humiliated.

Here's the bigger kicker: I asked about getting documents off of the school computer I used. Mind you, I haven't had access to this in two weeks as well and was not expecting to be terminated because I had no warnings, wasn't on probation or anything else so I did not "clean up" the computer. Well, the HR response to my request to get documents off the computer was "tell us what you need and we will attempt to email the documents to you." My response was: " I need everything." See, I had pictures, lesson plans, notes, my taxes, my resumes, rubrics, projects I designed for the kids, basically all of my personally created work for the last year. HR's response: "We can't do that. Anything from this year is property of the school." To which I responded, "You are telling me that I do not have access to the documents that I myself created as a professional educator, as a part of my teaching career for the last year?" I did not get a response to that email. Hmmmm....I wonder why?

I just don't get it. Why does something have to turn so ugly? Okay, so I didn't fit into your small, petty, conceited, arrogant, special educational focused, charter school. Great. So why make this end so stupidly? This all could have been over last week. I didn't even get the respect of getting a phone call (which was promised) to inform me of the decision that was reached regarding my employment, instead I got a letter in the mail. My principal informed me that she lives in the boondocks and gets crappy cell service so she couldn't call me. What the hell? Take two seconds from SCHOOL an actual LANDLINE and show an employee the respect she deserves by discussing the situation. What a load of crap. I was more than willing to take time to go into school on a Saturday or in the evening to get my stuff. I don't want, or need their stuff. I am not a thief or untrustworthy. I desperately want to put all of this behind me, but they keep making it so incredibly difficult.

My advice: NEVER EVER EVER work at a charter school....and ask lots and lots of questions at your interview-ask to visit classrooms and talk to teachers, ask how long teachers have been there because-get this-of the 15 or so teachers on staff....eight have been there since the dawn of time and they are old school teachers who haven't taught anywhere else and want things done their way. They all do things the same way and have done them that way forever, so new blood is screwed. Two others have been there three years, a couple others two years, and two others this was their first year. What does that tell you about the school? The old folks push out newbies they don't like...my principal even said that to me when I first started. Hmmm...think that MIGHT be a problem lady?

ARGH. need to sleep, haven't slept well in two weeks. Once this is settled, I think my sleep will return. I hope my sleep will return....