Bullying Of Educators By Educators
Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2023 8:34 am
ANONYMOUS POST
I have recently gone back to work, starting out part time at a lovely centre I did my placement in. I am new to early childhood though I have experience with primary teaching before I stayed at home for my sons. It was tough starting out back at work again, in a new field at the age of 40+. I have the small luxury of choosing not to work if I don’t find my ideal workplace. So I waited 6months until there was a vacancy at this centre. The director and lead ECT share very much the same philosophy as I do, so I very much love their working ethics. As a new person, as with any other jobs, it is never easy to assimilate. All of the other staff are very welcoming except for the elderly cook and a casual member. These 2 have been with the centre for a very long time. Ever since I started as a diploma educator, the cook (also cert 3 casual) has been snippy with me no matter what I say. I get her passive aggressive comments even for a “Good morning”. The other casual, also in her 60s, treats me with contempt. They don’t talk to me when we are in the staff restroom. They would purposefully talk to everyone else in the room, talking past me.
To make sure I wasn’t being too sensitive, I had spoken to another 2 other staff who have joined a year before me. They confirmed they were treated the same when they started. The cook is there everyday, and sometimes I am left with her due to our shift schedules. I have tried to rise above them by ignoring them and not letting them get to me. I avoided them as much as I could. But there is only so much I can take. At my age, I think to myself surely I shouldn’t let myself be bullied like I was in primary school. I love my job and my director is such a lovely person. However, I cannot tell her what is happening to me because she and the cook have a long and close working relationship that looks beyond professional.
I have just completed 3 months’ probation and my director has been very encouraging. I don’t want to lose this job because of the 2 toxic people. But they dampen my spirits and I’m not sure how much I will be able to stay quiet. What do I do?
As educators, we would always call out children bullying and teach them about compassion, being kind etc. But as adults, we are tied by social conventions preventing us to speak up? Seems so ironic.
Do a lot of new educators (in terms of age, years of experience, years at the workplace) fall prey to the more senior members who seem like they are on a power trip? Senseless bullying makes me mad.
I have recently gone back to work, starting out part time at a lovely centre I did my placement in. I am new to early childhood though I have experience with primary teaching before I stayed at home for my sons. It was tough starting out back at work again, in a new field at the age of 40+. I have the small luxury of choosing not to work if I don’t find my ideal workplace. So I waited 6months until there was a vacancy at this centre. The director and lead ECT share very much the same philosophy as I do, so I very much love their working ethics. As a new person, as with any other jobs, it is never easy to assimilate. All of the other staff are very welcoming except for the elderly cook and a casual member. These 2 have been with the centre for a very long time. Ever since I started as a diploma educator, the cook (also cert 3 casual) has been snippy with me no matter what I say. I get her passive aggressive comments even for a “Good morning”. The other casual, also in her 60s, treats me with contempt. They don’t talk to me when we are in the staff restroom. They would purposefully talk to everyone else in the room, talking past me.
To make sure I wasn’t being too sensitive, I had spoken to another 2 other staff who have joined a year before me. They confirmed they were treated the same when they started. The cook is there everyday, and sometimes I am left with her due to our shift schedules. I have tried to rise above them by ignoring them and not letting them get to me. I avoided them as much as I could. But there is only so much I can take. At my age, I think to myself surely I shouldn’t let myself be bullied like I was in primary school. I love my job and my director is such a lovely person. However, I cannot tell her what is happening to me because she and the cook have a long and close working relationship that looks beyond professional.
I have just completed 3 months’ probation and my director has been very encouraging. I don’t want to lose this job because of the 2 toxic people. But they dampen my spirits and I’m not sure how much I will be able to stay quiet. What do I do?
As educators, we would always call out children bullying and teach them about compassion, being kind etc. But as adults, we are tied by social conventions preventing us to speak up? Seems so ironic.
Do a lot of new educators (in terms of age, years of experience, years at the workplace) fall prey to the more senior members who seem like they are on a power trip? Senseless bullying makes me mad.