o Library/computer suite
We waited.
And waited.
The library did not reopen while I was a teacher
there.
Neither did the computer suite: who needs computers
in this day and age anyway?...
o Books
I have already detailed the new head’s careless
view of other people’s personal property in a previous post: ‘In the Bin’
(30/05/22); the next two anecdotes are related.
When she retired, our previous head told the PTA
that she would rather any tokens of gratitude were made to the school rather
than herself. This wish was respected, and a considerable number of brand-new
quality books were bought for the (soon to become ghost) library. As a gesture
of appreciation, each of these books had a personalised message within
extolling the work she had done for the school and its children. Shortly after
she was recompensed with an MBE for her work in education.
I talked to two ex-members of staff this weekend.
One (let’s call them A) said to me, “her obvious lack of interest and indifference to the beautiful new books was clear.”
The other member (let’s say B) said, “It was amazing how these things evaporated. I suggested we put them outside in a box for children to take and enjoy, but, nope, she wanted them disposed of. She's got some kind of issue. She definitely has a large jealous streak about [the previous head].”
One (let’s call them A) said to me, “her obvious lack of interest and indifference to the beautiful new books was clear.”
The other member (let’s say B) said, “It was amazing how these things evaporated. I suggested we put them outside in a box for children to take and enjoy, but, nope, she wanted them disposed of. She's got some kind of issue. She definitely has a large jealous streak about [the previous head].”
When the library re-opened years later, these books
were nowhere to be found.
They had disappeared. Hundreds of pounds squandered. Valuable resources wasted. Spite beyond parallel.
They had disappeared. Hundreds of pounds squandered. Valuable resources wasted. Spite beyond parallel.
In addition to the brand-new books ‘disappearing’, A also mentioned that
many quality books -in perfectly acceptable condition- were disposed of too: “She
stood there once and picked out books on the shelves that weren't pristine and
literally threw them in the bin. I tried on numerous occasions to save them,
saying they were much loved and well-thumbed rather than not good enough. She told
me that if I wanted to give them to charity: ‘feel free’.”
B mentioned that some members of staff had managed to save some books but only by having to delve into a skip. “[They were] passionate (to avoid) waste and wanted to ensure they could be put to good use elsewhere by children in need.”
B mentioned that some members of staff had managed to save some books but only by having to delve into a skip. “[They were] passionate (to avoid) waste and wanted to ensure they could be put to good use elsewhere by children in need.”
o Plaque
The spite didn't end there. Another of our previous
head's passions had been music. In another lovely gesture, after she made a
personal gift to the music room, a plaque was unveiled outside the room: it was
renamed after her.
You can probably guess how this ended…
The plaque disappeared.
Apparently lost during redecoration. How
convenient. Let it be noted that it was never replaced.
o Showing people around
On one occasion, while I was in full swing teaching
my Year 6, who should pop in unannounced but the head and a new governor.
Rummaging through the children’s English books at the front of the class, in
full earshot of the children and myself, she informed the governor that there
was nowhere enough work in the books and that the quality was not up to
scratch.
I had a lot more experience teaching Year 6 than
her, and what is more had achieved consistently good results thus far. The
content of my children’s books was high quality and they had been working hard.
Such a lack of respect and emotional intelligence: talk about constructive
criticism.
There was a pattern of such impromptu visits. Not
just in my classroom. They tended to target those of us who she was ‘walking to
the door’…
o 'My school'
She also had a highly irritating – and revealing - habit
of referring to the school as ‘hers’: “I have a dream for my school.” This was
noted by many a member of staff: “She’s banging on about ‘her’ school again…”
This extended to actual people too. I remember one
very heated conversation when she berated me for talking to her Chair of
Governors behind her back. My response that she was not ‘her’, but ‘our’ chair
did not go down too well as you can imagine.
_____
Patterns aplenty and yet...
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