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I could use some words of wisdom, friends. I don't have any family to turn to. I am all alone here. I turned to this community for support. Please, be gentle if you have some harsh words. I do hope for some constructive feedback, but if negative, please, message me privately. I don't want to start a controversial thread.
So, I am the only Caucasian empoyee at the branch of an educational institution. I drive an hour each way to work and for the most part I really enjoy teaching and I feel like I am making a difference. But this is week 5 and I am really struggling not giving a F, as my friend suggests. I am experiencing a strong issue of racism rearing up its ugly head. I was encouraged to speak to a higher up, which I did. He basically told me that since no one actually said out loud the words black vs white it's in my head and I am probably just gunnysacking. I left unheard. I resigned to just sweep it under the rug and keep on trucking. But the problem persists. Today, the problem surfaced again in an ugly way and I am struggling. I've never been a racist, dated people of different races and ethnicities. But today, more than ever, I am seeing the racism toward me, as a minority here. I am the only educator at this branch as well. The other 2 individuals are support staff. I am doing my best to help all my students, esp the ones who are very low academically. yet, I am told that I am singling a black student out. He's been disrepectful toward me on a few occassions and not doing his work. Just collecting his hours. Then he got brave enough to call me a F B the very next day, got suspended for a few days and everything is hush hush now. No one spoke to me about the incident. More has happened since. I used to go to work excited to teach, but now I am scared to open my mouth. For the first time in 8 months I have medical insurance and benefits, a FT job. I am not a quitter. But I am really struggling with the lack of team work and support in helping these students. I don't know if I should go higher up in the chain of command, to the president of the educational faciltiy or just continue to document things, gunnysack them, as the previous person stated. I don't want to stir anything, especially as a new teacher. But the hostility is so blatantly open it scares me. On one of my lunch breaks one support staff saw me on this site and gasped before I realized he was looking over my shoulder. He Asked me if I am one, to which I replied that I don't discuss my faith or politics at work. I am at a total loss. If I just continue documenting nothing is going to change and I am going to drag my feet with work. If I speak out I might not be heard, as no one actually said the word race. I don't want to be paranoid and start recording every encounter. What would you do? THanks

ForeignNata 5 Sep 19
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34 comments

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3

Don't quit your job..... yet.
But immediately, like YESTERDAY! start searching for your new job. You're in a lose/lose situation. There is no positive outcome path there for you.

Thank you and I am in the works for a job that requires 2 years of paperwork, I am just floating. In the meantime, I am working 1 FT and 2 PT jobs to stay busy, productive, and less lonely. Job hunting is draining. But I made almost the same amount of money working 2 PT jobs from home, just no benefits and med insurance. I was really hoping to be part of a team, meet people. I've worked from home after the divorce.

@MissKathleen
Well said.
Did we just adopt another one?
😉

2

Find a nanny cam on the internet and record EVERYTHING! If it's a nanny cam you may forget you have it on and not seem paranoid. This is a situation where you prepare for the worst but hope for the best. It's a CYA situation. (Cover Your Ass). You may have a lawsuit in your future. Be prepared. And start putting in applications in other places in the meantime.

Check local and state laws concerning recording another person without their knowledge especially minors.

Not allowed to record students in a public school.

Every state has different rules/laws. Federally, It is legal to record any interaction that includes oneself, without eliciting permission from other participants.
Purchase a digital audio recorder and record your lectures/classroom work. Record your conversations with superiors,... All for purposes of documenting your activities, and self improvement.
These recordings, along with your written daily diary, will be of use when it comes time for them to attempt to fire you for incompetency.

My preferred acronym is ACE - Arse Covering Exercise.

3

you have fallen in with a bad crowd. you didn't go looking for it and you had no way of knowing. Unfortunately the only person you can change is yourself. The other people, no... So it looks like you will have to get another job.

Pretty astute for such a youngster.
😉

@bigpawbullets Aw thanks for that! But I'm officially retired and have worked my share of jobs with good and not so good groups.

3

Document everything, time dates, witness's. Ask for a hearing. I assume you are Union, talk to your rep and local. Tell the pic (person in charge) you need the job and just want to do a good job. At some point you have to face the accusers. Part of understanding racism is realizing that we all have the same fears and, yes, bigotry. Your only option is transparency. You also have to have thick skin, starting any job creates threats to other employees real or otherwise. We all have challenges, I cannot realistically judge yours but you have to make a decision, do you really need the job? If so, hold your head up, go to work and do the best you can. Take comfort in the fact that while there is unfairness many have suffered worse and good work is hard to criticize over time. Prove yourself.

I totally agree with this . Hope it works out for you. Too bad that other staff don’t seem to be supportive. Quitting definitely won’t solve anything. Hold your course .?

clark summed up what I would do really well. Let me add the importance of covering your ass in these situations. The second you come forward you make yourself a target, have real and relevant evidence and a clear goal in complaining. Make clear that you will go up the line till issues are properly address.

Of course race is an issue, the US is full of race issues. More so in the south. Much like the black people who get harassed by just existing who just now get attention due to the prevalence of cell phone video, you need to have a ace in the whole when it comes to "your word against his" situations. I am sorry you have to deal with this but the issue will persist until it gets proper scrutiny.

2

@ForeignNata -- Natalie, one of our obligations to the self is to be aware of our surroundings and circumstances so that we can avoid overloading ourselves with stress. Stress is not good for us and it is also not good for those with whom we interact. This sounds like one of those situations wherein there is no real solution. That is, it appears to me that you might find some workaround, but be left with a constant source of stress with no way to alleviate it. I hope I'm wrong, but I would resign myself to being prepared to leave if it happens to be a no-win situation. You owe it to yourself.

Thank you! It is stressful and all the other instructors are looking for other jobs, some are just retiring. THe director of the program just got fired, no one knows what's going to happen to the program.

2

I am a retired LRSD high school teacher and taught in an inner city school with a mixed and very diverse student population. I would recommend when you have conferences with troubling students and or their parents, ALWAYS have an administrator present during these sessions. Their is no excuse for rude behavior. Most kids that show out like this are not up to grade level for whatever reasons and remove themselves from the learning environment by misbehaving.

There not their.

3

It sounds like you would be better off biding your time for now. Don't make waves when there is nothing concrete that you can point to. Work on personal relationships. Don't get flustered or angry. Keep your cool. Document everything noteworthy, but keep it private. Don't email on sensitive issues until you have all your ducks in a row.

And even then, think twice before hitting "send."

0

I don't know what to tell you, people will try to help you but everyone has a different opinion and do things differently. While you're working there keep your journal going, write down everything. One thing for sure is to try to find a better workplace. I believe you will make the decision when the time comes for the best or for the worst. I'll be here and support you, specially after passing through a similar situation, not as heavy as yours though. All the best, don't give in, never surrender.

3

As others have advised.. the most likely path to being happier will likely require you to find a different job. In the mean time, don't give up, with time a different path will likely open itself up to you.. it could even be as something as simple as you need to be there a certain length of time before your accepted.

2

Being Hispanic... I can say I had received more racism from blacks than of whites despite my non white skin color. I had to live outside of usa to learn that races are not colored!!! You have to be True to Yourself. To think that a "minority" in this country will not use numbers to his/her advantage when available is pretty Naive. Go with your Conscience. Keep a ledger, document everything. I know is a Tough Spot for you because the "minority" in your workplace rather have another "minority" in your place. Like sharks... if they smell blood in the water... they will feel empowered!!! Give the grades they deserve. Found another place to work... this is about You and should be about You. Nobody else is going to look out for you and america in all different manifestations, still sucks. Find a better place to work. And wishing you the Best of Lucks.

3

I can’t say what you should do but what I would do in that situation is stay cool, start looking for another job, not necessarily with the intention of taking it but as a backup so you can negotiate from a position of power, or to fall back on if things go south. Then I would try to make a friend, to have an ally there, and then make another. Meanwhile I’d take it all as a challenge, do the best I could do with the bad situation, and not worry about the outcome because I had made every reasonable effort to cover all my bases while being fair and humane to all others concerned.
If another job comes through that actually looks more appealing... I’d be gone! If things start to turn around before a better job shows up... I’d feel triumphant, but I’d prolly still keep an eye on the job market; that really sounds like a permanently stressful environment.

skado Level 9 Sep 19, 2018
0

So when you went to the supervisor he said you're gunnysacking, but then said he can't do anything? So why would he think you would go to him again? Did you bring one issue to him or numerous? What racist thing actually happened that you claimed?

0

If you can, record and document. After you do that, go back to HR (or whoever you talked to the first time) and play the recording and show your documentation. If they still won't do anything file a complaint with the EEOC. Another alternative is to go to the media with all your evidence, however that could bite you in the ass.

I would also keep looking for another job.

0

Well, some good news; Being an Agnostic/Atheist makes you a bone fide minority for "religious" classification. Something to keep in mind for battling charges of "racism".

Meantime, I think you are doing right by not acknowledging such issues and documenting the facts of infractions and corrective action as objectively as you can.

In your place, I would stay with it, continue doing as you have been and respond appropriately and calmly to any questions or challenges. Don't chase yourself out of there for them. Force them to do that by being reasonable and document the facts of the matter as best you can.

If you are treated unfairly, contact a lawyer. It may not do any harm to introduce yourself to a Civil Rights Attny right away anyway just to establish contact and get good legal guidance when you need it.

1

Keep writing the stuff down and at some point go higher up in the company and present your findings. If that don't work, then seek other employment or hire a lawyer. That's not right how they treat you. This is the 21st century, not the 19th.

2

"Then he got brave enough to call me a F B the very next day, got suspended for a few days and everything is hush hush now"

That incident is grounds enough to justify wearing body a cam and recording.
Document, document, document.

But, also, lay out the guidelines for grades...and if work/testing falls short ...give the appropriate grade.
Don't you dare cower or chicken out.
Grades are meaningless unless there are solid metrics behind them.
You are actually cheating the other students if you pass someone who should have been failed.

1

Apply for the same position where there are more Caucasians, in the same educational institution, hopefully, in a location closer to home,

You can report the racism, but it risks employers seeing you as a trouble maker.

2

As soon as you turn to Admin, you become Everyone's enemy and considered a problem.
That is my experience working in an all-male environment in a shipyard in the 80's. Carried a big wrench, loud mouth, and sense of humor with me at all times, settled stuff "privately", became not only accepted but beloved, sort of.
You may be too tender for this environment, is there somewhere you could transfer out to, for a fresh start?

1

Overt confidence works wonders. Go into this like you own the place and keep it up. Easy to say, tough to do. If you can pull it off, you can make some changes. If you can't do it, you either change your job or change your mind. Good luck, hon.

1

I have nothing but sympathy for you. I teach in a school with a lot of students who are disadvantaged and poorly prepared for college. Some of them have behaviors that were not acceptable in my day. It seems like they try to bully professors into making things easier. I am fortunate to have the support of my chair. The classroom environment can be difficult to manage but you learn as you go along.

3

I would document everything. You say you work in a branch, which gives me the impression there may be other locations. Maybe ypu can request a transfer? Bottom line, its not a good fit for you if you are feeling harassed in any way. As an educator, you should feel like you are contributing to the growth of your students. If you feel this obstacle is too great to do an effective job, then unfortunately, the longer the stay, the more disheartened you're going to feel. If you choose to stay, put your time in, get your resume out there and keep moving forward. Good luck in your decision.

5

I've worked in toxic environments before... Leaving felt amazing.. Even if the future is frightening.

OwlRN Level 4 Sep 19, 2018
1

You sound to me like you're describing a generic dysfunctional workplace with poor management and teamwork, but I'm not seeing anything in what you wrote that is racist. You say the racism is "blatant" and yet you don't describe it at all. Perhaps you could be more specific.

As for outing yourself as atheist or agnostic ... that might be the larger problem now. I wouldn't consider this site "safe for work".

4

Decide if this is a fight you want to fight.
Documentation is very important.
If you want to fight this contact your union or teachers association for guidance.
If you are getting nowhere, and still want to fight then contact the ACLU for help.
It just depends on how far you are willing to go.

4

I would suggest engaging them in conversation.

Often racism stems from ignorance and long held beliefs that have been ingrained since childhood. Ask this person for advice, opinion on any matter, be genuinely interested in them. Sopprt them, ask if you can help them. Then if you find they continue to be rude and disrespectful, that's when I would take other actions.

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