Right.

I work in an elementary school and we got a new principal in January. At first things went. . . well, not smoothly but at least not real bad. I should have known he was just waiting for people to be lulled into a sense of calm.

Since I don't want to keep referring to him as "the new principal" I'm going to call him W.

One of the first things that W told the staff at my school was that he was not a micro-manager. He put that claim to rest with me at least shortly after it was made.

I am what is called support staff. I'm a teacher and I provide assistance to other teachers at the school who have special education students or just have students that need extra help. We have another teacher that helps with students with behavior problems at our school. I'll call her K.

Just a couple of months after W arrived he started telling K and I how to do our jobs. Now, neither K nor I are new to what we do. We both have a lot of experience working with the needs of special education students and working with teachers. Apparently, though, W knew better than we could possibly understand.

Now, W is not a brand new principal. He's been a principal before. However, he is brand new to being a principal for an elementary school. Previously he has only been a principal for a middle school. What W doesn't understand is that elementary schools and their students just don't tick the same way middle schools do.

Even though W told me I would be a part of the process to work out how the students would receive services this year, my advice was never sought. I tried multiple times to set up an appointment to meet with him to discuss my concerns and he either canceled the meeting outright or didn't show up that day or left early.Fast-forward to Monday.

Teachers in my county returned to school Monday to get ready for students who will start next week. Monday W confirmed my suspicion that I had been cut out of the loop in regards to how the school was going to work with the special education students at our school.

I was finally able to have a meeting with him to discuss my concerns that we did not have enough special education teachers for our Autistic students or for our Specific Learning Disabilities students. In regards to the Autistic students I was told that the need that we have right now, might be addressed in about 3 weeks. Might be. As for any other concerns I might have regarding any other special education students, well he told me he was "working that out with the teachers."

First off, the "teachers" are new to this field and don't have the knowledge to provide any input into any decisions being made. And from talking to the "teachers" they're being told what they will be doing and it is changing on a daily basis. School starts on Monday, August 7th and none of the special education teachers are sure what they are supposed to be doing this year.

W made it very clear to me that my expertise and input in how special education students are served at my school is not wanted. My feeling is that he would be very happy with me if all I did this year was push papers around and keep parents off his back. As far as providing advice and/or guidance to any teachers at my school, he's made it clear that he feels that his plan will solve all needs and if they don't the teachers should bring their concerns for specific students to him or the assistant principal.

Any and all decisions about how students will be taught, how behavior issues will be addressed, etc. have been made by W. He has made it very clear that federal and state regulations regarding special education students mean nothing to him. W told one of my special education teachers that there was no such thing as an Individual Education Plan. It doesn't matter that federal law says all special education students must have one and that their services must be provided as laid out in the plan.

There is only one way I'll be able to get through this school year. That is by smiling, saying "yes sir" and documenting everything that he tells me to do or not to do. I've already told most of the special education teachers to do the same thing. Unfortunately we have a couple that I can't trust not to go back to either W or the assistant principal and cause problems.

I do know that I won't be able to continue to work at this school next year with this particular principal. As much as I love the staff and want to help the students, if my hands are tied and I have to sit by and watch students not get the help they need then I just won't be able to stay.

The school year hasn't started and there are already people, myself included, who don't expect to be at my school for the 2007-2008 school year. It's too bad that one arrogant ass has managed to not micro-manage the school so much in such a short time that he's already destroyed the joy and satisfaction that several excellent educators felt helping students at my school.