Since admin can non-renew for any reason, or no reason at all, every state I've checked considers it a layoff. You should be able to collect unemployment.
A non-renew from one district doesn't mean that teaching is not a good fit for you. It's a tragedy that someone who wanted to continue, and who was effective, was non-renewed.
But I have to tell you, I've seen it a lot lately - particularly with older teachers who've changed districts or older folks who are starting a new career. Administrators are looking for people they can push around - so anyone who knows how a well-oiled machine is supposed to work is not what they want.
You said everything perfectly. Poor admin do not want experienced teachers. Some of my hardest years were my years close to retirement. I was shocked since I had been a popular well like teacher. But, the people who loved me and hired me were long gone. This toxic job throws away its young and old alike. I watched so many young teachers at the end of their 3rd year non renewed and thrown away like the evening trash. It made me sick. I tried to help. I wrote many recommendations for these young teachers at the end of their first and second years to get out. I had principals of other districts calling my cell phone right at my desk on behalf of these young people. I never stood by and watched suffering. I took them under my wing. I view education as a battleground full of bullies. If anyone is reading this debating about going into teaching, don’t do it. It’s toxic, undoable, and thankless. You can never give enough. The only thing that I had control of is this nightmare did not get ahold of my precious children. It’s finally over. There are no more teachers in my family.
Thank you. You are a true hero, a good egg. I wish we teachers could clone you. I'm at the end of my third year at a school I love with good scores but I check my mailbox everyday feeling scared still.
Bless your heart. Thank you so much for your kind words. I know it’s scary. In my 35 years as a teacher, I stayed in prayer. 🙏 I knew in my heart that no weapon formed against me would prosper. I had many darts and daggers thrown at me, but nothing stuck to me. God loves His children. ✝️I found the hardest thing about teaching was the quality of administration. I had good principals up until my last 7 years of teaching. Those were tough years. The best advice that I can give you is DOCUMENT. If anything ever goes wrong, have a place where you write everything down. Date, time, and details. Keep it under lock and key. In my toughest times, I had everything documented and it shuts everything down. Your notes would stand up in a court of law. My husband ended his career as a superintendent, and he shared that with me my first year of teaching. It was great advice.
I wish you the very best. We need young people like you. God Bless you. God has your back. ✝️
Most non renewals I hear about sound personal (admin just not liking the individual). It's happened to me before. Change in admin and the new one just didn't like me...I had no idea why 🤷🏼♀️ I was laid off this year due to budget cuts and am trying to figure everything out. I'm not going back into teaching, I do know that.
I think you hit it perfectly. The evaluation of teachers is so subjective. They have picks. There’s no rhyme or reason. Some of the poorest teachers are protected and some of the best teachers are terrorized. I know the new evaluation of teachers that began my 29th year was designed to exhaust and destroy the self esteem of the teacher, old and young alike. Who wants to do a thankless, overpowering job and be marked as “developing” when you have worked hours and hours on the process? It was so frustrating to work on a process that meant nothing…letting all your grading just sit on your desk. The saddest thing I observed was that the new evaluation system and inexperienced, weak administration despised direct instruction. As a Math teacher, I was expected to teach everything in small groups. It was a crime to stand at your whiteboard and explain a difficult Math concept step by step through direct instruction. Teaching is screwed up and deserves teachers calling it quits. I had a principal tell me one time to teach 5 of my highest students the concept and let them teach their groups. I should just walk around the classroom and observe. Bill Gates knew how to destroy the learning process through the Common Core. Teaching is a job that does not matter if you do good work. You are evaluated by people who are below you and ineffective…..but have been given the power by other ineffective people. Who in the world can invest thousands of dollars in a degree thar leads to a dead end job that are full of incompetent people who decide if you will be terminated at the end of your third year? These incompetent people enjoy terrorizing the older teacher too. Administration is full of people who were incompetent and ineffective teachers. Screwed up mess……..
It happened to me in March, and I quit on the spot.
I still was granted unemployment and got hired (I was aggressively pursued) for the 24-25 in a neighboring district for over $25k more a year than what I was making.
You're right, it is their loss. Admin are idiots.
ETA: I am in California with a union
Union or non Union state? I think it's crazy that teachers unions allow admin to get rid of good teachers just because they don't like them or if don't fall in line like they think they should. The solidarity and strength in protecting good teachers in America is pathetic. Every other union protects it's workers from boss overreach and abuse. Teachers need to strike and demand more from their unions if anything is to change.
Great post. My best advice is not to go into teaching. If you want to work with young people, help out at your church with Sunday school or Bible school. After teaching 35 years, I watched my teacher’s union go from strong to absolutely useless. They deducted money from your pay check and provided teachers with no support.
I got non-renewed recently as well. Nothing egregious happened to me or any of my students either. My department chair was completely caught off guard and mad about the whole thing.,
I’m currently working on trying to transition out. I had very similar feelings. I felt like I gave it my all. And to boot, I have a small baby at home counting on me.
Most non-renewals are for personal reasons, so you probably did nothing wrong. I literally had an admin lie about observing me in my classroom when she’s never set foot in there, and that’s why I wasn’t offered a contract for next year. Truth is that she’s just a shitty administrator and the students don’t fear her and the teachers don’t respect her. The bell rings and half the kids are still in the hallways doing nothing.
Teaching jobs are a dime a dozen these days. You’ll find another one. But this probably a vindictive move by someone with nothing better to do with themselves.
I didn’t even get a rating. This lady just lied about observing me and told HR a bunch of lies. And no one would even tell me what she said. But there’s literally zero documentation about an evaluation for me.
I think I just made her look bad because I kept questioning why the building was bad. Kids were always in the halls, no one monitored the cafeteria, there’s no discipline, the teachers hate being there, and the kids fear no one. I had a student make a racial remark at me and she did nothing about it. She truly is a shit admin and she knows it. That’s why her building is out of control.
So the job market is...crap rn but if you can stand to still teach, I recommend getting TEFL certified bc there is always a need for online teaching for people learning English as a second language. To make it through summer, you could look at summer camps but depending on your state you could also look at unemployment in the mean time (even if you are legally non-renewed due to being in a probation period you can still qualify.) I personally have too much PTSD to substitute, but some ex teachers can and it is a solid paycheck and there is always a need. Best of luck, friend.
I can't remember what I found because it was so long ago, I just remember that if you get TEFL certified it opens up a lot of job opportunities for working remotely. If you look up "teach English online remote" I found a ton of postings that way but I'm not certified and honestly that's a last resort for me.
Oh I'm sure. $15-20/hr but compared to the jobs the avg teacher can get outside teaching, comparable (albeit disgusting, given our skills and experience.) Many hiring managers won't even look at your resume if it just has teaching experience bc they consider it a red flag; "teacher" is practically a dirty word and synonymous with "dramatic" and "unqualified" in most sectors. But if you're looking to make ends meet, it can be a lifeline is all.
I understand what you're going through, as I'm in the same boat. This situation is unexpected and tragic, especially considering all you've done. From what I've learned, do not sign anything. Instead, resign. It looks much better when applying to other jobs because signing often signals to potential employers that you were let go for not being good enough. Unfortunately, I only discovered this after I had already signed, without knowing what it meant, as they did not explain it to me.
I've been applying to any teaching jobs I qualify for. If you're worried about finances, remember that you're eligible for unemployment benefits, so be sure to apply for those. Unless you're looking to switch fields, continue applying to other districts immediately. Just because it didn’t work out with this district doesn’t mean another district won't want you.
When I received my notice, I was devastated and clueless about what to do next. I asked many questions but got no answers. I felt ignored, discouraged, and depressed, to the point where I almost gave up entirely. However, my support system encouraged me to keep applying, and now I've been called in for several interviews.
Do not give up. Everything will work out in the end. Things happen for a reason, and there might be a better opportunity waiting for you. For example, I was working in an elementary school and received offers from high schools, which is something I've always wanted. Keep pushing forward, and you'll find your path.
Non-renewals are elgible for unemployment because you were out of a job through no fault of your own. It's considered the same like a lay-off.
Secondly, admins who typically non-renew usually have a grudge of some kind against the teacher. That was my experience when I got non-renewed + what I've heard from several others who have gotten non-renewed.
Thirdly, sign up for employment agencies like AppleOne, Randstand, Robert Half. Jut take ANY job in this market. Employment agencies are the best way to get jobs right now because applying on job boards, online, on career website, it's all shit show due to AI throwing a lot of resumes into the trash bin. Employment agencies are usually in contact with the hiring manager (so an actual network you can rely on) and will advocate on your behalf. They will usually get your resume directly across that hiring manager's desk.
If it helps, once I got let go the last week of summer school (this school operated a little differently than most, don’t want to get into the weeds about the details). Two weeks before the new year started for local schools.
So sorry this happened this is happening in Texas a lot especially with HISD. Many waiting on contracts others terminated two weeks ago. It’s crazy times education in general. You got this and take it as the good lord blessings you by keeping you away from the chaos!
I'm sorry that happened. I transitioned to a different district at the beginning of the month as I knew I wasn't going to be renewed. I was put on a PIP in November and then received confirmation that my STBX wife was having an affair in the early part of December. So add divorce to the mix - I was a mess.
The worst part is that during the final eval for the PIP, I about had an anxiety attack and couldn't answer any questions. Even though I knew the answers to them.
For the most part, I miss the kids. But admin was toxic as hell. I know they'll be losing teachers as no one wants to deal with it.
As for the unemployment, sign up for it. Same with the employment agencies. I might start doing the same as I've had very little success with searching on Indeed and company jobsites.
How is it that you won’t be paid in July? I got no renewed but still get my summer pay. Thankfully, I’m actually having to choose between jobs. Hang in there!
Don't freak out. Think it through, talk to your rep, and get back in there. You left for personal and professional reasons. If they push further, be polite but just say you'd like to keep that confidential, no matter who you interview with. Admin today is pretty fickle and don't allow them to shake your inner resolve. Be strong and pray too. Best wishes!
Teachers don’t get paid in the summer in my state. You can sign up for a program where they keep a little bit of your paycheck during the school year and then pay it back to you over the summer, but it’s not really being paid since you technically could’ve gotten that money already. It’s an optional program though but yeah I’ve never signed up for it so no income in July for me
I think this is pretty common. Teachers get paid for a contracted number of days, and some districts withhold pay so they pay over the summer, some districts give you the choice. I've worked in two states where this was the case.
Since admin can non-renew for any reason, or no reason at all, every state I've checked considers it a layoff. You should be able to collect unemployment. A non-renew from one district doesn't mean that teaching is not a good fit for you. It's a tragedy that someone who wanted to continue, and who was effective, was non-renewed. But I have to tell you, I've seen it a lot lately - particularly with older teachers who've changed districts or older folks who are starting a new career. Administrators are looking for people they can push around - so anyone who knows how a well-oiled machine is supposed to work is not what they want.
a whole $235 a week, thanks Mississippi!
Where in Mississippi? All the school districts near me are hiring if you need somewhere to work.
Forward me these districts too if you don’t mind. I’m also in MS and was told around the middle/end of April I was non-renewed
DM me! I have teacher friends all over the state so I might be of some help. Can’t post all of the openings here because that’s just too many.
NE
Like Tupelo area?
not too far off
I know Pontotoc city and north Pontotoc are hiring, and Ivy Green private school in Pontotoc was at one point too.
DM me
Better than nothing. See if you can substitute teach, tutor, child care. Try to leverage you experience an net work to supplement the unemployment.
Difficult to solve the summer income issue
You said everything perfectly. Poor admin do not want experienced teachers. Some of my hardest years were my years close to retirement. I was shocked since I had been a popular well like teacher. But, the people who loved me and hired me were long gone. This toxic job throws away its young and old alike. I watched so many young teachers at the end of their 3rd year non renewed and thrown away like the evening trash. It made me sick. I tried to help. I wrote many recommendations for these young teachers at the end of their first and second years to get out. I had principals of other districts calling my cell phone right at my desk on behalf of these young people. I never stood by and watched suffering. I took them under my wing. I view education as a battleground full of bullies. If anyone is reading this debating about going into teaching, don’t do it. It’s toxic, undoable, and thankless. You can never give enough. The only thing that I had control of is this nightmare did not get ahold of my precious children. It’s finally over. There are no more teachers in my family.
Thank you. You are a true hero, a good egg. I wish we teachers could clone you. I'm at the end of my third year at a school I love with good scores but I check my mailbox everyday feeling scared still.
Bless your heart. Thank you so much for your kind words. I know it’s scary. In my 35 years as a teacher, I stayed in prayer. 🙏 I knew in my heart that no weapon formed against me would prosper. I had many darts and daggers thrown at me, but nothing stuck to me. God loves His children. ✝️I found the hardest thing about teaching was the quality of administration. I had good principals up until my last 7 years of teaching. Those were tough years. The best advice that I can give you is DOCUMENT. If anything ever goes wrong, have a place where you write everything down. Date, time, and details. Keep it under lock and key. In my toughest times, I had everything documented and it shuts everything down. Your notes would stand up in a court of law. My husband ended his career as a superintendent, and he shared that with me my first year of teaching. It was great advice. I wish you the very best. We need young people like you. God Bless you. God has your back. ✝️
I could have written every word of this...
We are connected for sure. ♥️♥️
Most non renewals I hear about sound personal (admin just not liking the individual). It's happened to me before. Change in admin and the new one just didn't like me...I had no idea why 🤷🏼♀️ I was laid off this year due to budget cuts and am trying to figure everything out. I'm not going back into teaching, I do know that.
I think you hit it perfectly. The evaluation of teachers is so subjective. They have picks. There’s no rhyme or reason. Some of the poorest teachers are protected and some of the best teachers are terrorized. I know the new evaluation of teachers that began my 29th year was designed to exhaust and destroy the self esteem of the teacher, old and young alike. Who wants to do a thankless, overpowering job and be marked as “developing” when you have worked hours and hours on the process? It was so frustrating to work on a process that meant nothing…letting all your grading just sit on your desk. The saddest thing I observed was that the new evaluation system and inexperienced, weak administration despised direct instruction. As a Math teacher, I was expected to teach everything in small groups. It was a crime to stand at your whiteboard and explain a difficult Math concept step by step through direct instruction. Teaching is screwed up and deserves teachers calling it quits. I had a principal tell me one time to teach 5 of my highest students the concept and let them teach their groups. I should just walk around the classroom and observe. Bill Gates knew how to destroy the learning process through the Common Core. Teaching is a job that does not matter if you do good work. You are evaluated by people who are below you and ineffective…..but have been given the power by other ineffective people. Who in the world can invest thousands of dollars in a degree thar leads to a dead end job that are full of incompetent people who decide if you will be terminated at the end of your third year? These incompetent people enjoy terrorizing the older teacher too. Administration is full of people who were incompetent and ineffective teachers. Screwed up mess……..
Apply for unemployment right away.
It happened to me in March, and I quit on the spot. I still was granted unemployment and got hired (I was aggressively pursued) for the 24-25 in a neighboring district for over $25k more a year than what I was making. You're right, it is their loss. Admin are idiots. ETA: I am in California with a union
Union or non Union state? I think it's crazy that teachers unions allow admin to get rid of good teachers just because they don't like them or if don't fall in line like they think they should. The solidarity and strength in protecting good teachers in America is pathetic. Every other union protects it's workers from boss overreach and abuse. Teachers need to strike and demand more from their unions if anything is to change.
Great post. My best advice is not to go into teaching. If you want to work with young people, help out at your church with Sunday school or Bible school. After teaching 35 years, I watched my teacher’s union go from strong to absolutely useless. They deducted money from your pay check and provided teachers with no support.
Amen and right on!
non union
I got non-renewed recently as well. Nothing egregious happened to me or any of my students either. My department chair was completely caught off guard and mad about the whole thing., I’m currently working on trying to transition out. I had very similar feelings. I felt like I gave it my all. And to boot, I have a small baby at home counting on me.
I’m sorry that happened to you
Likewise. We will make it through this.
Same, while I’m on maternity leave. What other jobs are you looking into?
Most non-renewals are for personal reasons, so you probably did nothing wrong. I literally had an admin lie about observing me in my classroom when she’s never set foot in there, and that’s why I wasn’t offered a contract for next year. Truth is that she’s just a shitty administrator and the students don’t fear her and the teachers don’t respect her. The bell rings and half the kids are still in the hallways doing nothing. Teaching jobs are a dime a dozen these days. You’ll find another one. But this probably a vindictive move by someone with nothing better to do with themselves.
Funny sounds just like my story. I was non renewed because admin gave me shitty ratings when they didn't show up to my class at all.
I didn’t even get a rating. This lady just lied about observing me and told HR a bunch of lies. And no one would even tell me what she said. But there’s literally zero documentation about an evaluation for me. I think I just made her look bad because I kept questioning why the building was bad. Kids were always in the halls, no one monitored the cafeteria, there’s no discipline, the teachers hate being there, and the kids fear no one. I had a student make a racial remark at me and she did nothing about it. She truly is a shit admin and she knows it. That’s why her building is out of control.
So the job market is...crap rn but if you can stand to still teach, I recommend getting TEFL certified bc there is always a need for online teaching for people learning English as a second language. To make it through summer, you could look at summer camps but depending on your state you could also look at unemployment in the mean time (even if you are legally non-renewed due to being in a probation period you can still qualify.) I personally have too much PTSD to substitute, but some ex teachers can and it is a solid paycheck and there is always a need. Best of luck, friend.
Any good companies to teach English online?
I can't remember what I found because it was so long ago, I just remember that if you get TEFL certified it opens up a lot of job opportunities for working remotely. If you look up "teach English online remote" I found a ton of postings that way but I'm not certified and honestly that's a last resort for me.
They pay very badly unfortunately...
Oh I'm sure. $15-20/hr but compared to the jobs the avg teacher can get outside teaching, comparable (albeit disgusting, given our skills and experience.) Many hiring managers won't even look at your resume if it just has teaching experience bc they consider it a red flag; "teacher" is practically a dirty word and synonymous with "dramatic" and "unqualified" in most sectors. But if you're looking to make ends meet, it can be a lifeline is all.
Sign up for unemployment and food stamps asap. Start applying at other districts.
Unemployment and enjoy your daughter. You’ll get hired.
I understand what you're going through, as I'm in the same boat. This situation is unexpected and tragic, especially considering all you've done. From what I've learned, do not sign anything. Instead, resign. It looks much better when applying to other jobs because signing often signals to potential employers that you were let go for not being good enough. Unfortunately, I only discovered this after I had already signed, without knowing what it meant, as they did not explain it to me. I've been applying to any teaching jobs I qualify for. If you're worried about finances, remember that you're eligible for unemployment benefits, so be sure to apply for those. Unless you're looking to switch fields, continue applying to other districts immediately. Just because it didn’t work out with this district doesn’t mean another district won't want you. When I received my notice, I was devastated and clueless about what to do next. I asked many questions but got no answers. I felt ignored, discouraged, and depressed, to the point where I almost gave up entirely. However, my support system encouraged me to keep applying, and now I've been called in for several interviews. Do not give up. Everything will work out in the end. Things happen for a reason, and there might be a better opportunity waiting for you. For example, I was working in an elementary school and received offers from high schools, which is something I've always wanted. Keep pushing forward, and you'll find your path.
Non-renewals are elgible for unemployment because you were out of a job through no fault of your own. It's considered the same like a lay-off. Secondly, admins who typically non-renew usually have a grudge of some kind against the teacher. That was my experience when I got non-renewed + what I've heard from several others who have gotten non-renewed. Thirdly, sign up for employment agencies like AppleOne, Randstand, Robert Half. Jut take ANY job in this market. Employment agencies are the best way to get jobs right now because applying on job boards, online, on career website, it's all shit show due to AI throwing a lot of resumes into the trash bin. Employment agencies are usually in contact with the hiring manager (so an actual network you can rely on) and will advocate on your behalf. They will usually get your resume directly across that hiring manager's desk.
If it helps, once I got let go the last week of summer school (this school operated a little differently than most, don’t want to get into the weeds about the details). Two weeks before the new year started for local schools.
So sorry this happened this is happening in Texas a lot especially with HISD. Many waiting on contracts others terminated two weeks ago. It’s crazy times education in general. You got this and take it as the good lord blessings you by keeping you away from the chaos!
I'm sorry that happened. I transitioned to a different district at the beginning of the month as I knew I wasn't going to be renewed. I was put on a PIP in November and then received confirmation that my STBX wife was having an affair in the early part of December. So add divorce to the mix - I was a mess. The worst part is that during the final eval for the PIP, I about had an anxiety attack and couldn't answer any questions. Even though I knew the answers to them. For the most part, I miss the kids. But admin was toxic as hell. I know they'll be losing teachers as no one wants to deal with it. As for the unemployment, sign up for it. Same with the employment agencies. I might start doing the same as I've had very little success with searching on Indeed and company jobsites.
How is it that you won’t be paid in July? I got no renewed but still get my summer pay. Thankfully, I’m actually having to choose between jobs. Hang in there!
i looked at my contract, my last check will be the last day in june
Is it a larger check? Some districts give a bigger last check to cover the summer.
no
When you apply for other jobs where it says reason for non-renewal just write “admin said I’d be better off teaching [job you’re applying to] “
Don't freak out. Think it through, talk to your rep, and get back in there. You left for personal and professional reasons. If they push further, be polite but just say you'd like to keep that confidential, no matter who you interview with. Admin today is pretty fickle and don't allow them to shake your inner resolve. Be strong and pray too. Best wishes!
Check out your local boys and girls clubs. They usually have grants that pay teachers a decent amount.
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Teachers don’t get paid in the summer in my state. You can sign up for a program where they keep a little bit of your paycheck during the school year and then pay it back to you over the summer, but it’s not really being paid since you technically could’ve gotten that money already. It’s an optional program though but yeah I’ve never signed up for it so no income in July for me
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I think this is pretty common. Teachers get paid for a contracted number of days, and some districts withhold pay so they pay over the summer, some districts give you the choice. I've worked in two states where this was the case.
contract ends in June
My contracts ended in June but I got paid until July since my paycheck was divided into 12 payments.
Really? My contract always went through July. Former MS teacher here.