Today was terrible at my work. I knew it was coming, but it still sucked. I was just wondering if I could get some advice on what to do...or if there was possibly anyone out there that has gone through something like this??
I work at a daycare as a lead teacher with infants up to 18 months old. Some of you may remember me talking about the fact that one of my coworkers is not very nice to the babies (a couple in particular) and my boss is aware of this fact and continues to keep her on. Her "excuse" was "well, she feels like she will be a failure if she leaves or is let go, so I want to give her another chance". I'm sorry, but we are here to protect these defenseless babies, not the feelings of a grown woman. She's always been teetering on the edge of being abusive, and I could see her someday getting to that point, which is why I tried to put a stop to it before it got there. I even asked my boss "what, are we going to wait until she actually does damage before we do something or get rid of her? Why should it get to the point of a broken arm or a cracked skull or shaken baby syndrome??
After the last time we had to reprimand her for being inappropriate with the babies, she actually did better for a long time. It's been about 3 or 4 weeks since she's had any issues. I don't know if something happened in her personal life, or it was that time of the month, or what it was. Last week and the week before she was VERY testy and short with the babies. There is one baby in particular that she "picks" on. He is 6 months old and comes in to daycare every day in hand me down pj's, most of the time his clothes are dirty. I don't know if it is b/c he's poor, or what, but she doesn't like him and has said so. He is a bit more challenging than our other babies, and takes a bit more effort, and that can get stressful.
Anyway, last Monday I witnessed her abusing him. He was crying and grating on her nerves, and she dropped him from about 4 inches above the floor to lay on the ground and he hit his head and cried. Then she yanked his arm really hard to roll him over, then grabbed him up really hard and SLAMMED him into a Bumbo seat. This happened at the end of the day, so both of our bosses had left. The director had left for the remainder of the week as she had a funeral to attend out of state. As soon as I came in the next morning I told the assistant director exactly what happened and she said she would speak to her. As far as I could tell, nothing happened. I kept a close eye on my coworker to make sure she didn't do anything like that again. Gladly, she didn't.
That evening I decided to go above the directors' heads. I knew a person on the board of directors for the daycare (the daycare is in a church) so I emailed her the situation (along with a couple other concerns I had with the place) and told her I felt I had no choice but to contact the state/cps. She felt they were serious concerns and needed to stop immediately. The board of directors had a meeting on Thursday morning, and they suspended my coworker pending an investigation. The board of directors insisted that my coworker be turned in to cps and the assistant director tried to do it but called me up (I was home sick that day...BAD reaction to a Tetanus shot) and told me she was told that I had to do it myself since I was the one that witnessed it happen. I called right then and there and reported her.
Keep in mind that the director had been gone through all of this. Her first day back was today. Things were fine and dandy (for the most part, there was a situation/scene not involving this issue) until I got back from lunch. It was then that she pulled me into her office to "talk". It was there that she basically called me a liar. The assistant director is now claiming that I never told her about what happened, that I just made it seem like the coworker was in a bad mood and to keep an eye on her. Pretty much trying to cover her butt. I gave the person I emailed permission to use my name, so my bosses had the email that I sent her. In it I stated that issues with this coworker had come on multiple times in the past and that I had gone to my boss every time. My boss is now claiming that none of this ever happened, which is what I was afraid she would try to do.
She went on to give me the 5th degree on where I called to report my coworker, who exactly I talked to, what exactly I said. I refused to give her very many details, though I'm sure she'll eventually find out. She told me that the email I sent the board member was "the most ridiculous things she had ever seen" and it was nothing but a bunch of lies.
Next was the shocker. I am no longer lead teacher. She demoted me, just out of spite. Gave no reason for it. She is also now refusing to let me leave the building to go to lunch with my husband every day. It does say in the employee handbook that we are not allowed to leave for lunch to keep in ratio, but that should only apply to toddler and preschool rooms. Those teachers can break each other with just one teacher left in the room while the children are napping. In an infant room, ratio must be kept at all times b/c there is no set nap time when all the children are sleeping at once, which is why someone comes in to break us. Anyway, I asked my boss on my first day if we really had to stay there b/c my husband and I go to lunch together almost every day. He comes to pick me up and we go out, then he brings me back. SHE told me it was fine, not to worry about it. I have been working there for 2 months and have gone out to lunch with my husband just about every day. I just call him when the first person goes on break to tell him really quickly what time to be here. Not a big deal. When she told me today that I was no longer allowed to do that, I told her that I had asked her and she told me it was okay, and she said "Well, I changed my mind".
So basically I'm being punished for standing up and turning my coworker in...which by the way is the law, and I could have got into trouble had I NOT turned her in. It took everything I had not to quit right on the spot today, but I'm afraid quitting will cause me to lose all of my credibility. She is pushing to make me quit, though. She is going to try everything she can to get me to do so, and will make my life hell. I don't know what I can do.
The board of directors and the pastor of the church told me not to worry about getting in "trouble" for this and that they want to retain me, but that doesn't seem to be holding true so far. I spent all afternoon sobbing. Does anyone have any advice??
I work at a daycare as a lead teacher with infants up to 18 months old. Some of you may remember me talking about the fact that one of my coworkers is not very nice to the babies (a couple in particular) and my boss is aware of this fact and continues to keep her on. Her "excuse" was "well, she feels like she will be a failure if she leaves or is let go, so I want to give her another chance". I'm sorry, but we are here to protect these defenseless babies, not the feelings of a grown woman. She's always been teetering on the edge of being abusive, and I could see her someday getting to that point, which is why I tried to put a stop to it before it got there. I even asked my boss "what, are we going to wait until she actually does damage before we do something or get rid of her? Why should it get to the point of a broken arm or a cracked skull or shaken baby syndrome??
After the last time we had to reprimand her for being inappropriate with the babies, she actually did better for a long time. It's been about 3 or 4 weeks since she's had any issues. I don't know if something happened in her personal life, or it was that time of the month, or what it was. Last week and the week before she was VERY testy and short with the babies. There is one baby in particular that she "picks" on. He is 6 months old and comes in to daycare every day in hand me down pj's, most of the time his clothes are dirty. I don't know if it is b/c he's poor, or what, but she doesn't like him and has said so. He is a bit more challenging than our other babies, and takes a bit more effort, and that can get stressful.
Anyway, last Monday I witnessed her abusing him. He was crying and grating on her nerves, and she dropped him from about 4 inches above the floor to lay on the ground and he hit his head and cried. Then she yanked his arm really hard to roll him over, then grabbed him up really hard and SLAMMED him into a Bumbo seat. This happened at the end of the day, so both of our bosses had left. The director had left for the remainder of the week as she had a funeral to attend out of state. As soon as I came in the next morning I told the assistant director exactly what happened and she said she would speak to her. As far as I could tell, nothing happened. I kept a close eye on my coworker to make sure she didn't do anything like that again. Gladly, she didn't.
That evening I decided to go above the directors' heads. I knew a person on the board of directors for the daycare (the daycare is in a church) so I emailed her the situation (along with a couple other concerns I had with the place) and told her I felt I had no choice but to contact the state/cps. She felt they were serious concerns and needed to stop immediately. The board of directors had a meeting on Thursday morning, and they suspended my coworker pending an investigation. The board of directors insisted that my coworker be turned in to cps and the assistant director tried to do it but called me up (I was home sick that day...BAD reaction to a Tetanus shot) and told me she was told that I had to do it myself since I was the one that witnessed it happen. I called right then and there and reported her.
Keep in mind that the director had been gone through all of this. Her first day back was today. Things were fine and dandy (for the most part, there was a situation/scene not involving this issue) until I got back from lunch. It was then that she pulled me into her office to "talk". It was there that she basically called me a liar. The assistant director is now claiming that I never told her about what happened, that I just made it seem like the coworker was in a bad mood and to keep an eye on her. Pretty much trying to cover her butt. I gave the person I emailed permission to use my name, so my bosses had the email that I sent her. In it I stated that issues with this coworker had come on multiple times in the past and that I had gone to my boss every time. My boss is now claiming that none of this ever happened, which is what I was afraid she would try to do.
She went on to give me the 5th degree on where I called to report my coworker, who exactly I talked to, what exactly I said. I refused to give her very many details, though I'm sure she'll eventually find out. She told me that the email I sent the board member was "the most ridiculous things she had ever seen" and it was nothing but a bunch of lies.
Next was the shocker. I am no longer lead teacher. She demoted me, just out of spite. Gave no reason for it. She is also now refusing to let me leave the building to go to lunch with my husband every day. It does say in the employee handbook that we are not allowed to leave for lunch to keep in ratio, but that should only apply to toddler and preschool rooms. Those teachers can break each other with just one teacher left in the room while the children are napping. In an infant room, ratio must be kept at all times b/c there is no set nap time when all the children are sleeping at once, which is why someone comes in to break us. Anyway, I asked my boss on my first day if we really had to stay there b/c my husband and I go to lunch together almost every day. He comes to pick me up and we go out, then he brings me back. SHE told me it was fine, not to worry about it. I have been working there for 2 months and have gone out to lunch with my husband just about every day. I just call him when the first person goes on break to tell him really quickly what time to be here. Not a big deal. When she told me today that I was no longer allowed to do that, I told her that I had asked her and she told me it was okay, and she said "Well, I changed my mind".
So basically I'm being punished for standing up and turning my coworker in...which by the way is the law, and I could have got into trouble had I NOT turned her in. It took everything I had not to quit right on the spot today, but I'm afraid quitting will cause me to lose all of my credibility. She is pushing to make me quit, though. She is going to try everything she can to get me to do so, and will make my life hell. I don't know what I can do.
The board of directors and the pastor of the church told me not to worry about getting in "trouble" for this and that they want to retain me, but that doesn't seem to be holding true so far. I spent all afternoon sobbing. Does anyone have any advice??
