"What Am I Going to Get in Trouble for Today?" Teacher Mistreatment by Their Administrators

• In Event: Roundtable Session 53
  In Roundtable Session: Situating Teachers: The Impact of Diverse and Changing Teaching Contexts on Teacher Practice

Abstract

While discussions about student bullying are fairly commonplace in schools across the nation, discussions about teacher bullying and mistreatment are not. Yet the consequences of teacher mistreatment include negative impacts on teachers’ personal lives, decreased job satisfaction, decreases in teacher self-esteem, teacher depression and health issues, and a dysfunctional school environment (Blasé and Blasé, 2002; 2004; 2006; de Wet, 2010). This paper explores twenty-six teachers’ experiences with mistreatment by their administrators. Teachers reported a lack of administrative support, being spied upon, divisiveness amongst the staff, receiving unfair evaluations, health issues, and fears of speaking out about the mistreatment.

Author

• Amy Orange, University of Houston - Clear Lake