Disclaimer: In Real Life is a platform for everyday people to share their experiences and voices. All articles are personal stories and do not necessarily echo In Real Life’s sentiments.
If you’ve ever watched Disney classics such as Snow White and Cinderella, you’d know how a prince would fall irresistibly in love with a lovely maiden, so completely smitten that he would go against everything just to please and be with her.
Regardless of how tantalizing this fairytale seems, I’m sure none of you have ever believed it to be real; that it could happen in real life.
Neither did I, until it happened to me – or rather, at my expense. Let me give you some background.
At the age of 24, I was promoted to Head of Department
I used to work at a private school as an English and History teacher. When I first joined the school, it was still in its tender years and many operating systems and examination formats were yet to be consolidated.
I was young, 22, full of zeal and excitement for my first proper job, and so I gave it my all. I created new ways of doing things, like incorporating unique and interactive methods of teaching and revamping outmoded examination formats. I worked overtime almost every day.
My efforts were quickly recognized, and I began receiving more roles and responsibilities because they felt I was capable and reliable.
Fast forward to two years into the future, at 24, I was promoted to Head of Department of Language and Arts. It was uncommon for someone my age to be given such a prestigious position, but my bosses felt I was the one for the job by virtue of my diligence and loyalty to the school.
My bosses were unlike conventional superiors out there; whom people describe as slave-driving and toxic. My bosses, who are mother and son, Principal and Vice Principal, were caring, open-minded and rather accommodating. I respected their style of leadership which made me work even harder for them.
Our Vice Principal married the new English teacher in 5 months
As Head of Department to the biggest department, my workload was ample, and many things fell under my purview. This meant that I worked until 12am to 1 am almost every night.
All was good… for six months. Then, things began to take a sour turn.
One of my bosses, the Vice Principal, had recently married one of the new teachers; the English as a First Language teacher. This was after only three months of courtship and within less than five months of knowing each other.
Weird, right? I thought so, too. But as time went on, my brain justified it as: they were both divorcees and in their early forties and thus wouldn’t date for the usual duration. Over the next few months, I stood painfully corrected.
My once kind, easy-going, and accommodating boss began scrutinising all of us and nitpicking at the littlest of details. He would call for last-minute meetings just to chew us out in front of everyone. He would yell at us, slam tables, and threaten to sue us for things we’re all still curious to know.
Initially, we were very puzzled and bewildered by his abrupt and terrifying change in behaviour. This was very unlike him; we had all known him for a few years now; and this attitude greatly deviated from his personality.
But as things slowly began to unravel in the following weeks, we started to connect the dots to our boss’s mysterious behaviour.
The Vice Principal’s new wife would feed him false stories about us
I should mention that my boss’s new wife was rather easy on the eyes. She looked young for someone in her early forties and who was a mother of three.
She had a chiselled, V-shaped face coupled with a slim, petite body which would appeal to most men. She was well-spoken, carried herself with grace and had an eloquent flair.
As it turned out, she would feed him false stories about things that we allegedly did, or greatly exaggerate situations.
If things went against her preference and will, she would blow events out of proportion making it seem as if we were the bad guys so we would get the brunt of it. This way, she could suggest and orchestrate things back on track – well, her track.
Things began to get even worse after that. As she had him under her thumb, she could pretty much get whatever she wanted. Soon, her sister joined the school as a teacher, enrolling her children in the school as well.
The Vice Principal’s children and step-children were given free rein at the school
The Vice Principal’s step-children were enrolled in the school when his new wife came on board.
Something our superiors never realised, or had forgotten, was the fact they were blessed with a team of great teachers. Dedicated, caring, loving and most of all, fair and just. We treated all students equally, regardless of gender, ethnicity or position.
This meant that the principal’s step-children should have been regarded and disciplined as equally as everyone else. Of course, their whole family clan did not take kindly to that.
I was fortunate enough to not be on the receiving end of this, but my colleagues began getting reported for the class punishments they meted out to the Vice Principal’s step-children.
These involved time-outs, pep talks, and the confiscation of toys, which were prohibited in the classroom. Each time, they received harsh chastisement from my bosses, simply for merely maintaining class order.
The ironic part was, my boss’s sister-in-law herself had been reported by many parents for anger and temper issues. Unsurprisingly, she always got off with a slap on the wrist and was instead promoted to the Head of IT. The level of privilege, bias and unprofessionalism there was surreal, to put it mildly.
Teachers began resigning until almost the entire original staff had left
One by one, teachers began to make their exit. Some resigned, such as myself. Others were given termination notices of four months, during which they were prohibited from setting foot on the school premises.
Those teachers were told to conduct online classes from home instead. This was a safe-from-discrimination-lawsuit-way of announcing to all the other staff that these teachers had been given the axe.
Three months later, almost all the teachers had left, save for one. She had kowtowed to every one of my former bosses’ whims and fancies, and they viewed her as a valuable asset; or patsy, as I would call it.
An entire bunch of new teachers were employed; however, most left within a few months due to the toxicity. It took my bosses four tries to get a teacher to replace my role, and the students had to endure the change of their English teacher four times in as many months.
It has been two years since I left. I am very happy where I am now, at an international school with caring and professional superiors who treat their staff with dignity and respect.
But sometimes, I can’t help but wonder if things would not have gone up smoke had it not been for the employment of my former vice principal’s wife.
What should the Vice Principal have done instead?
Share your thoughts in the comments!
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Read also Why I Love Malaysia As A Singaporean Girl Who Moved Here.
Why I Love Malaysia As A Singaporean Girl Who Moved Here 7 Years Ago
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