StudentConcern
New Member
I am a Spanish Education Major. I was taking my third pre-service course (similar to student teaching but for less time during the day). I was ejected from the course 7 days from completion without warning.
The claims against me were that: 1) I wore biker shorts while teaching one day, 2) I exposed my mid-drift and generally dressed unprofessionally, 3) I was unprofessional in my administration communication and, 4) I tried to start an after-school program incorrectly.
These claims are obviously not true (like #1) or poorly founded (such as #4 - I consulted teachers, wrote written proposals and spoke with adminstrators). Regardless, these matter little. The point I make is that protocol on my University's behalf, was not followed. I was never given any warning (verbal, written or otherwise) by my teacher, supervisor, or the program director and neither was my advisor/head of the department. Furthermore, there was nothing written, to my knowledge, stating that ejection from a school meant automatic failure of the course.
Additionally, I was told this in a meeting with my supervisor and the program director. I was told of the situation, which made me visibly upset (crying) as I've worked very hard to be a teacher, and was then told I had to sign a contract stating I would not contact anyone in the district I pre-service taught in ever again. Not even to apologize. I feel this dabbles in the contract under duress rights, as it was not presented in a manner that seemed like an option and I wasn't in a right state of mind to begin with. Furthermore, my supervisor shushed me several times during the explanation of the ejection when I was trying to explain that I didn't do X or Y - such as the bike shorts which were an obvious falsity. She also made comments to my personality which she had little to no basis upon which to make them and no need really.
After this occured, I late-dropped the course to avoid an F on my 3.73 GPA credentials. I spoke with my advisor who agreed that the situation was unfair. We tried to contact various people to come up with an acceptable alternative for the course (seeing as I only missed a few days), such as visiting other schools for those days or doing an analysis project on the problems stated from my pre-service experience, etc. Nothing was accepted. Later, I was told that the assistant-dean of the college of education had allowed for a graduation of ED without certification (meaning I'd have the degree but I wouldn't be able to teach with it). Later, while trying to get my degree audits and concurrent major forms filled out, I was informed I was not allowed to do this by an academic advisor. I am just now finding a solid answer to the problem, which is that I am allowed to graduate with a degree in Spanish by taking the last few required courses but my other majors (Spanish Ed and International Studies and ESL Ed - which require I have the Spanish ed major - will not be possible without retaking the pre-service course and then taking the student teaching semester after that).
This is a larger problem for me as I am set to move to Texas in late August which creates a problem teaching (as I could have otherwise obtained a certificate in PA through emergency teaching laws) and in finishing on time to move, as well as blow to my finances.
Really, I am over the whole thing and will simply graduate this May with a Spanish degree and 2 minors, but I want someone to apologize or even acknowledge that the university was in the wrong and unprofessional in the way they handled that matter and to make sure this kind of thing doesn't go unnoticed in the future.
Do I have a case/would it be worth it?
The claims against me were that: 1) I wore biker shorts while teaching one day, 2) I exposed my mid-drift and generally dressed unprofessionally, 3) I was unprofessional in my administration communication and, 4) I tried to start an after-school program incorrectly.
These claims are obviously not true (like #1) or poorly founded (such as #4 - I consulted teachers, wrote written proposals and spoke with adminstrators). Regardless, these matter little. The point I make is that protocol on my University's behalf, was not followed. I was never given any warning (verbal, written or otherwise) by my teacher, supervisor, or the program director and neither was my advisor/head of the department. Furthermore, there was nothing written, to my knowledge, stating that ejection from a school meant automatic failure of the course.
Additionally, I was told this in a meeting with my supervisor and the program director. I was told of the situation, which made me visibly upset (crying) as I've worked very hard to be a teacher, and was then told I had to sign a contract stating I would not contact anyone in the district I pre-service taught in ever again. Not even to apologize. I feel this dabbles in the contract under duress rights, as it was not presented in a manner that seemed like an option and I wasn't in a right state of mind to begin with. Furthermore, my supervisor shushed me several times during the explanation of the ejection when I was trying to explain that I didn't do X or Y - such as the bike shorts which were an obvious falsity. She also made comments to my personality which she had little to no basis upon which to make them and no need really.
After this occured, I late-dropped the course to avoid an F on my 3.73 GPA credentials. I spoke with my advisor who agreed that the situation was unfair. We tried to contact various people to come up with an acceptable alternative for the course (seeing as I only missed a few days), such as visiting other schools for those days or doing an analysis project on the problems stated from my pre-service experience, etc. Nothing was accepted. Later, I was told that the assistant-dean of the college of education had allowed for a graduation of ED without certification (meaning I'd have the degree but I wouldn't be able to teach with it). Later, while trying to get my degree audits and concurrent major forms filled out, I was informed I was not allowed to do this by an academic advisor. I am just now finding a solid answer to the problem, which is that I am allowed to graduate with a degree in Spanish by taking the last few required courses but my other majors (Spanish Ed and International Studies and ESL Ed - which require I have the Spanish ed major - will not be possible without retaking the pre-service course and then taking the student teaching semester after that).
This is a larger problem for me as I am set to move to Texas in late August which creates a problem teaching (as I could have otherwise obtained a certificate in PA through emergency teaching laws) and in finishing on time to move, as well as blow to my finances.
Really, I am over the whole thing and will simply graduate this May with a Spanish degree and 2 minors, but I want someone to apologize or even acknowledge that the university was in the wrong and unprofessional in the way they handled that matter and to make sure this kind of thing doesn't go unnoticed in the future.
Do I have a case/would it be worth it?
