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While some teachers are in extremely high demand, math and science, others, such as Elementary Education teachers face a much more arduous task when it comes to finding a job. Enter my sister-in-law, Cate. Cate is an intelligent girl with a degree in Elementary Education, Minor in Spanish, and has all the requisite credentials to teach full-time in the city of Chicago.

Cate has been interviewing all summer long trying to find a job when last week she interviewed for a substitute position. When she was walking out of the school the secretary suggested going to this schools “sister school” who had an immediate full-time opening for a second grade teacher. So Cate bit the bullet and made the drive to the sister school, a charter elementary school in Chicago called Chicago International Charter School.

Cate walked in and inquired about the position. The school asked if she had her credentials and she responded that she did, immediately Cate was asked to go down to a classroom and start teaching second graders. She was told that she still had to meet with the principal, but that she most likely had the position.

Since that first day Cate has gone back and taught this class daily, tried to meet with the principal who daily told her, I’ll meet with you tomorrow.

A little background into timing, yesterday was the first day back for teachers in the Chicago Public School system. On this first day back many schools find that they are short teachers and new jobs are listed on the CPS website to fill these positions. In this case its largely a first-come, first-serve basis because of the immediate need for the teachers. Subsequently its quite important for teachers looking for jobs to be available that day to look at the postings and contact the schools that would be a good fit for them.

Enter this morning, Cate finally got to speak with the principal, who, by the way, did not realize until this week that Cate spoke Spanish. After teaching for almost 2 weeks in this school, being told that yes, you’ve probably got the job, just keep subbing for now, she was told that she did NOT in fact get the job. The job instead went to someone with one year experience as a teachers aid. Obviously I’m personally vested in this situation, its my sister-in-law, and she needs a job. However, to string along someone in this manner is completely unprofessional.

What adds insult to injury is that the principal then asked if she could still teach today and tomorrow until the new person could start! Cate is apparently a far more understanding person than I am, as she’s going to do it. Me, I would have had some very choice words for that principal (name, Fuck Off) and walked out. Cate could have spent the last 2 weeks interviewing elsewhere, tracking down other leads on jobs. Instead she spent the time teaching at a school she thought was going to be her home for the next few years at least.

The short of it is that this school, Chicago International Charter School, took complete advantage of a teacher new to the work force, a teacher that really does want to make a difference in the kids lives, then gave her job to someone else. I am not trying to detract from the person that got the job, I’m sure its a very dedicated individual. But the school has really wronged someone by not being upfront with them, by taking advantage of them, and potentially costing them other job opportunities because she was working at the school, thinking she had a job and failed to interview for additional opportunities.