Feeling Trapped in a Toxic School Environment: How Can I Navigate This Stressful Situation?

Dear All, I am writing to all experts to give me some good suggestions on my issue. Please provide me with a solution.

Current Situation in My School

What happened to me is... Currently, I am working as an HOD in a private CBSE school which follows different standards not related to CBSE norms. This is a new school that was constructed three years back. The management is very rich, and they are ready to do anything for students, teachers, and staff. When it started, the quality and quantity of people involved were very good. However, year after year, the situation at the school has become very bad. The reason behind this is the Chairman. He is uneducated but good at running a business, not suitable as a chairman for this institution, as he started to view the school as a business in his mind.

Interference and Issues with Management

When I joined, they allotted me separate accommodation with a good salary. Meanwhile, the chairman interfered with the principal and changed the mindset of some people inside the school campus. The chairman started allocating spy teachers against the principal and other staff. The problem arose when the chairman formed a separate group of teachers who would not do their jobs but instead pass comments about other teachers. Eventually, this led to a big issue, resulting in the dismissal of many teachers from the management side without the principal's knowledge. When the principal found out, there was a heated discussion, and finally, the principal was also sent out of the school.

My Role and Challenges

Subsequently, the supporting teachers became the leaders of the school as they were the pillars. I, on the other hand, decided to continue my work here as I needed the money to support my family. I focused on academic activities and supported all the teachers in taking students' reports. However, the chairman called me to work on a project apart from my duties. As days passed, I found it difficult to complete the project due to missing data. I was also engaged in numerous academic activities, making it challenging to finish the separate task allotted by the chairman, as I required additional staff, which was not provided despite my requests.

Current Dilemma

Now, I am in a critical position where I need to complete the chairman's task. He is simply shouting at me, not understanding my academic work. Despite my explanations, he fails to comprehend. I became upset and declared my notice period. He accuses me of not performing his task properly, despite my efforts towards the school's development.

He states that I am a good teacher but a bad performer. I am unsure of what to do as he continues to demand completion of the job, showing no understanding. I have finished his project, despite some remaining data.

He threatens to withhold my salary and refuses to listen to my explanations. This situation has left me feeling depressed and under immense stress.

Please provide me with a solution for this.

The State of Private Schools and Their Challenges

This is the sorry state of affairs in privately run schools, especially those managed by non-academicians. They prioritize business, relegating education to the back seat. However, some schools manage to balance both aspects and gain a good reputation. Institutions solely focused on generating monetary revenue are destined to collapse sooner or later.

Academicians working in such institutions face challenges in dealing with management, parents, and students. Consequently, many talented academics are leaving these institutions and opting for even lower-profile institutions, sacrificing their compensation packages.

There is a saying, "what cannot be cured must be endured." If you are dissatisfied with the working culture and environment, it's better to seek opportunities elsewhere rather than becoming increasingly despondent. Excessive stress is detrimental to health and social well-being. Make a wise decision; you are well-educated and capable of thriving in this competitive world. While relocating may require sacrificing some comforts, showcasing your abilities in a new environment is worthwhile.

All the best.

Regards,
Pon, Chennai

What is happening in your school is horrible. However, this is your version. We need to know the version of the Principal as well. Otherwise, our comments are biased.

This situation is not uncommon. Getting a license to run an educational institution in India is quite difficult. You need political connections. Hence, a large number of owners of educational institutions have political affiliations. Forget about having a vision; they are hardly bothered about the quality of education.

In the fourth paragraph, you mentioned that the "chairman started allocating spy teachers against the principal and all other staff. Here the problem starts: the chairman has a separate group of teachers who won't do their job; instead, they always pass comments about other teachers. So, finally, one day it became a big issue, and a lot of teachers have been dismissed from the management side without the principal's knowledge. When it came to the principal's knowledge, he had a hard discussion, and finally, the principal was also sent out of the school."

How many months or years ago did this happen? The incident or series of incidents is nothing but a harbinger of what lies ahead. You should have become cautious at that time itself. Why did you not think of quitting then?

A teacher's job is a noble job. They are the initiators of social change. That is why in India, teachers are valued more than God. Remember the Sanskrit shloka, "Gurur Brahma, Gurur Vishnu, Gurur Devo Maheshwara, Gurur Sakshat Param Brahma, Tasmai Sri Guruve namaha."

But today's scene is quite different. What dismays me further is that the case has come from the very state that has given this country a great philosopher and educationalist, Dr. S Radhakrishnan. Teacher's Day is celebrated to commemorate his birthday. Unfortunately, the lofty ideals that he once promoted are lost along with him! It is because of the sniffiness of the Chairman or someone else at the top that talented individuals do not opt for jobs in teaching!

Final Comments: There is a mismatch between the heading of the post and the contents. In what way is capitalism giving you stress? Do not hold capitalism responsible for your problems. Where have you read that capitalism promotes politicking in private educational institutions? Being a teacher, you should be responsible while making comments. Capitalism means wealth generation. But that does not mean that capitalists are against providing value to the end-user or customer. Neither is capitalism against creating a performance-centric organization. If your Chairman had been of a socialistic or communistic mindset, would it have mitigated your problems?

How can you be so cavalier while giving a heading to your post? Do you handle your classes with this kind of half-knowledge? If so, then you are bound to face the problems you are facing! By the way, what subject do you teach? Your quality of English is also inferior. This is yet another evidence of your cavalier attitude!

Regards,
Dinesh V Divekar

Beware of false knowledge, it is more dangerous than ignorance.

There are a few anomalies in your post. I will pick one for example. You say, "The Management is very rich where they are ready to do anything for students, teachers, and staff. When it was started, the quality and quantity of people in the concern were very good, but year after year now the situation of the school is very bad. The reason is the Chairman. He is uneducated but good at running business, not suitable as a chairman for this institution, as he started to view the school as a business in his mind."

Who is the Chairman? Is he related to the Management? Do you mean the owners were ready to do anything, but the new Chairman appointed is not good?

On one hand, you say that you continued there as you needed the job to support the family, but on the other hand, you say that you have handed in the notice to quit. Like others have said, either you can put up with the treatment or quit.

Finally, it is not clear for what problem you are seeking help. Is it how to deal with an uneducated Chairman? Is it some help for the undefined project that you have been given? Or is it how to get your unpaid wages?

I am sure others will raise more questions like that.

You also have not stated what non-academic work the Chairman has given you for which you have no data?

When it comes to getting stressed, as Swami Parthasarathi and Swami Anbhavanand say, it's all about how we react to a situation. I hope the lecture at Reduce Stress Through Self-Management Part 2 - YouTube will give you some ideas on how to de-stress yourself.