You might think I’m being cynical when I say this, but I honestly believe it’s true. Often, when a teacher is put on capability, it has already been decided that they will not meet the terms of those proceedings and will be dismissed.
There’s probably no way I can prove it, aside from perhaps making notes of comments someone has made, talking as if the person has already failed capability when it’s still in process. Even then, there would have to be a lot of those comments to avoid them just being brushed off.
The teacher will be given targets to improve, and no matter what they do, the outcome of the review meetings will always be that they have not met the targets, even when they have. The targets will be craftily designed and vague enough to allow this to happen.
Sometimes, the targets won’t even be vague. In my own experience, I was asked to set up string quartet rehearsals, which I did. In meetings, it was repeatedly said that I hadn’t done this, and I had to constantly remind them that I had. Even then, the answer was that I hadn’t done it to a high enough standard, even though the target was that I simply set them up. It still appeared on minutes of the meetings that I hadn’t done it, which I then had to challenge again in an endless cycle.
It can be very damaging to your mental health if you are put in a no win situation like this. It induces a state of learned helplessness. It’s tiring to constantly be challenging your ‘results’ and argue that you have met any targets set. It’s heartbreaking as you realise all of the extra effort wasn’t worth it as you had no chance of keeping your job.
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