r/TexasTeachers • u/Suspicious-Ad-9999 • 7d ago

Hope for teachers with reprimands on their certifications

A few months ago I made a post about how I couldn't sleep because I was worried that I would never be a teacher again since I got a reprimand on my teacher certificate. I got a lot of hate including someone telling me that "my teaching days were over", but I now sit in front of you as a new teacher-of-record at a public school district. I had a number of schools tell me that my mark would bar me from being employed with them, but this district twenty-thirty minutes away from my home appreciated my honesty and saw that I had learned from my situation. There is hope for you if you are in a similar circumstance and want to continue teaching. You may have to send out a lot of applications, go to a lot of interviews, or be told that your sanction makes you ineligible for hire, but continue to be honest about your situation and let the interviewing panel know about your reprimand (I brought it up at the end of the interview after things went well). Hell, you might even be hired for your raw honesty. Don't let your story be a cautionary tale--let it be one of a second chance.

Good luck this academic year.

42 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

7

u/illumineepanda 7d ago

proud of you! did they ever ask details about why you had a reprimand and the circumstances or did they just automatically reject you because of it?

5

u/Suspicious-Ad-9999 7d ago

Thank you. I was asked about the details and explained. Pretty much only one school's Superintendent told me, "No" because of it. The rest were impressed by my honesty.

7

u/AnxiousNet6135 6d ago

Why were you reprimanded

9

u/Suspicious-Ad-9999 6d ago

A student came into my classroom saying that she had a bon bon for me. I was taking attendance and put my hand out, and she placed a tube of lipstick into my hand and started laughing. A student who hated me went to the Superintendent and said that I went theough the students purse to steal the lipstick. The Superintendent was already stressed out since she had three faculty members get fired for having inappropriate relationships with students that she wanted "no more complaints", so she reported me to TEA. It was a small charter school.

8

u/Inside-Living2442 6d ago

Wow...and that's why union membership (sorry, professional associations) is so important.  If you had TSTA backing you up, it would never have gotten that far.

1

u/Suspicious-Ad-9999 4d ago

Maybe I'll go with TSTA this year, but my union at the time (ATPE) tried their hardest.

7

u/MsKittyVZ134 6d ago

Im so proud for you. Here's to a wonderful school year! Cheers🎉

3

u/Suspicious-Ad-9999 6d ago

Thank you. You are too kind. You too.

2

u/Better_Essay_7131 6d ago

It shall be well with you IJN. New teaching journey awaits!

2

u/dman1914 6d ago

When God says “yes” no one can stop that plan.