Hello!
If it were not for the abusive and exploitative nature of the job, I would not post this question here! I think this may be the right place though.
I was fired in November from a daycare + preschool center where I taught very briefly.
It was a toxic work environment — even our handbook said that we are required to work scheduled and unscheduled work without pay, must arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of one's day, must believe in God, must believe in the constitution, and must say the pledge of allegiance every day. Now, educators work for free ALL THE TIME, especially ones who really care about their job. It's sometimes something you accept as part of the job, especially with younger age groups. Hell, I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy some of the after-hours crafting I've done for my classrooms and students. This employer, though, absolutely pushed this beyond any acceptable limits. As hourly employees, we were not to be paid for conferences, meetings, events, etc. We could be talking 2-8 hours of additional work following regular work hours on any given day. As for God and the constitution, I'm not sure of the legality. But making preschoolers say the pledge? That's just a big “no” from me LOL
The owner of this center is like a classic MLM “boss babe” but extra scary. She dropped out of law school to focus in her business. Not sure how else to describe her. She always called me a “Karen” because as a worker I'm optimistic and friendly, I'm big on gratitude and communication. She had a major habit of ridiculing and pushing employees to quit and/or leaving threats to fire us if we displayed positive qualities that she did not. Threats usually took the form of very threateningly written letter reminding you that she can and will fire you for any reason or conduct she sees fit; she even announced in a staff meeting that she would do so even if she “just wanted to.” We were reminded over possible wrong turn, mistake, or something she deemed threatening in demonstrating team-oriented behavior (as it was “undermining” and “gaslighting” her) that we are at-will employees. Anyway, she'd label and personally deliver the letter to your mailbox. Coworkers seem too comfortable/willing to talk to you? Letter. Too many appointments scheduled and TO requests? Letter. Unable to complete the inhuman amount of work she sprung on you last minute, in addition to the inhuman amount of work youare required to do daily? Letter. Voicing a workplace/safety/logistical concern? Letter. etc. etc. etc.
When she hired me, it was on the spot. She told me about her other staff and personal things like their divorces, etc. during the interview lmao. I was desperate so I accepted the position. She told me she was so relieved, as she had gone through 48 staff who had quit or been fired in matter of one year and can never find anyone “normal”. This is a school with 6 teachers and 4-6 TAs on a typical day. Huge red flag. We didn't even have custodial staff. In the few months I worked there. about 4 were hired and quit. We took care of the custodial work and building maintenance, usually during nap time, after work, or literally whenever we could. If she saw so much as a scribble of crayon on a desk, it was a threatening letter and a meeting with the entire staff discussing YOUR error. So we spent a lot of time running around with magic erasers and spray bottles when we should have been engaging and teaching. My first staff meeting at this, in fact, was really her verbally attacking her employees while giving us slices of pizza — insulting, telling us we should be grateful for all that she does for us. “I had to take out a loan on my Mercedes to do payroll this week. And you think I do nothing for you.” like WHAT??!!! I don't own a car or know anything abt loans so I don't know what this means, but it sounds like a HER problem. She liked to name names during meetings, but she would also do a very dramatic stare whole saying things such as “SOMEONE has been…” or “I was told SOMEONE said…” or “does SOMEONE have anything to say for themself?” At that same fiest meeting she handed out worksheets and we had to calculate all of the expenses, etc. that she has to manage as a business owner. Then she said “you should be thanking me.”
Anyway. One one particular day, I had more than I could handle. She was making her usual rounds and doing her usual thang and critiquing teachers and their classrooms. She happened to see a project I was working on with my students and was very upset that their handprint christmas trees made with paint were made with their hands facing up like this as opposed to the other direction, facing downwards. They would not make for good advertising as they were done “incorrectly.” We were required to do about 6 complete projects daily and take 200 pics of each student per month for online advertising — THAT was our curricum. Mind you, I was assisting e-prek infants and leading a class of 2-3 year olds. She told me to find time to scrub the acrylic paint off of the cookie jars, start over, and have them completed by dismissal that afternoon. This was the last straw for me lol. On my break, I told her I was overwhelmed and felt that I could never reach her ever-shifting expectations. I then ran a few minutes late, after running it buy her, on my break as I needed to stop crying before returning to work. She then told me she was disgusted and disappointed in me, and that I “endangered the lives of the children.” I was fired and not welcome to retrieve my things. After some texts and emails between us, she told me not to contact her. her business, her employees, or her students' families, and that once I returned my key to the building, she would give me my final paycheck and my classroom materials. I taped her key to the door of the school and the next day received an email that my check and belongings were in the parking lot for me to pick up, which I did.
Not sure if this is all context, me venting, or both.
Anyway, I worked there from Oct-December 2021 and I have not received my tax information from this employer. Normally one should contact an employer for this info or get it through a payroll service. She asked me not to contact her and she does her own payroll — so what do? Is it appropriate to skip the reaching-out-to-her step? lol
I feel like noting that this is not a Christian school, there were many ways in which the program was unsafe as a result of the owner's policies and choices, and that the owner is from the same community of origin as me (lower income, small, and relatively diverse community in the county we are currently in) — which led to a very weird, classist and somewhat racist disdain for anything “ghetto” in the work culture. It was weird. A lot of school faculty/administration can be a bit Karen-esque but this employer and her few loyal employees were over the top.