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When good teaching isn't enough

As the start of the 2000-2001 school year approached, Jennings NEA member Donna Hall was excited and anxious. Twenty years of teaching first and second graders had prepared her for what to expect. She fully anticipated the eager-to-learn, excited six-year-olds facing a full day of school without benefit of nap time. As the year went on, some children would need extra help to do the important tasks set out for them, but Hall was confident that she would once again be able guide them successfully through the rigors of first grade. But she wasn’t certain she would be given the chance to return to her classroom, or any classroom.

At the end of the previous school year, Hall had made a request to transfer to another building where a first-grade teacher would be needed. The administration had granted similar transfer requests made by other teachers at the same time. Hall’s straightforward, ordinary request was not only denied, but it began the chain of events that left her shaken and fearful of losing her job.

Was the threat of losing her job the result of falling enrollment in the primary grades in which Hall had extensive experience? On the contrary, enrollment had increased district wide by 100 students in each of the two previous years. Many of the new students were of elementary age.

Three months earlier, Jennings Superintendent Terry Stewart had traveled to Spain and hired six teachers, five of whom were assigned to the district’s elementary schools. (One of the teachers from Spain was assigned to the first graders Hall would have taught had she been allowed to remain in her classroom.) The superintendent, on his return from Europe, cited a need to hire foreign teachers because of an anticipated increase in the nation’s Hispanic population in the upcoming decades. It is difficult to determine if the culture and environment of Jennings were enriched—only one of the teachers from Spain remained at Jennings after one year.

Two days before the start of school, Hall’s principal told her that she was assigned to teach sixth grade—a grade she’d never taught. The eleventh-hour decision left Hall with little time to prepare.

Perhaps even more inexplicable than the switch of teaching assignments was the school district’s attempt to remove Hall from her regular teaching assignment and make her a permanent substitute teacher. This had played out during the past summer. Only with assistance from her MNEA UniServ director, Graylon Brown, and lobbying by members of the community, was she allowed to continue teaching.

A leader
Donna Hall has been an active leader in Jennings NEA representing Jennings teachers. She currently serves as president and has held that position and others off and on during her years at Jennings. In addition to her leadership in the association, she is regarded as a leader in the classroom. For more than 10 years, her peers chose her to serve as her building’s representative on the Professional Development Committee. Furthermore, she has also contributed teaching ideas that have appeared in several national education magazines.

Increasingly, those active in Jennings NEA or those willing to speak out have found themselves subject to disciplinary action.

Since May 2000, Hall has endured a series of adverse job actions. She has been threatened with termination, accused of insubordination and been denied supplemental pay opportunities. Hall was directed to attend meetings on a weekly basis at which the assistant principal recorded the conversation between Hall and the principal. The meetings pre-empted Hall’s preparation time. Her request to know the subject of the meetings as well as requests for representation at the meetings were repeatedly denied.

Not just your average extraordinary teacher
Donna Hall began her teaching career at Jennings more than 20 years ago. During that time, she served as a cooperating teacher for student teachers several times, received recognition for devising and implementing programs for her students at her building, and presented effective workshops for fellow teachers. School administrators have repeatedly praised Hall as an outstanding teacher. Her students thrive in her classroom, and Hall’s evaluations are excellent.

A reluctant crusader
At the start of the 2001-2002 school year, Donna Hall was again assigned to teach sixth grade in spite of her requests for a transfer back to a primary-grade classroom and in spite of the district’s need for primary-grade teachers (Jennings hired four new first-grade teachers prior to the start of the current school year). With the support of her fellow teachers and MNEA, she plans to continue to stand up for what’s best for Jennings students and to speak out for herself and the members of Jennings NEA.