I Resigned From My Steady Job

Two months before the SAT, Dom Platt, Director of Academic Affairs, called Monica Rae, the teacher in charge of Class Seven, and me into a meeting. “After discussing it, we’ve decided that this year’s Master Teacher promotion will go to one of you. We’ll base the decision on which class shows the greatest percentage improvement on the third SAT practice test.” I was already celebrating inside. Everyone in the senior year knew Class Seven was the weakest class. Most had given up on going to college. Half of them barely showed up to class, let alone paid attention. My students in Class One were another story. They studied on their own and were determined to push their scores higher before the SAT. That promotion had my name written all over it. However, on the very day the third practice test results were posted, the school announced without warning that Monica had been promoted to Master Teacher. I stared at the results sheet. Monica was listed as the teacher in charge of Class One. My name was beside Class Seven. It finally hit me. I had worked into the early hours night after night to raise Class One’s average score by two percent, only for Monica to take all the credit. So much for that supposedly fair decision. I walked into the academic office with a blank expression and slapped my resignation letter onto Dom’s desk. He stared at me in shock. “Have you lost your mind? The names on that results sheet are only temporary. If you quit, who’s going to get Class One ready for the SAT? Those kids have a real shot at Harrowgate or Kingsbridge!” I sneered. “I’m done with the dirty politics at this school. I quit.” Chapter 1 Dom Platt’s expression hardened. He looked at me and said in a measured voice, “Ms. Cruz, I get that you’re upset about the promotion announcement.” He waved my letter with a resigned expression. “But you know I’m only the Director of Academic Affairs. I don’t run the school. I didn’t make this decision alone, and the announcement wouldn’t have gone out without the majority’s approval. “You’re an excellent teacher, and you’ve made a name for yourself across the city. Is it really worth fighting a newer teacher over this one promotion? “Giving someone else a chance helps keep the faculty motivated, you know?” I stood there with an indifferent expression. “Right. Of course you’re right. Everyone in the city knows me as the teacher whose students aced the SAT. Even so, this school has held back my promotion for ten years…” Before I could finish, Dom cut me off. “Yes, yes, Ms. Cruz, I know you’ve been treated unfairly. How about this? Next year. There’s bound to be another promotion available next year, and then…” I shut my eyes tight. It was the same promise every year. I was done pretending to believe him. “Enough! It’s been ten years. Even an average teacher with nothing to show for it would’ve made Senior Teacher by now, just on years of service. “Yes, teaching these kids is my job, and I’ve done it without complaint. I’ve never shirked my responsibilities, and I’ve treated every student fairly. “So, why do the promotions I’ve earned always go to someone else? You’ve had a thousand excuses over the years, but I want an answer now. “Why am I still an Associate Teacher after ten years, while Ms. Rae makes Master Teacher before she’s even been here two years?” Having said everything I wanted to say, I fought back tears and exhaled deeply. “Mr. Platt, this isn’t a rash decision. I’ve thought it through. I know I can’t take on the school, and I’m not asking for anything else. There’s only one thing I want today.” I held his gaze without a flicker of emotion. “I want to resign.” Dom’s face darkened at once. “You’ve been here for years, and this school has treated you well. Show some loyalty. “Do you think you built your reputation for getting students into Harrowgate and Kingsbridge on your own? This school gave you that reputation. “Are you just going to walk away right before the SAT? Have you no sense of duty as a teacher?” Chapter 2 I felt a jolt. A teacher’s duty? I turned his words over in my mind and nearly laughed out loud. There were sixty teachers at this school. If anyone had taken that duty seriously, it was me. In my ten years of teaching, I had always worked harder than my students whenever the SAT drew near. I stayed up late preparing lessons, studied past tests for likely topics, and put together study guides. When my students were overwhelmed, I even skipped Thanksgiving dinner with my family to drive over and help them through it. Every time my students set a new school record, an administrator would smile and pat me on the shoulder. “Thank you for all your hard work, Ms. Cruz. Don’t worry, you’ll be on the promotion list next year!” That promise had kept me here for ten years. It was never fulfilled. I rubbed my stinging eyes and forced myself to stand straight. “Mr. Platt, I’ve never let this school down. Every year when the SAT came around, I worked even harder than my students. I thought that if I kept doing my job well, the school would eventually recognize it. “Now, I realize how wrong I was. You lectured me about my duty as a teacher, but where was the school’s sense of duty to me when it made that announcement?” Dom’s face darkened. “Watch how you speak to me. The school had its reasons for that announcement. We can’t rely on one star teacher forever, and the class switch is only temporary. “You may be assigned to Class Seven on paper, but you’ll still be teaching Class One. The school won’t forget what you’ve done.” I stared at him. It was ridiculous. Did he think calling it a school decision made their dirty little scheme any more respectable? I had no desire to argue with him any longer. I snorted. “So, I’m supposed to thank you and the school for remembering that I exist?” With that, I turned and walked out. I had no place among people who operated like that. I was actually grateful he had stopped hiding it. He made me realize that it was time to leave a place I should have walked away from long ago. I hurried into the restroom and stared at myself in the mirror for a long time before I managed to get my anger under control. Then, I heard Monica’s voice coming from the hallway outside the restroom. “Annie really has no idea where she stands. I heard she went to Mr. Platt and threatened to quit. It’s as if she’s in any position to make demands.” I stopped on my way out and listened. A moment later, I heard Dora Gelber, the vice principal’s assistant. “Who does she think she is? Does she really think she’s that important? You’re different, Monica. Between us, Mr. Corvin looked into her a while ago. “Her family’s broke, and her mother’s in the hospital, with medical bills coming in every month. “She can talk all she wants, but could she really bring herself to quit? If she walks out today, her mother could be dead by tomorrow.” Dora’s voice was sharp with contempt. Her words hurt more than I wanted to admit. So, that was why they thought they could do whatever they wanted to me. They knew my mother was sick. They knew I needed the money. No matter how hard I worked or how much I did for the school and my students, I was still nothing to them. How was I supposed to accept that? Every colleague who had joined the school around the same time as me was already considered a veteran teacher. Every one of them had received a substantial raise. I was the only one still teaching the school’s most demanding class, worrying over every student while counting every dollar of my paycheck each month. I had thought that if I kept my head down and worked hard, the people in charge would eventually notice. At that moment, I learned just how wrong I had been. My lips twisted into a bitter smile. I stood there in silence. “Enough about that miserable woman! She’s just sulking. She’s worn that same pathetic look every year for ten years. Do you really think she’d quit? At her age, who else would hire her?” Monica giggled and hurried to agree. Chapter 3 “Exactly! Mr. Corvin had it all figured out!” Their footsteps faded down the hallway, but my heart could not stop pounding. Was the working world really this cruel? Before I could dwell on it, my phone rang in my pocket. I stared blankly ahead and answered on autopilot. A familiar woman’s voice came through. “Annie? It’s Kelly Brett, from college! How are things at Ridgeway High? I’m calling on behalf of Cresthaven Academy. We’d love to have you here. If you’re interested, we’ll offer you the best salary we can. “How does $800,000 a year sound? I promise we’ll take good care of you. If there’s anything else you want, just say the word. We can talk it through.” $800,000? Hearing that astronomical figure, I could not help but chuckle. In all ten years at Ridgeway High, I had not earned even half that much altogether. I had given in again and again and poured everything I had into my work. In return, they had decided I was someone they could push around. They had shown me no loyalty. Why should I show them any? I took a deep breath, steadied myself, and put on my usual polite smile as I spoke into the phone. “Yes, I’m very interested in Cresthaven Academy. I’d love to hear more.” Right after I hung up, several messages appeared in the school’s faculty group chat. [@everyone All teachers, please come to the conference room for a meeting, especially those teaching seniors!] [@Ms. Cruz, Class One: Please bring your lesson plans for this year’s seniors and share what has worked for you. Let’s get more Ridgeway students into Harrowgate and Kingsbridge!] I stared at my phone in silence. I had sat through countless such meetings over the past ten years. Every time, they flattered or pressured me into sharing my teaching methods and handing over lesson plans I had spent night after night preparing. I had used to share everything without holding back. However, after what they had done, why did they think I would let them keep using me? I strolled into the conference room empty-handed. As soon as I opened the door, I saw Jack Corvin, the vice principal, sitting at the head of the table. The smile on his face vanished when he saw that I had brought nothing. “Annie, don’t be so selfish.” His voice grew stern. “I thought you were a reasonable teacher. I never thought you’d pick a fight with the school over a title. We’re educators. We shouldn’t be tearing each other apart over things like this.” I scoffed and looked him in the eye. “So, teachers don’t need to eat? A sense of purpose is supposed to pay the bills?” He faltered for a moment, then recovered. “Hasn’t the school done enough for you? You’re known across the city as an excellent teacher. You wouldn’t have that reputation without us.” I sneered and said, “So putting me down as Class Seven’s teacher while expecting me to keep teaching Class One was for my own good? Keeping me as an Associate Teacher after ten years was for my own good too?” Jack fell silent for a long moment. Then he seemed to make up his mind and spoke again. “All right. If forty percent of Class One gets into Harrowgate or Kingsbridge, I’ll put in a request for a $500 bonus just for you. Happy now? “But you’ll need to help Ms. Rae too. We can’t have Class Seven’s scores looking too bad.” I could not stop myself from scoffing. $500? Did he think he could buy me off with pocket change? Jack’s expression darkened when he saw my face. He started threatening me. “Annie, I’ve been more than generous with you. Remember your place. This school doesn’t owe you a thing. Anything we give you is a favor. “Think about the students you’ve spent a year teaching. If you leave now, you’ll ruin their futures, and it’ll be your fault. “Could you live with that? Besides, all you have is a good reputation. When it comes down to it, Ms. Rae is a better teacher than you.” Chapter 4 So when persuasion failed, he moved on to threats? I knew exactly what was going on. Many students had come to Class One because of my reputation for producing top SAT scorers. Their parents had paid hefty “donations” to secure them a place. Since they thought I was disposable, I would show them what happened when I left. I wanted to see how happy those students and parents would be once Class One lost the teacher they had come for. Kelly and I agreed that I would start in three days. With the SAT so close, I was able to negotiate an annual salary that was almost hard to believe. The next evening, a message in the staff chat told everyone to attend a dinner. They called it a dinner, but it was an old school tradition meant to rally the teachers working with the seniors before the SAT. Jack stood onstage with a drink in his hand and a broad smile on his face. He held up a stack of bonus checks. “To thank everyone teaching our seniors for all your hard work, the school has set aside a special bonus fund. You’ve done a wonderful job! Keep it up, and let’s help these kids get into the best universities in the country!” I sat in the audience without a trace of expression. Around me, the other teachers watched the checks eagerly. “Mr. Teran from Class Three. A $2,000 bonus!” “Ms. Whitney from Class Four, $4,000!” “Now, Ms. Rae from Class Seven, since Ms. Rae will be moving to our most demanding class, Class One, next week, the school has approved a special $8,000 bonus for her!” The room fell silent as soon as Jack finished speaking. I could feel people stealing glances at me from every direction. Anyone could see that the class switch was just for show. They were letting Monica swoop in and take credit for the results I had spent the year working toward. Soon, Jack had only one bonus envelope left in his hand. “Ms. Cruz from Class One! Our school’s star teacher! Let’s give her a round of applause!” The room burst into applause. I walked onto the stage with a blank expression. Since our last meeting, Jack had pressed me for an answer several times. I had yet to give him one. I knew he was going to pull something. Sure enough, he opened the last envelope in front of everyone, pulled out a sheet of paper, and handed it to me. Then, he raised the microphone with a smile. “Ms. Cruz, congratulations on being named our star teacher yet again!” His voice carried across the room. “As an example to all our teachers, the school has decided to give you a special opportunity. Here’s the bill for tonight’s staff dinner!” He paused, then smiled at me again. “I hope you appreciate the opportunity. You’ve been teaching long enough to know there’s no need to keep sulking over a title. You wouldn’t want to burn bridges in this profession, would you?” I met his pointed gaze and felt a chill run through me. He was doing that on purpose. He wanted to see whether I would swallow the insult in front of everyone, just as I always had. I knew what would happen if I did: I would be at the bottom of the pecking order at that school. Anyone could walk all over me. I could feel every eye on me. My skin prickled under their stares. I reached out and took the bill. “Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Corvin!” Ignoring his smug smile, I walked off the stage under everyone’s gaze, went straight to the operations director, and pressed the bill into his hand. “Unfortunately, I’ve submitted my resignation. To be precise, it takes effect on Monday. So, I’ll leave this wonderful opportunity to the school. Thank you all for taking such good care of me over the years. I wish you the best!” The whole room stared at me, stunned.