Special educator wants her co-teacher to stop ‘bullying’ students

Q: I’m a special educator in an elementary school and am paired in the classroom with an extremely cranky general education teacher. This is my first year at this school (I moved here from out of state), but when it comes to co-teaching, this isn’t my first rodeo. I’ve co-taught for the past 11 years with teachers who possess many different temperaments and skill sets. But never before have I worked with a co-teacher who so blatantly bullies students. My new co-teacher is rude, impatient, and punitive. She shames students for everything under the sun: Taking too long at the water fountain. Not knowing how to tie their shoes. Taking too long to line up to go to a special or complete a worksheet. Talking too quietly. Talking too loudly. Not participating. Participating too much. She will even loudly make fun of kids for misspelling a word or wearing an “ugly” shirt. 

She’s equal-opportunity abusive and abrasive, meaning she’s not specifically targeting students with IEPs. But if a student — any student — tries to get away from her when she goes off on one of her tirades, she will grab their arm hard or pull on their shirt or backpack strap to prevent them from escaping her wrath. And this goes on all.day.long.

I’ve mentioned my concerns in passing to my principal, but he seems pretty resigned to her behavior. Apparently she’s been this way for years, and talking to her doesn’t make a dent. In fact, I think that’s why I got this job. A colleague told me that no one else is willing to work with her. Talk about a red flag! I want to protect my students but feel kind of stuck. I don’t have tenure yet, and no one knows me well enough to trust my instincts. Plus, I know several colleagues have complained to the principal in the past to no avail. What can I do without ticking off my co-teacher so much that I create a hostile and unproductive work environment for myself?