Principal found out about teacher’s job search

Q: I teach 9th-grade English and am generally left alone to do my job the way I like, and my students are engaged and fun. I don’t dislike my job. But several colleagues who’ve been unhappy openly shared that they are looking elsewhere, and that triggered my restlessness.

I’ve been at my school for six years. While that may not sound like a long time, I’m in my early 30s, and this is the only school where I’ve worked. I think I may be ready for something new.

Unlike my colleagues, I have been keeping my desire to look around close to the vest — a total secret. I figured I only would need to tell my principal that I’ve been dipping my toe in the water if and when someone wants to call him for a reference. Well, the principal who leads a school where I did a first-round interview took it upon himself to tell my principal that he interviewed me. As it happens, they’re personal friends. Even so, I specifically asked him to let me know before he contacted my school. 

My principal reacted with anger. He pulled me aside and began asking me all sorts of prying questions about why I want to leave. He also asked me to tell him ASAP if I accept an offer. I was caught off-guard. I said that I was curious and wanted to know what was out there, but that I don’t have any specific reasons to leave.

One of my colleagues told me this week that he’s been putting out feelers for my replacement “just in case,” and now I’m concerned that this will hurt my ability to get a good reference. On the one hand, my principal can’t fire me because I’m tenured and have a great reputation, but I’m guessing he will try to make my life difficult now. Did I do something wrong?

A: You did nothing wrong, but you did take a calculated risk. The principal at the other school likely knew better than to breach your confidentiality, but perhaps made an offhand comment to your principal when their paths crossed. I’m not excusing his behavior, but it is a cautionary tale. Any time you apply out, your supervisor could get wind of your plans. You got unlucky.

While you did nothing wrong, there are pros and cons to being upfront and transparent about your job search.

While you did nothing wrong, there are pros and cons to being upfront and transparent about your job search. On the one hand, honesty can preserve trust and give you an opportunity to hone your messaging and control the narrative. Your principal may be less likely to feel annoyed if he hears the information from you instead of the gossip mill. He’s also less likely to fill in the gaps with his own story. If you’re upfront, he also may be more inclined to help you.

But even if you’re honest, your principal could still be irritated, whether he takes it personally or worries about filling your position. He could view you as a flight risk and stop giving you internal opportunities. So where does this leave you? For one, you learned something about the trustworthiness of the other principal. Take that under advisement. You may learn something about your own principal, too. For instance, he had a knee-jerk reaction, but does he ultimately respect your choices? Or does he retaliate? 

You may be filling in some gaps in the story, too. You assume your principal is angry and likely to look for ways to undermine you, when he simply may be trying to understand why you feel restless so he can help you grow in place. Ideally, he will recognize that all teachers have different needs and will support you — even if he feels disappointed, annoyed, or inconvenienced. 

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