Cleverpens

I. Clare’s Encounter at a Private School.

Clare wonders what is underneath the glitter of a private school in a lovely landscape of aspirations. On her way to her next company, she came across a private sectarian school. Clare was interested in exploring the stature behind it. She wasn’t usually one to get sidetracked on her quick walks, as she was trying to catch up on the next cut-off, submitting her curriculum vitae to a prominent manufacturing company. Clare gave in to her curiosity. She went inside the premises and started exploring the surroundings. Then a lady guard came up to her.

Guard: “What can I do for you, miss?”

Clare: “I was only asking if there is a vacancy for teaching in this institution.”

Guard: “You seem to be late in looking at our online job postings.

“I am trying my luck for job vacancies,” Clare remarked with a smile.

The guard smiled back at her and said, “Ma’am, you might want to submit your application letter along with the usual requirements. There might be an opening for you.”

Clare submitted her application letter along with her transcript and diploma. And that was the beginning of the trip, reigniting the passion. Clare had turned her back on it since the COVID-19 epidemic—she was a teacher. Clare gave the guard her CV and requirements. Clare whispered, “Stroke of luck?” smiling at the guard on duty.

On her way out, Clare began to ask herself why her feet had taken her to a place she did not expect. It’s like there was a friendly push to submit her application letter to a profession that once hurt her. “Why am I applying for a part-time teaching job?” Clare asked herself. Teaching was a calling that had previously left her disillusioned. Clare left teaching during the pandemic. She had to choose between herself and her desire to teach. Clare was going through burnout back in the day. Silence and distance were her friends. Music blared from her headphones, muffling all the energies she encountered on the road while she waited for her next class schedule. Otherwise, she writes in her diary.

II. Blissful Blindness

“Was it really a dream come true?” Clare asked herself while walking along the sidewalks where ambulant vendors were resting. Clare’s stomach started to ache, so she grabbed two boiled eggs and a bottle of water from her backpack on her way to the manufacturing company to submit her application as a corporate research assistant.

It was odd for her to answer calls, but that day, Clare picked up the call and started to listen to the voice at the other end. A male voice advised her about an interview at the school where she had left her application with the guard. She froze after the call ended. Clare wondered what was behind the name of the school. She began to explore the many reasons behind her feelings. And with mixed emotions, she put on her headset and listened to her favorite tunes.

In the midst of unstable footing, Clare asked, “Am I ready for this moment?” or “Am I heading towards another disappointment?” Clare stands in front of the mirror, asking herself a series of questions, and, strangely, the songs playing in her headset are attuned to her self-inquiry.

Clare had her teaching demonstration and an interview, after which she was advised to take the pre-employment exam at the guidance center. She was asked to wait for a call should the school hire her. It became apparent that Clare failed the personality inventory exam and went home. While she was preparing her application letters to companies, her phone rang. A male voice at the end of the line told her she was hired and needed to attend the ongoing seminar. Clare was thrilled about the news and shared it with her sister.

It was so fast that before it sank into her, Clare was already hired. Clare was given a standard cubicle adjacent to the entrance door, a desk, a filing cabinet, essential school supplies, internet access, and an employee number. In the first two weeks, the majority of the school employees expressed warmth and support. However, the eerie feeling became stronger. A few days came, and there wasn’t a pre-employment medical examination for Clare. Teachers in the high school faculty room were quiet when Clare went in alone. Daily, there was one colleague who was an early bird. Exchanges of morning greetings were a common work culture.

Two weeks passed, and she met a chubby male gathering plates, bowls, and cutlery. He introduced himself to Clare. His name was Terence, and there she discovered that he was one of the teachers who had taught entrepreneurship before. Clare asked, “Why did you quit? Terence replied, “The salary was low and was not enough to pay for the monthly bills.” Clare was trying to remember where she had met the familiar face. She asked, “Are you not one of the canteen’s concessionaires? Terence smiled and replied affirmatively. He further said, “I was one of the highest-paid teachers here when I was teaching part-time.” “I decided to go full-time, as I thought the pay was much higher,” he said with a sigh. Terence told Clare that the salary of a full-time teacher was lower than that of part-time teachers. It was for such a reason that Terence decided to quit and rent a small stall at the school canteen.

In one of the flag ceremonies, Clare saw Terence from afar. He was wearing a complete high school teacher’s uniform. Clare was curious as to how a canteen concessionaire can be a teacher at the same time. Clare believed Terence had a piece of a puzzle.

Clare arrived at the academy earlier than six o’clock in the morning. She parked her car and stayed a little longer inside before she alighted. The guards on duty inquired about her work ID. Clare responded, “I was told to wait for the picture-taking schedule.” One of the guards said, “Ma’am, please make a follow-up for them to give your work ID.” Clare nodded and gave a smile. A month had passed, and still there wasn’t a notice from Clare’s boss about a pre-employment medical examination and a company ID. Clare was about to go to the office of the human resources department when the librarian at the high school department messaged her to pick up the uniforms they were providing to all new hires. Clare was excited to fetch the school uniform from the library. She was told there was a uniform budget for all new hires. Clare told herself with a smile, “Finally, I have a uniform.”

There were several red flags at first, but they faded as Clare’s excitement subsided. She joined the academy despite her work experience. “It was odd to feel the eerie feeling behind the warmth and support,” Clare told herself. She hasn’t heard from her boss about the pre-employment medical examination and HR onboarding. Without her company ID, Clare felt she didn’t belong.

III. Cracks in the Façade

It was a Monday morning. Clare was making her lesson plan when a voice caught her attention. It was clear that the teacher was having an online argument in one of her online classes. Her voice was a little disappointed as her students asserted their academic freedom. The students were suggesting ways for her to deliver her lessons and make the science subject more engaging. Listening to how students argued, Clare became curious and asked herself, “Why are her students treating her unkindly? As Clare observed her colleague from afar, she noticed that her colleague’s voice shifted as the online conversation became uncomfortable. The conversation adjacent to Clare’s cubicle ended with a heavy heart. Clare began to observe her colleague’s behavior. It was unusual behavior for her. Her smile began to fade, and her enthusiasm faded as well. She approached Clare and told her what happened. Clare inquired about the cause of the students’ behavior, and they discovered that grades were the issue. “She felt invalidated, despite students making her feel she fits in,” Clare wondered quietly. “The cracks could not be left unnoticed just because they made her feel she belonged.” Clare silently navigated her curiosity about the people in the academy.

Toxicity seeped in like smog—silent, deadly, and ignored. Clare thought her intuition was trying to teach her something, despite the employees’ welcoming gestures and shared warmth. Days went by, and everything began to shift gradually.

Clare’s curiosity began to look closely at the daily routines of the academy. The academy addresses its students as masters. She wondered how it would affect the students’ behavior. Clare observes her students’ behavior silently. The vocalization of students’ names in the faculty room by her colleagues made Clare curious. Moreover, the students’ quiet act of giving food to teachers caused Clare to distance herself from them. She asked one of her colleagues, “Why are students giving boxes of donuts? One of the teachers replied, “One of the masters is celebrating his birthday; that’s why.” Clare didn’t interact at all. Julius invited Clare to get a donut from two open boxes. “I just ate a chicken sandwich I bought from the canteen,” Clare replied with a smile.

Clare began to discover the academy’s core values the moment she read the name of the director of the human resource department. She was left speechless. She found out that the director of the human resources department and the high school principal are the same person. Behind Clare’s silence, she asked, “Is it not a conflict of interest?” She shrugged her shoulders and quietly listened to the tune on her podcast.

It was a sunny Tuesday morning. Everyone was busy preparing for their first-period classes. The printer was busy as well. Clare was seated in her workstation, staring at the textured panel boards surrounding her. She noticed how the textured panel boards were similar to the workstation she had with her previous employer. Clare shrugged off the eerie feeling and ignored the patterns she saw in her present working environment. She took her bottled water and drank from it while she prepared her lesson plans for submission.

Clare was about to go for lunch when her boss sent her a short notice of a meeting in the PASSCO room with the principal, who is also the current director of human resources. There wasn’t any agenda except that the meeting would be held at the stated venue with her boss. Clare went to the venue and was surprised that there were four people seated, and the fifth was her boss at an oblong table. A big black cell phone was on top of the table. And the youngest among them was tasked with taking down notes. The director of human resources, who is the acting principal, began to discuss concerns forwarded by parents of the students. Clare lately realized that it was not about PASSCO accreditation but a conference about parents’ and students’ concerns. The allegations weren’t true. There were allegations made by mistake. Clare requested a CCTV installation inside her classroom rather than arguing about allegations. Despite the allegations from the five academic managers, Clare remained steadfast, tears streaming down her face. Clare said, “It is useless to explain since the allegations came from a collectivist view.” She further told the five academic managers about her dilemma of being outnumbered despite honesty. Five minutes before Clare’s next scheduled class, the meeting adjourned.

IV. Poison Deepens

Clare remained silent in her workstation. She was trying to understand what had just happened after she missed her lunch. Clare vividly recalled that the director of human resources, who is also currently the principal, told her, “I was able to handle high school subjects before I reached this level.” He continued, “I was able to handle the entrepreneurship subject before, and I am piqued by how you handled it.” Clare knew she was being gaslighted and preferred silence. Clare knew honesty wasn’t the best policy after all; the academic managers present at the meeting were there to be known and recognized by the authority and power they had up their sleeves. She felt she had to understand better before she judged each of them. Clare took her headset and started to listen to music, and her work pace began to slow down.

Clare didn’t have enough sleep that night. She was up early at three o’clock in the morning and knew it would be a long day ahead of her. She tried to get out of her bed. Her entire human body was glued, and she felt exhausted. Clare took her journal beside her bed and began to introspect. She told herself, “This moment too shall pass.”

She started to drive, heading to work, when she felt something wasn’t right. Clare alighted and discovered that her car tires were flat. It was a quarter to six in the morning, and the vulcanizing shop opens at eight o’clock. She messaged her boss. Clare informed her boss that her car tires were flat and required immediate action. Her boss replied, “Noted. Please send the needed activities for your classes. Thank you,” Clare’s boss further said. “You should have an air pump…because your tires are tubeless,” Clare’s intuition signals her, and at that moment, she knew she had to finish the flat tire concern before deciding to attend her class for the remaining working hours of the day.

Clare’s sister saw her standing in front of the residential gate.

She asked, “Are you okay?” 

Clare replied, “I’m not okay.”

Her sister saw the flat tire and asked, “Where is your car’s spare tire?”

Clare told her sister that the spare tire was flat, too. Their eyes met, and Clare’s sister invited her to join her for breakfast. Such an invitation made Clare give in to her sister’s breakfast invitation. On their way to the canteen, both saw a tire shop. “Sir, are you already open for business?” Clare asked. The medium-built man responded, “A few minutes, and the shop will be open later at 8:00 A.M. today.” Clare’s sister told her. “You have a few minutes left; wait here, or do you want to join me for breakfast?” Clare started exploring the area, spotting another vulcanizing shop nearby. She told her sister she had to finish the flat tire concern before anything else. The sisters parted ways.

It was forty-five minutes past seven in the morning, and Clare approached a young man seated comfortably on a used, loose tire, busy with his cellphone. Another man was busy filling up an empty drum with water. Clare approached the man seated on the tire. “Sir, are you already open to servicing a flat tire?” she asked. The man with his deep masculine voice said, “We’re open. Where is the flat tire? Clare provided the details and requested a price quotation. The vulcanizing shop told her that after the tire repair, a wheel alignment is required. “Such a car care service is unavailable,” he further stated. After vulcanizing the flat tire, Clare started asking the nearby car repair shops about wheel alignment availability. The shop assistant informed Clare that the wheel alignment services usually open at ten o’clock in the morning, five blocks away. Clare decided to join her sister for breakfast.

At the nearby canteen, Clare saw her sister. She quietly took a seat while thinking about how to go about the day’s schedule. Looking at her schedule, Clare felt torn, as she realized it wasn’t giving her enough time to discern. While attending to her breakfast, she was thinking about many things. She couldn’t separate her heart from her mind. Clare remained silent. Her sister approached her and asked, “Clare, how was the car tire care? Clare responded with a hand signal, “Okay.” She didn’t tell her sister about the necessary wheel alignment. Clare wants to solve her concerns alone.

Clare completed her car care concerns after lunchtime. On her way to work, she already knew she could not make it to her last class because of traffic jams. She reached work thirty minutes before her last class. Clare decided to file an emergency leave instead.

Clare saw the two academic managers before she could even enter the faculty room. She immediately went out and got downstairs. Seeing the two who bullied her made her cry silently.

It was still fresh in Clare’s mind what these two told her. The youngest among the academic managers said, “Clare, please don’t entertain the thought you’re being bullied; we’re trying to control the damage and help you out.” Clare knew she needed to distance herself from them and maintain her silence while in her introspective mode. Although Clare was subtly gaslighted, telling her truth can be misunderstood as playing the victim card, if not being entitled because of her academic background.

Clare was wearing her pain silently. She kept her distance and sat inside her car with music on. She began to introspect on why she had to ignore the red flags in her workplace. Was it out of fear, or was it out of respect for authority? Clare had to explore her reasons by herself. She was trapped in a paradox where the only way out was her decision to quit.

V. Breaking point

In several instances, Clare knew her working environment wasn’t perfect. Five academic managers are micromanaging her. She went home past her eight-hour work schedule daily. She accepted pay that was less than the minimum and didn’t take lunch or dinner on time. Clare respected her vulnerabilities and finally asked herself, “Why am I like this?”

One day, Clare felt that her working environment wasn’t improving. Despite ignoring the red flags, she knew the last straw was telling her to quit. She drafted a letter to schedule a meeting with the CEO. The meeting went well. The CEO was able to answer her questions. Clare curiously asked, “Is it not a conflict of interest having the same person seated as the director of human resources and the high school principal?” The CEO replied, “I don’t think so.” He smiled at her confidently. Clare got a clear picture of the academy’s work culture. She wielded her resignation letter and forwarded it to the office of the CEO.

Clare was waiting for an affirmative response, and a day passed; there wasn’t any response. Clare felt her reasons could invalidate her resignation, so she decided to forward her second resignation letter with six reasons, all of which were about a safe shared space. Clare discovered she was able to communicate her boundaries clearly with the CEO, and he finally approved her resignation, both via email and a letter from his secretary. However, before Clare’s resignation takes effect, there is a scheduled three-day retreat for all employees of the academy, which was scheduled for the day of Clare’s resignation taking effect.

SUMMARY

Guide questions:

1. Explain the work ethics dynamics of attending or not attending a scheduled retreat.
2. How does attendance to a pre-scheduled retreat impact work ethics?
3. Discuss the dynamics of the case in the context of professionalism and work culture.

CASELET 2: Public School Teacher

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.