Accused of teaching but nothing missing?

marliepanda

scd3scd4 wrote: »

I get issued a pair of work boots once a year................now lets say I sell them on Ebay and purchased another pair I like for work for the same price.


That maybe wrong and I suspect against policy for a number of reasons but its not stealing in my mind. Then again, maybe its just me.

Yes but you are issued those and are not expected to return them. Items are rarely given to teachers as their own, they are given to the classroom or year group. The only thing I was ever ‘given’ personally was a national curriculum which quickly became obsolete anyway

soolin

Absolutely stealing in my mind even with the excuse that they were going to re invest the money in something else. I can't see this ending well if the OP had no right to sell the product, no express permission to do it and also no right to sell a licensed product that could not be re registered easily. Imagine the furore in the gutter press if for instance Junior doctors in the NHS decided to start selling medical equipment they didn't like purely to buy something different that they personally wanted to use!

However, I suspect this question is not serious and that the OP will not be returning with this user name, so I suggest we don't waste too much time on it.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

TroubledTeacher wrote: »

Evening all,

First time poster however I have a real problem.

Today, I was pulled in by the Head Master in my school for stealing from the school. I am pretty panicked and scared and am in contact with my trade union.

Basically, I decided to sell a school resource, one purchased by me using school funds, on a well known selling platform. A purchaser bought the item and paid HOWEVER then informed me that they contacted the company and said the product I was selling was licenced to the school and that it is not allowed to be sold. I immediately cancelled the sale and gave the purchaser a full refund without sending the item.

However, in contacting the company, they have tracked me down to my school and have accused me of breaking the terms of their licence, copyright etc even though the item never changed hands. I know ignorance is no defence in a court of law but I was blissfully unaware that what I was doing was wrong and had all the good intentions of using the money made to reinvest in more resources for the students I teach.

As much as I was nieve and stupid, and even though when I was informed I did not go through with the sale and the resource never changed hands, I am looking down the barrel of a formal multilevel hearing and possible dismissal from my job.

I love my job and I really do not want to lose it. Does anyone have any advice for me? Please?

Just in case!
A teacher is in a position of trust.

I will let others decide.

Ja7188

Based on my limited knowledge of how schools work in this regard, I suspect that the best the OP can hope for is to be asked to resign - may even be worth her doing this ahead of any disciplinary procedures being started.

I guess the only positive is that it's the time of year when teachers do resign to move onto new roles, whereas a resignation earlier in the academic year would be less usual (I believe a 3 month notice period applies to all teaching roles) and hope for the best when it comes to references - although I think her current employer may still have to disclose this "mistake" when it comes to references, which are often quite extensive in education.

All this is assuming that the issue is genuine!

robatwork

So many teachers can be justly accused of not teaching, that to get accused of it could be seen to be a small success in life. You were indeed nieve whatever that may be. Perhaps a different career beckons?

hyubh

robatwork wrote: »

So many teachers can be justly accused of not teaching, that to get accused of it could be seen to be a small success in life. You were indeed nieve whatever that may be. Perhaps a different career beckons?

It's naïve, not nieve. Perhaps a different trolling opportunity beckons...?

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

hyubh wrote: »

It's naïve, not nieve. Perhaps a different trolling opportunity beckons...?

Indeed. The rule is a before i except after Steve.

Spidernick

A so-called teacher who cannot even make sense in the title of their post ('accused of teaching' !!!!!!) is not someone I'd want in a classroom with my kids, whatever the morals of the question raised! I agree with soolin that this just seems to be some wind up though.

Malthusian

Red-Squirrel wrote: »

I would imagine that's not uncommon these days with the funding cuts

This is probably the OP's best defence - just repeat "it's the Tory cuts to blame" ad nauseam. Knowing teachers it might fall on sympathetic ears. It's no worse than anything else they might say.

That said, I think it's a wind-up. I have a new theory that if someone creates an account of the format [synonym of worried] + [profession] (TroubledTeacher, PerturbedPianist, AngstyAccountant, TrepidatiousTelephoneSanitiser, etc) and asks any question to which the most likely response is "it's your fault", it's probably a wind-up.

marliepanda

Malthusian wrote: »

This is probably the OP's best defence - just repeat "it's the Tory cuts to blame" ad nauseam. Knowing teachers it might fall on sympathetic ears. It's no worse than anything else they might say.

That said, I think it's a wind-up. I have a new theory that if someone creates an account of the format [synonym of worried] + [profession] (TroubledTeacher, PerturbedPianist, AngstyAccountant, TrepidatiousTelephoneSanitiser, etc) and asks any question to which the most likely response is "it's your fault", it's probably a wind-up.

Agreed potentially a wind up.

However, the funding cuts 'defense' would only work if OP had:

a) asked for the resource she is claiming to want to reinvest in (end of school year budgets get used up on all sorts so they don't lose it)
b) been refused money for this resource
c) be able to show an absolute desperate need for THIS resource which cannot be met by any other resource the school already has.

If they cannot do the above I dont see how blaming lack of funding justifies these actions.