Are All Administrators This Way?

From Teachers.net:

In all post observation conferences following observations, my principal adopts a severely confrontational attitude. Her version of motivation is to be as intimidating as possible. She clearly takes great delight in humiliating her teachers. Evidently, she believes that the best way to motivate the people who work at her school is to make us feel as worthless as possible. Rather than discourage us, this is supposed to inspire us to "aim higher." Two of our best teachers - who were not only colleagues but also friends - have left to work in other districts as a direct result of the way this principal has treated them. Another colleague broke into a sweat, had trouble breathing, and was showing the symptoms of heart attack at one point last year while being observed. She had to be taken from the school by ambulance. One of our best teachers has suffered a stroke and may never return to teaching; while it cannot be proven definitively that the stroke was a direct result of this principal's treatment, I know firsthand that she was under severe stress because of this supervisor. Numerous others of my colleagues have told me of similar treatment. While I realize now that it is "nothing personal," the fact that she treats so many people so badly is little consolation. Is bullying the predominant norm for management among public school administrators these days?

The short answer is yes.  Here is my long response:

The reason for this is because people who are in education for the kids remain teachers--they don't become administrators. There was a time long, long ago when principals had many years in as teachers and became principals when they neared retirement age--as in 62 or 65. There were some bad apples, but most of them actually knew something about education and were master teachers. Nowadays, the vast majority of principals nationwide are garbage and have no business whatsoever being in supervisory positions. Certainly they have no business in positions providing unconscionable power thanks to virtually no supervision. Almost all of the good principals left when the "reforms" started taking hold in this country. What public schools are left with are the dregs who couldn't cut it as teachers or they were burned out and hated kids. Most people outside of education seem to believe that people who "rise up the ladder" in education are similar to those in private business in that they are the most ambitious or capable (it's not really true in private business, but that is the thinking). In public education, administrators are people who "failed up." The further up the ladder they go, the less responsibility and accountability they have save MAYBE the superintendent, and at the principal level there is virtually no accountability whatsoever for their actions. It is almost impossible to fire a principal. In the rare cases it happens, the media takes notice. If a teacher goes up against a principal, it is difficult if not impossible for a teacher to win. Teachers live in fear because these wannabe dictators can ruin their chances of ever teaching again. These scumbags have all of the power while teachers have none. They are protected by their districts and by the legal system. The fact districts get taxpayer money is the reason there is such an inflated sense of entitlement by administrators. They can't cut it in the "real world" of business and will do anything and everything in their power to preserve their jobs. Their only duty is to themselves--not the taxpayers they serve.

They don't teach you this in ed school.  Too bad, but then if students knew the reality of public school teaching, they wouldn't be stupid to go into it.

Teachers.net formatting stinks, and I apologize for the big paragraphs.