2. Scenario 1:
Mrs. Smith has worked for her school district
for 12 years. Ever few years the grading policy
changes, but Mrs. Smith always does what she
has done in the past. She has always given
zeros if you sleep in her class. The new policy
says no zeros, but Mrs. Smith has always found
she gets students to pay attention more if they
know she will give a zero for sleeping. Mrs.
Smith gives a zero to a new student for
sleeping. The parents complain and now Mrs.
Smith is in trouble for not following the policy.
Mrs. Smith refuses to change the grade
because she has done this all year, so why stop
now. After several unsuccessful attempts by
the administration to encourage Mrs. Smith to
change the grade and her policy, Mrs. Smith is
fired.
What could Mrs. Smith have done to avoid
being fired?

3. Scenario 2:
Mr. Jackson is a new teacher and wants his
students to know how much he wants them to
be successful. He has decided that failure is
not an option and does not give grades below
a 70. His schools policy does not state that
failing is not allowed. Several students do not
complete a project and receive a 70. Several
other students turn in a project and also get a
70. The reason for the loss of points is valid.
When these students tell their parents that
they received the same grade as students who
did not turn in the project they are furious and
report this to the principal. When the principal
speaks with Mr. Jackson he is told he must
follow the policy. Mr. Jackson does start
allowing students to fail. In the spring, his
contract was not renewed.
What would Mr. Jackson’s argument be to not
give a grade below a 70? What could he have
done to prevent the release of his contract?

4. Scenario 3:
Mr. Zapp is a great history teacher. He has
worked with his district for 2 years. When
other teachers are in the workroom Mr. Zapp
ignores them and never exchanges hellos.
When asked about this he tells teachers he
wants to keep work and friendships separate
so he minds his own business. When placed in
teams for PD he seldom contributes to the
tasks to be completed. At the end of the school
year, Mr. Zapp is told he will not be returning
next year. He is shocked, because his students
score well on state test and he thinks that is all
that is important.
What aspects does Mr. Zapp need to improve
on to be a more effective team player? Have
you ever worked with someone like this? If so,
explain what it was like.

5. Scenario 4:
Mrs. Tate is a first year teacher. She has heard
horror stories about new teachers coming in
and trying to run things, so she has decided to
lay low. Many opportunities have come up for
her to get involved in committees and also
several times she was asked to help out after
school at sporting events. She has declined
each time. When the spring rolls around she
does not have her contract renewed. She is
devastated.
Discuss why teachers would not want to
participate in extra activities. Explain what
Mrs. Tate could have done to avoid being let
go.

6. Scenario 5:
Ms. Taylor is working on a committee. The
committee meets each week. Every time she
wants to speak another teacher talks over her
of makes her feel like her ideas are stupid. The
more she thinks about it the angrier she gets.
She is in the break room one afternoon and
complains about the other teacher to a group
of teachers. Several of them join in. A few days
later Ms. Taylor is called in to speak with the
principal. He informs her that she has broken
the employee policy on the proper way to
handle a grievance. Unfortunately the person
she had a problem with did not and a
grievance report was filed on her. Ms. Taylor is
embarrassed and also no longer employed at
the same school. She was transferred to a new
school the following year.
Discuss other possible ways that Ms. Taylor
could have handled this situation better.

7. Scenario 6:
One day Mr. Edwin sees a teacher yelling at a
student in the hall. The student glares at the
teacher and the teacher continues to yell
saying things like, “Oh that makes you look real
smart!” A few days later, as he is walking to his
car, he sees the same teacher yelling at the
same student about his clothes being dirty. A
few weeks later Mr. Edwin is called into a
meeting. He has no idea why he is being called
in. Once he arrives he is informed that the
parents of the student are suing the school
because of the verbal abuse their son
experienced from another teacher. Mr. Edwin
doesn’t see what this has to do with him. The
principal informs him that he is also being let
go, because it has been determined that he
witnessed the abuse and did not file a
grievance report.
Discuss the actions that Mr. Edwin should have
taken when he witnessed the events. Also
discuss at what point you think someone is
responsible to report any observed incidences.