How do I go about writing a letter to the superintendent about a problem that exists in personnel?

I apologize for the rant but I would really like some advice on this issue! All feedback is GREATLY appreciated!



I have been a substitute teacher since 2007 in my district and I have graduated last year from a well-known teacher's college in New Jersey. I also have lots of experience working with students (tutored at Huntington Learning Center, worked in extended school year programs, did lots of student teaching, etc.). Since September, I have been subbing nearly full-time at this local elementary school. I have built an excellent repertoire with the students and especially the teachers and secretaries.



I was the first substitute teacher to be informed about a maternity leave (5 mos - aka the rest of the school year) and so I have been working extra hard and have been going to extra mile to try and secure this position. When it was pretty much assumed I was going to get this (hints from teachers), and when the pregnant teacher told me she wanted me to take over because I have done such a great job working in her class when she was absent, she finally put in for her leave and I NEVER GOT THE POSITION.



Instead, a guy (around my age - 24/25) got this 5 month maternity leave for a first grade class which he has no experience subbing in. NO EXPERIENCE AT ALL. In fact, he spent the past 9 years working at a pizza restaurant and I'm not even sure if he completed his schooling just yet. The main issue is that he has connections with the principal and that's why he got the position over me.



Now, I probably wouldn't have been so upset if someone who had more experience than me got the leave replacement, but this is most definitely not the case. I have been really upset/depressed about the whole ordeal that I'm starting to lose any confidence in finding full-time employment. I mean, sure, I'm grateful for having the opportunity to sub quite a bit, but that 5 mo. leave would have looked so good on my resume!



SO, the question that I am asking the Yahoo community is how I should go about solving this problem. I would really like to write a letter to the superintendent but I don't want to get this guy who took the leave in trouble. What IRRITATES me to no end is that when I see the guy in the building, he has no control of the class. He also told me that he's joining the air force and will be gone after the school year and that he was just doing this for the money (salary, too!). He's not even using this opportunity as a direction towards education! WHAT NONSENSE!



How do I go about writing a letter to the superintendent? Do you suggest I take action? I want to speak on behalf of my experience but also with other future substitute teachers who have and might also be cheated out due to politics! What concerns me the most is that these first graders are going to be too out of control and might not even develop like a normal first grader. Because of this, though I know it's a little extreme, the second grade teachers who get these students next year might have to clean up the mess, and I don't want this to happen!



Thank you for reading this far! I look forward to all of your advice!

I was informed on thisHow do I go about writing a letter to the superintendent about a problem that exists in personnel?
I understand how you feel, and I am grateful for the opportunity to guide you from the point of view of the person who does the hiring. First, let's be fair to you. You were apparently wronged, you feel angry and disappointed, and you certainly should feel that way. If you are at all serious about getting a full time job in this district, you need to do a couple of things. First, you need to get over the idea of writing letters to anyone. Hard though it will be, smile, carry on, and let it go. Here's why: The last thing any principal or superintendent wants is a complainer. You would be "second guessing" the persons who decided on the hiring, and they may have had all kinds of reasons about which you know nothing and about which you can never know. From your point of view, you were better qualified than the guy who got the job, but that is not necessarily true from the point of view of others. Don't get a reputation as someone who is always complaining and arguing. No principal or superintendent wants that. I understand fully that you see this group of first graders as a train wreck waiting to happen, and you would like to step in and do something, but the fact is that the wreck is inevitable, and your actions will only cast you in the role of a malcontent. Second, if you want a job in education, get used to nonsense and stupidity, because there will be plenty of both (along with some other things you can guess). There's lots to enjoy, to be sure, but one quality which teachers of long standing develop is a "thick skin." I'm about to retire out of education, have spent my entire career there, and have stories to tell which would curl your teeth. You really must "roll with the punch" or you will forever be getting yourself knocked out. It is the nature of the beast that some administrators are short-sighted and lazy, some of your faculty colleagues will be poorly prepared and disinterested, and the entire structure of the enterprise will challenge your grip on sanity every day. If you are truly dedicated to the students' welfare, then the system needs you and many more like you. But you are doing yourself no favor if you choose to work in a field which demands a constant flexibility and tranquility which you cannot manage. Don't write any letters, certainly stop complaining about the situation (because your colleagues will tell others who will make mental note) and take the long view. Despite your disappointment over not being chosen, your time will come if you are seen as an asset and not a liability.