Dealing with overbearing teachers

[lawrence4656]

How do you deal (tactfully) with overbearing teachers that butt in and try to do your job for you? I have been at this school for four years and I love my campus but throughout this time this one teacher has occasionally butted in and has tried to run my office.

If she doesn't like how I have handled something she gets on her cell phone and calls the parent. If one of her "teachers pets" are sick or injured she comes in with them and takes over my office and tries to do everything herself.

And take for instance today she was angry that I sent a kid back to her room that she felt should have gone home. Kid came in with sore throat with one hour to go before school let out. Throat appeared completely normal and he wasn't running a fever and had no other symptoms. . She later came in and demanded to know exactly what his throat looked like and proceeded to tell me the kid was sitting in her room with his head down and looked terrible. Kid acted completely normal while in my office! Not to mention no observable symptoms.

I keep wanting to blow my top and tell her that I don't come into her classroom and tell her how to teach and that until she goes through nursing school she needs to stay out of my office and let me do my job, but that wouldn't be very tactful. I enjoy her company any other time but her intrusiveness makes my job very hard and my patience is wearing very thin....any advice?

[Jolie, BSN]

FERPA is your friend here. You share information on a need to know basis, and she doesn't need to know the details of your assessment of a child, only your decision to send home or return to class.

For the same reason, she is not to be present in your office as you assess a child, unless the child or parent expressly request it.

I would cheerily greet her at your office door and let her know that Little Johnny is in your hands now and she is free to return to her room. If she buts in, sit down and let her know that you are unable to proceed as long as she remains in the office, because you are required to maintain privacy.

Let's face it, she would never butt into an exam room at the doctor's office. Well, maybe she would, but she wouldn't get away with it! Don't let her get away with it at school, either.

[Nurse ABC]

I have had a few of those over the years and one in particular reminds me so much of that one!! I ended up getting the principal involved. I tried talking to the teacher about it and even wrote her a note saying I didn't try to tell her how to do her job so I'd appreciate it if she let me do mine. That didn't go over well, needless to say, but I'd had it! I told the principal she was making me look bad in front of the parents and the students and I didn't appreciate it. I explained the problem and basically said either she needs to let me do my job or I no longer want any of her students sent to me. The principal backed me and said what the nurse says health-wise goes. The teacher refused to speak to me the rest of the year but I don't care-at least I didn't have to deal with her anymore and her students never seemed to need to see me unless they came at lunch without her permission. Teachers likd that just can't believe their precious students would ever play them!

In more minor cases where it doesn't happen very often I just give in but each teacher only gets two passes a year and only if the student is iffy. If they are flat out laughing, smiling, acting fine I just say they are fine in the office and I have witnesses and that usually shuts them up. Thankfully most teachers will get onto their students for faking but there are those others... Good luck!

[lawrence4656]

Thank y'all for the replies. It is extremely frustrating, especially since I like her any other time and I get along great with all the other teachers. It did dawn on me today that I'm the first full time nurse they have had on this campus, that all the others only stayed half a day. I think in their absence she took a lot of the health stuff on herself and she's not ready to relinquish that.

I think I will send out a generic letter to all teachers (as not to single her out) and give a copy to my principles as well stating that if they feel a student has worsened in the time that I have seen them, to please send them back for re-evaluation. But for confidentiality reasons, to please refrain from coming to my office to ask specifics about a student and to please refrain from entering my office while any student is receiving treatment. Then if she continues, I will get the principles involved.

Hate to do it but that stuff has to stop! Especially when I see her do things that we as nurses are not allowed or have been taught not to do and then I have to argue with a parent why I can't do it but she could. Thank goodness I'm going on maternity leave in a couple of months and will get a little break! I need one for my sanity!:)

[Jolie, BSN]

Hate to do it but that stuff has to stop! Especially when I see her do things that we as nurses are not allowed or have been taught not to do and then I have to argue with a parent why I can't do it but she could. :)

I'm almost afraid to ask what she is doing.