New teacher Feeling undermined by the colleagues
I’m a relatively new teacher at a school and I’m trying to work out whether I’m genuinely handling things badly or whether the way I’m being treated is inappropriate.
Recently in one of my maths classes, a student accidentally spilled water on the floor. I went over, checked the situation, and it genuinely appeared accidental. I handled it calmly and moved on.
Later, another teacher who witnessed it detained the students involved and then criticised me quite harshly, saying I shouldn’t have let them go and implying I handled the situation completely wrong.
I admitted that I’m still new to the school and not fully familiar with every behavioural expectation or procedure yet. But what bothered me wasn’t just the feedback itself, it was the tone and delivery. It felt less like professional guidance and more like being publicly dressed down because when I tried to educate students he didn't say a word but after that he deliberately called it out in front of everyone in the staffroom, in a very loud voice saying I shouldn't let them go.
The issue is that this doesn’t feel isolated. There have been multiple situations with this teacher, and at times another teacher in the department, where I’ve felt undermined, nitpicked, or spoken to in a way that feels unnecessarily hostile. My HoD hasn’t really intervened, which makes me unsure whether this is just “normal school culture” that I need to toughen up to,
I’m completely open to constructive criticism and I know I still have a lot to learn as a newer teacher. But I’m starting to dread interactions with certain colleagues because I constantly feel like I’m being watched for mistakes.
For experienced teachers:
- How would you professionally handle this situation?
-any ways to make this situation better？