UPDATE: “[She] stole my position and now I get to watch her struggle worse than I did in it”: Teacher loses leadership role to a colleague who now has trouble with the same demands and responsibilities

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Etai Eshet • Editor
Jan 19, 2026 10:00 AM EST

Coworker Tenny stepped into the leadership role after her fellow teacher was pushed out, and now she's learning the hard way that extra responsibility doesn't come with extra superpowers.

The position that once felt like a never-ending to-do list is now Tenny's full-time headache. She's the last to leave, meetings get missed, and she's not exactly thrilled about the shared calendars and meeting notes that were once just normal work habits. It's almost poetic how the things that made life easier for the previous leader now feel like a burden to someone who never appreciated them before.

The teacher who stepped back found more time to focus on what actually matters, helping students. Without the extra load, she poured that energy into new strategies and saw real results. The grade's English scores shot up, and her boss noticed. Tenny and the others who complained about her before are now lagging behind, and the boss wants to know her secrets. She shares the documents, but not the personal support, and that's just fine.

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  • Female teacher standing confidently in a classroom with an inspirational quote overlay reading “I figured it’s time for an update”
    via Monkey Business Images

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • UPDATE: Colleague stole my position and now I get to watch her struggle worse than I did in it

    TL;DR, I'm a teacher and lost a leadership position to another coworker after I was not given proper accommodations for hearing loss and sensory processing disorder.
    via StoneofForest

  • The best part, the position Tenny fought so hard for is getting eliminated. All the drama, the stress, the extra work, and it’s gone in a year. The teacher who was pushed aside is moving forward, happier, more effective, and surrounded by colleagues who appreciate her. Sometimes the real win isn’t getting the title, it’s getting to walk away with your sanity and your students’ success.

  • I was scrutinized for failings related to it and the coworker who threw me under the bus got my position and is now struggling worse than I did.
    via StoneofForest
  • Update: It's been a semester's worth of school, so l figured it's time for an update.
    via StoneofForest
  • To say that things have been going well for me has been an understatement. As several comments pointed out in my original post, my 1.5k a year stipend was not worth it.
    via StoneofForest
  • Smiling female teacher standing beside a green chalkboard with handwritten math equations
    via Hemera Technologies

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.


     

  • The mental load that left with my leadership position was enormous. I feel so much lighter now and I've been able to use the time and energy I now have to devote into my community projects.
    via StoneofForest
  • I just feel like I'm overall a better teacher. I haven't taken home work once this semester.
    via StoneofForest
  • On the other hand, Tenny has been miserable. She's always one of the last teachers to go home (even in her coaching off season) and she frequently cancels or forgets meetings.
    via StoneofForest
  • Unsurprisingly, Tenny has not been considerate of my hearing accommodation (now registered with the district). I keep my own meeting notes and show them to a trusted colleague after to see if I heard everything correctly.
    via StoneofForest

  • It’s not about revenge or gloating, it’s about how some people only understand the value of certain practices once they’re forced to live them. The irony is thick, but the real story is about learning to focus on what actually matters. The teacher’s students are happier, she’s happier, and she’s finally free to leave the drama behind. Sometimes the best revenge is just doing your job well and letting the chips fall where they may.

  • I usually get one or two things wrong. Recently, to my surprise, my boss had a staff wide meeting where she pushed a shared meeting document and calendar practice among all of the teams.
    via StoneofForest
  • Smiling female teacher writing on a classroom chalkboard with a pointer
    via A. C.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Tenny was visibly frustrated by this, but this is literally what I had been doing as a leader before and just seems to be a standard work practice in general???
    via StoneofForest
  • A trusted colleague told me after I uploaded my original post that Tenny and two other teachers were the ones who complained about my "lack of preparation and inconsistencies" to my boss.
    via StoneofForest
  • Since then, I have not spoken to those two other teachers unless necessary but keep very friendly and pretend like I don't know that they threw me under the bus.
    via StoneofForest
  • One of these teachers I'll call Ben. I didn't find it relevant in the original post, but Tenny teaches the same middle school subject I do: English.
    via StoneofForest
  • So does Ben. Anyone familiar with education knows that English is one of the heaviest tested subjects.
    via StoneofForest
  • Our school is ride or die for state test scores like a lot of schools in the US so we put a lot of work into making sure the kids get the highest test scores possible.
    via StoneofForest
  • The TL;DR is that because I've had extra time and energy, I decided to really focus on exercises and other practices to get kids these kids scoring as high as I could.
    via StoneofForest
  • Our students get more opportunities in high school if they have higher scores so it would be a win for everyone if I could make it work.
    via StoneofForest
  • I read new strategies and other proven tactics and went hard into it. These efforts all paid off when, at an all staff meeting, my boss announced that our grade scored higher in English than in previous years.
    via StoneofForest
  • So far, with some of the initial tests, it was a 20% increase from the previous year overall!
    via StoneofForest
  • Wow! But then my boss said something that chilled the room for a microsecond. "Be sure to check your students' individual scores to see how you contributed to the increase." Folks, my students were the reason we saw the bump.
    via StoneofForest
  • Tenny's and Ben's scores were slightly lower from the previous year. My boss congratulated me privately and my job review scores have been the highest of my career.
    via StoneofForest
  • Hilariously, my boss asked if I could share some of my strategies with Tenny and Ben.
    via StoneofForest
  • I said that of course I would (not an uncommon thing to share like this in teaching, fyi) but only shared the documents and nothing else.
    via StoneofForest
  • Tenny and Ben have not approached me to ask how I did it, and I like it that way.
    via StoneofForest
  • My favorite part of all of this? Because of the lack of funds, the leadership position is being eliminated at the start of the next school year and our teams are being dissolved.
    via StoneofForest
  • Tenny went through all of that drama for just one year in the position. I'm trying my best not to relish in the news and just keep my mind focused on my own growth and the 95% of my colleagues who like and enjoy my company.
    via StoneofForest
  • My students are happier. I'm happier. I just got to keep my eyes on the positive and leave this behind me.
    via StoneofForest
  • Thanks to all for your kindness and support. And to anyone with a disability: get it in paper with your district so you don't go through all the pain I went through.
    via StoneofForest
  • Seriously!!! ☑
    via StoneofForest

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management terrible coworkers workplace discussion employment issues workplace-stories coworkers teacher colleague work-life balance
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