Advice
Fired! blog presents: You did WHAT???
Mar 25th
Welcome to our next installment of “You did WHAT???” where we discuss the latest news in the world of stupidity that leads to people being fired.
Stupidity is abound today more than ever. And with civil employees non the less. Teachers, cops, and firefighters seem to be getting into more trouble than anyone else these days. Are they under greater scrutiny? Or is the government
hiring the lows of the bunch?
A Texas kindergarten teacher has been fired after she encouraged students to punch a 5-year old in the face during a road trip to Chuckie Cheese. Allegedly, the teacher forced the boy to stand near the door of the van that was transporting the children and had each student punch the boy in the face as they boarded the van. The teacher’s excuse? This is a problem child who is normally the bully and beats up on the other kids.
Well…great parenting there, teach…I’ll make sure to remember that you fix violence with more violence. I’m sure a 5-year old will understand the point that you’re trying to bring across by having every classmate punch him in the face… Good thing your career as an educator is all but over… just remember for the future: starting a student fight club in your classroom will get you fired!
Staying with the teacher theme, a Florida high school teacher has been fired for a prolonged verbal altercation with a student, during which the two exchanged loads of profanity and other inappropriate verbiage. Plenty of teachers get into arguments with their students, the difference here, however, is that Ms. Cydney Abrams was a special-ed teacher that should be used to being sensitive to her student’s psyche. The children were smart enough to record the outbreak on a mp3 cellphone and play the recording for school authorities.
Education is not whether you and your students see eye to eye, my dear. If your student is being difficult, kick him out of class, send him to the principle’s office, detention, whatever… There’s NOTHING that gives you the right to yell profanities at any child, let alone a special-ed kid…in case you didn’t know this before, screaming profanity and making demeaning comments at your students will get you fired!
Finally, a firefighter in Florida has been fired for spying on a 19-year old intern in the shower. The 36-year old Carlos Alberto Marti was placed on administrative leave without pay and charged with misdemeanor voyeurism.
Is being a peeping tom a crime? it is when you get caught! or when you do it at work! Hey Carlos, is there not enough out there on the internet for you that you have to climb the ceiling of your fire station to spy on a girl in a shower? Come on, really? I’m sure that it’s not that hard for a mid-30’s fireman to get laid these days…oh wait, you’re not a firefighter anymore…well good luck to you getting laid while unemployed…and yes, voyeurism will get you fired!
Would you rather quit or be fired?
Nov 13th
If I told you that you were being replaced at your current job, what would you say? And I’m not talking about the immediate shock and anger about the pending loss of your job. Once you’ve had a moment to think rationally, you’ll probably be wondering, “should I ride this out, or should I make a move?” What’s the right decision here?
I think the answer should be based on your long term and short term goals. There are many negatives that come attached to being fired – you may lose your reference, you may be affected psychologically. Every application you’ll ever fill out in the future, the answer to “have you ever been fired?” will now be yes. Quitting before this happens, 
however, has its benefits and negatives as well. For one, you can forget about any severance package you may otherwise have received. In most cases you won’t get unemployment benefits (which in some states are so small, it hardly matters). But you’ll save face, you’ll leave with your chin up, and most likely retain more connections and references from this employment.
The choice between waiting to be fired and quitting is not easy, but once you’ve realized that either one is inevitable, you cannot afford not to take action. Build a plan, apply for other jobs, research business ideas – anything that will put you back on the right path. If you’re ready to give up on the career path that you’ve been following with your current job, then letting the firing happen may not be the worst idea. You’ll switch industries, jump into new job assignments, responsibilities. If you’re planning on moving on to a field that has no connection to your previous employment, it’s more than likely that your new employers won’t even bother contacting the company that fired you. But if you’re planning to continue your career in a similar setting (even if it’s a different industry – think about how different your job responsibilities will be), then you may be better off jumping the gun. Start interviewing as soon as possible. Get out there and push yourself, instead of sulking. Believe it or not, speaking with your boss about your plan will play to your benefit in this situation. The company will be much more inclined to keep you on just a while longer, until you’re ready to move on. Your quitting instead of being fired is a huge benefit to the company – they don’t have to pay your unemployment (their state unemployment insurance is likely to rise as a result of your termination), and more importantly no negative effect on employee morale.
When the time comes, the decision is hard. If you’re prepare yourself, you can think rationally and make a decision that’s right for you.
Loading …Another facebook firing
Nov 12th
Ashley Payne, a teacher from Georgia, claims she was coerced into resignation after school officials received a complaint about content posted on her Facebook page. Payne posted pictures along with some commentary of her recent trip to Europe on Facebook. A student’s mother saw her pictures and complained about one in particular where Payne was holding a drink in her hand. Payne has stated that she “wasn’t doing anything illegal, wasn’t doing anything provocative…nothing that I thought would be unethical or immoral in any way.” The teacher said she was coerced into resignation in lieu of being fired – so that she can save face in a small town community. She is currently suing the school board in hopes of getting her job back.
What is most concerning for all of us here is that Payne had her profile set to private and was not friends with any of
Don't get fired over what you post in Facebook – make sure that your Facebook privacy settings are turned on correctly
her students, parents, or school executives. Most of us who do have Facebook accounts and are concerned about our privacy, should know, that setting your profile to private is not enough. Facebook’s default private settings will still allow most of your pictures to be viewed by the entire Facebook community – so make sure that you look through the settings options carefully and disable all content that you don’t want made public. As we’ve seen so many times before – you never know who’s watching…
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