Lack of empathy.

We gathered in the conference room on Tuesday morning to have the weekly staff meeting. During such meetings, the principal of the school would address us about any development in the school and be reminded of our roles as teachers and how we were expected to be above board in all our endeavors.

I joined the school a year earlier and throughout this period, I have reservations about the personality of the principal.

In her usual manner, she scanned through the members of staff present for the meeting and she noticed that Mrs Laraba wasn't on seat.

"Has Laruba not resumed?" She asked the audience but since the question wasn't directed at someone, no one cared to provide an answer.

She picked up her phone and was punching on some buttons - perhaps, trying to make a call - when she saw Mrs Laraba entering the hall. She flared up on sighting the woman stepping in.

"I have told you people time without number that I won't be tolerating this nonsense anymore." She started by sending words to everybody. "If you are tired of this school, you can resign and go."

"You can't just wake up and put a call across to me that you won't be coming to work. I won't tolerate that rubbish henceforth."

At that point, I was surprised and at the same time, I already concluded that Mrs Laraba didn't inform the principal the reason behind her absence from school the previous day. I was aware of what kept her out of school and I believe it was genuine and convincing enough to anyone with a kind heart.

With her attention on Mrs Laraba, the principal continued. "If you would be taking permission not to come to work, that should happen a week before the day that permission is being seeked."

Mr Laraba could not muster a world immediately nor was she able to take her seat.
From her standing position, she tried to utter some words.

"But... Ma..., I told you that my son developed a high body temperature overnight and I needed to take her to the hospital. It wasn't intentional. In fact, in order for me to come to work today, my husband had to call his place of work to take today out of work so that he can attend to the boy while I come to work." She explained frustratedly.

"Spare me that gibberish that you are spewing." The principal interjected.

All that was going through my mind was if the principal has human sympathy at all. I was very angry.

"You left about twenty children in your class unattended because you were taking care of your own son."

Everyone present looked at the principal in awe at the same time.

"If you like, look at me scornfully, I don't mind." She threw a jab at all of us.

Mrs Laraba couldn't hold it any longer, she burst into tears. It took the efforts of the staff members close to her to pacify her to stop crying.

I didn't know where the courage came from as I raised my hand to be given a chance to talk. The principal gave me the go ahead.

"Good morning everyone. Please, it is time to call a spade a spade today and I am ready for the consequences of my action after this meeting." I began my speech with the principal surprised that I could start my comment with such a statement.

I was the most reserved and quiet teacher in the school but I was totally enraged with the treatment being melted at Mrs Laraba. The principal was also notorious for sacking any staff that challenged her authority.

"Sickness doesn't inform anyone ahead of time. It comes unexpectedly in most cases and I don't understand how someone would take permission for days before such sickness."

With focus directly on the principal, I continued. "The last time that you broke down in your office and you were rushed to the hospital and the sickness kept you out of work for a week, I don't think that you planned for it. It came unexpectedly. Ma, Mrs Laraba's son's sickness happened in a similar way. There is no way she could have taken permission for not coming to school yesterday a week earlier.

"Let's be considerate and be kind hearted towards another human like us. Accusing Mrs Laraba of being selfish for leaving her 20 pupils to attend to her son is insensitivity at its peak. She shouldn't be made to sacrifice her son in order to keep up with her work here. I advise you to always empathize with your employees" I concluded my statements.

Source

Everyone in the hall was looking at me with mixed feelings. Some were proud of me for saying what I said while others were sympathizing with me for losing my job because going by the history of the school, the first expected reward for my audacity is a sack letter.

The principal was dumbfounded for some seconds after I took my seat.

"I believe that we can express ourselves properly without insults. I am still your head and I deserve some respect when you are addressing me. Don't be rude to me." She stated.

Within me, I was civil enough in addressing the issue the way I did. I was ready for the consequences.

The meeting didn't continue as she directed all of us to go to our various classes. My speech was the talk of the day. For the rest of the day, I was expecting an invitation to the principal's office in order to be served a sack letter but it didn't happen. I even sorted out my materials. I arranged the ones belonging to the school together in preparation for my sack letter.

To the surprise of many including me, I wasn't sacked. About a month later, I got a better job offer somewhere and I resigned.

I noticed some changes in the way the principal related with staff within the few weeks that I spent after the encounter before leaving the school.

For many years, my colleagues who were still in the school informed me that she won't stop making reference to my accusation that she was a heartless leader. She continued to prove to them that it was a wrong accusation.

One thing that they testified to was that my speech changed her in many ramifications. She improved on the way she showed empathy to her employees.

My action in that meeting is one of the best actions that I ever took in my life.