The Goddard School

Business Name: The Goddard School

Location: Fayetteville, Arkansas

I was hired in February 2025 as a support staff member while attending school part-time. In May 2025, I was moved into the assistant teacher position for the toddler room.

Shortly after, the lead teacher left unexpectedly, and I was asked to take on the lead responsibilities temporarily while administration searched for a replacement.

In August 2025, the director, Ashley, asked if I would officially become the lead teacher since I had already been performing those duties for approximately two months. I accepted the role. However, I was never provided with an assistant teacher and received little to no formal training for the responsibilities expected of a lead teacher. I was required to manage the classroom and administrative responsibilities alone while learning the position as I went.

In August 2025, I requested a meeting with the owner, Ellen, to discuss a pay raise, as I was still being paid $14.00 per hour, the same wage I received when hired as support staff despite now performing lead teacher duties.

My email requests were ignored or postponed multiple times. When the meeting finally occurred, in December, the owner was initially unwilling to increase my pay beyond $15.00 and eventually agreed to raise my wage to $15.50.

During a later meeting with the owner and director on March 2, 2026, the owner referenced that previous meeting in a way that felt inappropriate and dismissive. She stated, Didnt you come to me for financial problems a few months ago? implying that my request for a raise was due to personal financial issues.

I clarified that this was not the case and that I had requested the raise because I had taken on a new role with significantly more responsibility. My explanation was dismissed, and the tone of the conversation became increasingly hostile.

In January 2026, after realizing how significantly my academic performance had suffered due to the workload and lack of classroom support, I requested a meeting with the director to step down from the lead position and return to a support staff role so I could focus on my education. During this discussion, I explained that the responsibilities were overwhelming without assistance and that I needed to prioritize school.

The director stated that stepping down would put the school in a hard spot and repeatedly emphasized how difficult my decision would make things for the administration and other staff. I informed her that I would continue serving as lead teacher until February 13 to give the school time to find a replacement.

Despite this notice, the school did not transition me out of the role.

Later, I was told that the person chosen to replace me had gone on maternity leave and would not return until April or May, meaning I would continue to carry the same responsibilities. Because of this delay, I missed the registration deadline for several college courses that required afternoon availability. When I raised this concern with administration, I was told it was too late to sign up for those classes anyway, and my schedule would still be expected to remain 26 PM regardless of my personal schedule.

Due to the lack of flexibility and the impact on my education, I submitted my two-week resignation notice by email. The email was sent and delivered, but administration later claimed it was never received and accused me of not submitting it.

When I showed proof of the sent email with timestamps, the owner suggested I may have forgotten to send it.

During the meeting on March 2, 2026, I was also told that two weeks notice was unacceptable and that the school requires a 30-day notice in order to leave on good terms. I was told that if I did not provide 30 days, I would not receive a positive reference and would be placed on a bad list of employees. I was also told I would never be eligible to work at a Goddard School again.

The meeting lasted approximately 30 minutes and felt extremely hostile. My concerns regarding my education and the workload I had carried for months without assistance were dismissed.

The owner also stated that I would likely not even make it to the end of my two-week notice period and told me to leave the office.

I worked for this school for over a year and consistently adapted to multiple staffing changes while handling lead responsibilities without proper support or training.

I believe the treatment I experienced during my resignation and the lack of respect for my educational commitments created a toxic and unprofessional work environment.

Desired Resolution:

I would like this complaint documented and reviewed. Employees should not be threatened with retaliation, negative references, or blacklists for providing standard resignation notice or prioritizing their education.