coworkers and facebook

[ASUADPi]

Let me preface by apologizing for the length of the post.

I thought about posing my "situation" in careers and employment but it really isn't an employment question.

Some background (before I post my question)....

I started at my new school district in July. I met my new team in May, prior to school getting at but it was very simple introductions. I didn't truly "meet" them until we had a summer institute in July.

I'm between 5-10 years older than everyone else on the team. I also have more teaching experience than all of them combined. Now I'm not saying that I'm this super amazing teacher, I learn new things everyday.

It has been hard coming to this team for a couple of reasons. One, the team lead, I'll call her Alice, doesn't know how to handle collaboration (even though collaboration is in our school mission statement). She is very much used to "this is what I say goes". She was able to behave like this because the 13-14 school year, everyone else on the team was a 1st year teacher, while she had a whopping 2 years under her belt. The rest of the team just went with the flow and NEVER questioned her. Well, I come in, with my 10+ years of experience and I question things. I'm not questioning to be a pain but truly because I need explanation and to understand why they do the things they do. I also very much feel that their needs to be collaboration and not just Alice feeling she can "boss" us around (as she isn't my boss, she is my coworker).

Needless to say I've been pulled into my principals office because my "team" (I use this very loosely) has complained to him about me. Alice bitched because of how I "spoke" to her in an email. The other team members complained that I wouldn't take my kids out to recess (after they just had recess an hour prior).

Things came to a head about 2 months ago, when my other coworker, I'll call her Debra, her son shit his pants in my room. Yes, her son was in my class and I had sent him to the restroom around 2pm and between 2pm and us going home at 3, he shit his pants and didn't inform me that he needed to use the restroom. Well Debra's MIL took her son home so she didn't know about the situation until she got home around 5:30. Now instead of calling me (as she does have my cell number) she listened to the ranting and raving of her MIL and husband. She then proceeded to tell the rest of the grade level that it was my fault. She came into work on Wednesday, with husband in tow, and wanted my head. I found out from the principal what went down after school that day. My principal "investigated" and determined that I was not at fault and ordered Debra to "fix it", as the rest of the team ignored me on Thursday and Friday because they believed her and refused to ask me what really happened.

Things haven't been the same with the team since. Debra still doesn't talk to me unless she absolutely has too. Alice is constantly bitching about me to admin and pretty much anyone who will listen (as people tell me).

Now with all that background, here is where the situation in question comes in and where I need advice.

On December 19th, it was our last day of school prior to break. I saw my team at specials and at lunch. Not once was I approached to say "hey we want to get a grade level picture". I get home from work that day and go on facebook and am shocked (and then pissed) to discover that the 5 member so my team took a "team" picture, posted it all over facebook with the 'header' "best first grade team ever!".

Mutual friends asked me 'why aren't you in the picture'. Yeah I didn't know what to say.

This is the 2nd time, these women have deliberately left me out of a team picture and then plastered it all over social media.

Now, I emailed my principal and explained that I'm done dealing with these women. I'm done placating them. I'm done coddling them. I'm just done. I will be respectful at work but that is it. I'm tired of trying to make nicey-nice with women who refuse to be respectful to me.

The reality is, I could give a rats ass if they took a picture, what pisses me off is that they plastered it all over facebook and then said "best team ever" and they kind of forgot that I'm part of the damn team!

With all that being said, I'm not sure if it is appropriate for me to remove Debra and Alice as my facebook friends. They are the ringleaders of the rest of the group. I truly have no desire for these women to be in my life outside of work, but I also don't want my work life to become more hellish if I do "defriend" them and not the other 3 women.

I could really use some advice and just what to do.