[mikeinie]

You are a hero.
For teachers like you it is not a job as much as it is a vocation. Well done at lasting 5 months, but also by lasting that long they probably realized that they could push it a bit with you, I am sure there were others in there demanding their pay and threatening to quit unless they got paid. As they say the squeaky wheel gets the grease. There was probably no money left for you after they were done paying everyone else.
You did the right thing, and although disappointing you could not continue to work for free.