Last day of the first week at Prestigious. The next two weeks are vacation. I was in the same room as yesterday all day today; the teacher seemed fine with me today, if just a little controlling. Well, when I was the head teacher, I was the same way with new people, I guess. Probably a lot more arrogant and off-putting.
Anyway, because it was the last day, we watched The Polar Express and gave the kids snacks. Other than calendar, there wasn't too much learning going on today.
Things Prestigious has that The Old Job didn't, in addition to the high-tech soap dispensers and such I mentioned Monday:
* A maintenance staff that cleans up things like a movie party with snacks
* Lots of free food; in addition to the usual cookies and tea and coffee, free pizza for the teachers every Friday
* Breaks, planning time and an administration with an understanding of teachers' needs
* Money
I listened to a funny (in a pathetic sort of way) conversation at lunch about some of the parents who got enraged in previous years over the placement of a single menorah at the school, or the kids' doing any Hanukkah-related projects. One irate parent called the head and demanded to know why the school was trying to convert the kids to Judaism. Nothing like the mere mention of a menorah to bring out the latent anti-Semitism in affluent WASPS.
Overall, not a bad week at all, work-wise. I hope I really am starting to fit in and being helpful, and everyone's not just being polite and hoping I'll go away soon. I can see myself staying at Prestigious and flourishing.
Health-wise, of course, the prognosis isn't as sanguine. More's the pity.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
At least your job is going well. I'm still thinking about you and hoping for the best with your health issues.
I've been reading your blog for a long time in bloglines. The new school sounds great.
So odd about the reaction to the menorah. Jews are hardly proselytizers.
A teacher I worked with felt strongly that we should be doing Christmas activities at Christmas time. But I argued that the kids are surrounded by Christmas everywhere, all the time, and that it would be more educational for them to learn about other "winter holidays." He was unconvinced.
Still keeping you in my thoughts, Chance. I must say this new school sounds like a dream come true, so here's hoping it's a bit of a silver lining for everything else that's going on.
I'm glad to hear the new school is such an improvement. A staff that actually cleans stuff. And money. These things are good.
I hope your health holds out. Take a break and read the new Ken Follett book. I'm not sure whether or not I liked it, but it was a thousand pages and absolutely mesmerizing.
Post a Comment