School Policy

Ominious Letter

Yesterday, at the high school, I got a letter from the principal. It said that it was time for my "new teacher meeting" to assess how things have gone and to see how we are going to proceed going forward.

So here's the situation.

I don't want to tell them that I won't be back next year just yet because I know how people have reacted in the past. I would like to say that I know how people are, but I don't want to generalize. However, I do know how things have gone in the past and I don't want to deal with that for almost four months.

There's also a trip coming up that is in Athens in June. It's in an unaircontioned school and Monica told me yesterday that it was "at least 40 degrees in the classroom." Unfortunately, that's Celsius, which is pretty damn hot. I'd sort of like a free trip to Athens because I've never been, but I don't want to spend a lot of time in hot classrooms every day learning material I am not really that interested in. Part of my brain keeps going over the question of "How could my going there and then leaving benefit the school?" I'm pretty sure that the answer is: It can't. It will cost them quite a bit for the conference fee, plus planes, meals, etc. I applied for it just to make a show, but I will need to cancel as soon as I figure out when I am going to come out of the closet. So there is no good reason for me to take a week off my life and go sit in a hot classroom in Athens. Pity.

So I spoke with Sally after choir and asked her what the realistic possibility was of my staying a the college and getting more hours. She said that I have a whole new term to do well and get a good name for myself, so I shouldn't worry. She kept going on about my missing a class a few weeks ago. Point made. At any rate, I have to tell the high school that I'm leaving about a month before school is over.

Today there is a meeting with the English department and a few administrators. I have no idea what it's about, but I have to hang around for another hour and a half. I showed up at 11:00 for my class only to find out that the entire class was in some Humanities class presentation day. My other class was cancelled because of a state exam. I was headed out the door when someone caught me. Thank goodness.

There was a meeting Monday that was Oh-my-God awful. It was everyone in a very large room speaking in Dutch. Sliides about the new building plans, the German department, the History department. It was a total recipe for sleep. And after nodding off twice, I stood up and walked to the back of the room so that I could remain in a wakeful state.

My phone, which is always on vibrate, went off with some ridiculous musical number. It was pretty awful, but it ended quickly. Monica said later, "Was that you? I'm too British to turn around and look."

posted by Philip @ 2:02 PM