and the story continues...

Well the story had to pick back up somewhere right? I've recently realized just how much I missed this outlet. Life has taken some pretty crazy twists since I stopped writing at the end of the last school year. Twists that I wish I'd taken the time to put into words. Some of them I'm not entirely sure if I would have had the courage to post back then for fear that someone would read them. But really... It's time to call a spade a spade. For a little story that alot of you who know me personally have been wondering about, let's go back to that big closing of the school year last year and the summer that followed.

At the end of the year I was presented with an intriguing option. On top of already being given a coaching position both by the new Athletic Director and my Principal, I was told 'Take the PE test and you can be a PE/Coach." This created quite a dilemma for me as I never really saw myself as a PE teacher. But given the added load of coaching, I decided it was probably in my best interest. I took the test and passed it with ease. Soon after however, the bottom fell out.

So I get an email from my principal telling me that he and the AD would like to meet with me. I went in to talk and after I waited for 45 minutes beyond the meeting time, my principal brings me into his office and basically tells me that I was out for coaching and out for PE. Although he said he couldn't give me any reasons since it had been the AD's decision. I left the school aghast at what I had just been told. What reason could there possibly be? I'd done a hell of a job regrouping the band of misfits otherwise known as football offseason. I'd helped them actually become athletes. They respected me and I liked them. So I went strait to the AD to get some answers.

After talking to the AD for a couple hours I came away even more confused than before. His story was that it was my principal's input that swung me out of the coaching spot. Apparently the AD was told I'd been having problems in the classroom. His reasoning was that if I were having problems in the classroom, surely I couldn't ALSO handle coaching. He went on to tell me that he'd already been looking to fill the PE spot so I'd have to teach and coach. Given my principal's claim, he just couldn't comfortably put me in that teacher/coach spot. After hearing my spirited rebuttal, he told me that he would go talk to my principal and get to the bottom of it. With more information he'd call me the next day or two. About a week later I got a text message from the AD telling me that it was confirmed, I was an issue in the classroom. It went on to say that my position for both coaching and PE had been filled. He said he'd call the next day to talk about it further. That was May... I'm still waiting for his phone call.

Now it blew me away that not only was I not going to coach but I wasn't even going to teach PE. It just brought up so many questions. Why had my principal not told the AD right off the bat that I was an issue in the classroom if it were so true? If I was really such an issue, how? After all, my last observation had gone really well. My kids loved my class. Parents on the whole were always emailing to say how much they liked me. My tech quotient in class was much higher than many others. And IT WAS MY FIRST YEAR! Why was the principal not upfront about why he wanted me to teach PE? Why would the AD be so classless as to break it off with me over a text message? I mean seriously, that's middle schooler style folks. What in the world had I done to deserve being allowed to introduce myself to the kids as their coach for next year only to have it pulled out from underneath me? Kids, parents, and teachers all knew that I was a coach. Done deal... now these guys were asking me to come back and put my face in front of all that? I was going to have to face all the questions and guffaws. All the scorn and embarrassment... And why? It didn't have to go down like that.

Needless to say this garbage made me question my choice in workplace. It also made me question the very profession of teaching. As I considered everything that had happened both at the end of the year and during it, I began to wonder if teaching was really the right thing for me to be doing. I realized that teachers who have been in the game for a long time are either thick skinned brass knuckled tyrants or reclusive hide-aways. Think about it... if you know a teacher who's got 10 years or better in, I bet you'll find what I'm saying to be true. And, the older the teacher the truer it gets. This truth really made me wonder if it was time to hang it up and find another career. After only a year I had my eyes opened to a vision of the future and I didn't like what I saw.

I went to my principal who, now realizing how ridiculously he'd gone about things, would surely be remorseful and comforting about the whole thing right? Nope.... Didn't even say sorry. Moreover, when I said in no uncertain terms that this whole situation had hurt me so bad that I was considering finding not just another school, but a whole other career. His response: Well, you've gotta do what you've gotta do. Wow... Thanks for that.

So I did just that... what I had to do. I investigated alternative employment, sought advice from others, played the lottery a little and was a rats hair away from starting a limo business. Somewhere in the middle of it though I was struck by a thought: What in the Sam Hill am I thinking?! I mean after all, the only reason I had time to do all that stuff is because I WASN'T WORKING, IT WAS SUMMER! How quickly I'd forgotten that teaching IS better than other jobs because you get summer off! I mean we may be roped in there shoveling turds alot of days for about 10 months a year so what?! While all you other hosers are at your jobs in July wishing you could sleep in and go to the lake... I AM! So to hell with it. Embarrass me, make me feel like a idiot... do whatever... I'm staying (provided I don't get the axe), this thing's just too cool for me and my family to go down without a fight.

And it's with that attitude that I came back in to this year. Sure, I got handed a development plan and a provisional contract when I came back. Sure, now I'm one of the proud few who get their lesson plans read weekly by the VP. Sure, now I'm getting tattled on by other teachers for all matter of ridiculous stuff. Sure sure sure.... woog. But you know something folks? For one thing, all this scrutiny may have just made me a quite a bit better at what I do. And on tough days, when I'm home at 4:30 in the afternoon and a couple weeks away from a long Christmas break... the Grin portion of Grin and Bear it becomes a whoooole lot easier. Ya'll have a good one and thanks for caring enough to read.

Lastly, I couldn't leave you with my first update in months and not give you a little OverHeard:

Me: So I want you all to write about why you're thankful that we live in a country that has free speech and freedom of the press.
Kid: What's the press?
Me: News people... more or less
Kid: What's freedom of speech?
Me: You can criticize the government and say whatever you feel.
Kid: Wouldn't you get thrown in jail if you criticized the president?
Me: Nope, that's freedom of speech bud.
Kid: That's stupid though, I'm not thankful for that.
Me: woog