Turning the kitchen calendar from July to August felt traumatic this year. It meant only two weeks of summer left. August is transition time, the Sunday night of summer.
Over the summer we learned that, not only were we getting a new principal, the whole office staff is changing: secretary, two VPs, student supervisor, and principal. It is unprecedented in my career. Also unprecedented was the email from our new principal inviting us to sign up for a time to come in for an informal, on-on-one chat. Wow!
My meeting was yesterday.
I tend to spend the summer in athletic shorts and t-shirts, but I arrived at school in Bermuda shorts and a striped shirt. Casually professional. I wanted the first impression of me to be a good one!
Our chat started off informally, with each of us giving a little bit of our background and me talking about my three-year experience at my school. We knew some people in common, even though we’d never met before. Education is a small world.
She concluded with two specific questions about communication practices and conference scheduling. Two things people had complained a lot about last year. I told her what I’d heard as a union rep and what I thought.
I had walked in hoping she’d surprise me by saying I could stay in 6th grade. I’ve spent the summer coming to terms with my grade change. I left feeling optimistic about the new school year, new admins and new grade. This is going to be a good one!
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