Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Tough Times

You know... times are tough. What am I talking about? Well the school district decided to cut coaches in half. It is not a decision I agree with, but something had to be cut, and this wound up being the "easiest" to cut. We all know it really isn't. Why? Well it will simply shift teachers from a support role to a classroom teacher role. And that is fine, my wife got told that her job got cut, she could apply for a coach position somewhere, but I don't think I, or my wife, wants to take on two schools, and the driving back and forth involved... for the same money she could make being a regular plane Jane teacher.

It is a mess, add to that my wife put in for a "master teacher" job, bombed on her interview, obviously didn't get it and now feels like a failure. Of course that isn't really true. But you can't help but feel that sense of rejection that my wife feels. I think in time she will be fine, she didn't really lose anything, other than a headache.

But still she is involved with getting her Masters in administration. And now she feels like an ineffective leader. Turning her feelings of "they hate me" to "what could I have done better" to "wow, they DO love me" (Ok that was very basic, but you get the picture) will take time. She is wondering if she is going in the right direction, if being a vice-principal or principal is really right for her. And reliving the rejection each time she does work for her administration class.

I really don't know, but if you don't play, you can never win. Is it better to never try and not face the rejection or praise, or is it better to go through some adversity? I really don't know. I have watched many make an ascent on the proverbial corporate ladder, some have fallen, others have gone on to bigger and better things, some have started their own business, some have stayed right were they started. Maybe what is needed is a sort of re-do. Ok, not really, we need to stick to the plan, see it through and then decide what we do from there.

Slow, plodding, thought out plan... go through with the school (there is no sense in quitting, we're paying for it no matter what), don't make any rash decisions (like take a coach job, when they may not keep them after next year anyway... leaving my wife with no job and no school presence either) and see how it plays out when she finishes her degree. And maybe have another kid... my wife's words not mine. She figures if she can't move up at her job, maybe she will move up in her home life... just sayin'

No comments: