March 30, 2008

Sleepwalking...


One can only live in the 'dark' for so long. Eventually, someone or something will disturb your blissful state. Yes indeed, one day while you are sleepwalking through your life, someone will turn on a light. It won't be just any light. It will be one of those glaring, blinding high beam in your eyes types of lights. Up until now, I have been sleepwalking and was unaware of it. Where have I been? 

Our school received a surprise this year. A bright and shiny new 'principal' shipped straight from the Leadership Academy. http://ice-uft.org/daddy.htm Still in the package, this new model of principal will be using our school as her experimental lab...We, the teachers (The guinea pigs) will endure the test run of all tests. She, young and frail looking, barely makes eye contact with anyone. When she speaks, her stone cold tone sends chills down the spines of our most seasoned teachers. One can not tell what she is thinking as she silently creeps up and down the hallways. Hey, how bad can she be? She's human. She shared that she is married to a bus driver. She has two young daughters that she seems to be proud of. As a mother myself, I'd like to believe that being a parent means that you automatically a have a place in your heart for others.
Weeks have gone by, and the changing of the guards is proving to be a huge and unwelcome wake up call.  Rumor has it that our new principal has threatened some of the older,long term residents of our school building. Also, she has this zero tolerance thing that has thrown everyone for a loop. First, there were threats of what would follow if one were late. If getting to work weren't hard enough already, I have now started leaving my home 20 minutes earlier. Anxiety ridden, I drive around in fear of not finding a place to park, while 'Her Honor' allows herself the privilege of parking in the schoolyard. In a very short time, she has made herself comfortable while making most of the staff feel uneasy and insecure. Although it's too early to tell, what is happening at our school will soon turn into a nightmare forcing the most veteran teachers to awaken.

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