School Stress

This week has been a little taxing on an obsessive/compulsive mother like myself! Our principal at the girls' elementary school upset everyone last year by shuffling around a large number of teachers at the school. When all was said and done, she had made changes in every single grade, and in most cases had left only one teacher in place per grade. It was quite unsettling.

Not only that, she proceeded to move certain unpopular teachers up to the next grade, so that they had to endure yet another year of the exact same parents complaining. Really, just not fair to the teachers, parents or students. And no one was able to give a good accounting of why these changes were necessary. I had suspected the teachers were unhappy, but the mood at the school has always been one of superficial smiles.

About a week ago, the buzz began again about changes for next year. I was quite distraught because Em is heading to first grade, which is the strongest team in the school. First grade is super important, so I was looking forward to making through that year with those particular teachers. I learned very quickly, even though all the changes were supposedly "confidential", that only one teacher would remain in first grade and a new teacher from this year. I found out yesterday that the other teachers moving there are a new teacher from 5th grade (moving a brand new teacher from fifth to first grade in her second year? crazy!) and the least popular kindergarten teacher, who has done little to prepare her students for first grade and is not a team player by any stretch of the imagination.

Now, if that isn't bad enough, again at least 50% of the teachers are being shuffled around with no explanation, for the second year in a row and now.... the principal is being transferred!! Can you believe it? This huge mess is created, and our new principal is exactly that - new! He's been an assistant principal up until July 1, when he will walk into a school of very unhappy teachers, parents and sad students. That poor man!

Of course, none of this is encouraging me to want to return to the field of education - just a stress I can't add to my life at this point in time!