Suit announced his retirement at the faculty conference today. I have mixed feelings. I really despise this man (as anyone who has read this blog can tell) but he is basically harmless to most of us. He might hate me, but he knows my results and relationships with the kids are both good and he leaves me alone (except for his verbal nastiness).
Is the devil I know better than the devil I don't know? Only time will tell.
Either way, it is good to know I can walk if things get too heated.
13 comments:
Interesting- I sense you didn't see this coming.
It's nice that you have the option of leaving if it gets ugly. When my former principal retired (translation: was forced out), I did a happy dance, because he tortured me. My current principal is tough, but has certainly been fair to me, and I truly fear when either she or my AP retire.
While I don't like my admin, I can understand your feelings. Teachers are mainly left alone and she knows who the good ones are.
Now, does he expect his own retirement party??? Is F-Status planning something for the Fall?
I am so glad you outlasted him, although he must have gotten a nice bonus for him to retire now.
What if AP takes over??? Not good.
I would have loved to have taken terminal leave, but had few days in my bank.
Schoolgal
Glad you waited the bum out. I'm happy to have you continue to blog and expose the DOE in their "children last" program.
Our principal got an F on the report card and she was given a new small school to open in September. So, instead of being fired as other "F" school principals were, she gets a new school to destroy. She coerced teachers into going with her by putting the fear of "EXCESSING" into their heads. The only thing she cares about is her new office. She cries like a baby when she doesn't get her way. She had to have a bathroom put in to the converted classroom that will be her office. She doesn't want to have to go to the bathroom with "people".
I say, there are always openings at the Smellington Academy. Start fresh and get the feel of laboring for a pittance. The rewards of teaching are in the doing, old bean, and we'll give you plenty to do. When you're ready, shoot over your resume, we'll dump someone making too much money (which tends to corrupt the Great Unwashed) and hire you posthaste.
Nothing better than endless labor to keep a chap occupied, though personally I wouldn't know. As headmaster, I plan to do as little as possible and leave all the work to you. I keep reading how teachers want increased control rather than petty things like salary, and the Smellington Academy, I daresay, will prove to be the proverbial cat's meow.
You have heard of Pelican Bay Super Prison out in Cali?
Get ready they will have a super max Rubber Room that can hold a 400to 500 reassigned teachers--all in one building! It is going to get very interesting I say.
Thanks for your support anf good thoughts througout this year!
Enjoy your summer as I will too.
My experience with new principals is that they are like dogs, they need to piss on everything so they can take credit for any good thing that happens under them. Good luck. I think there are very few good principals out there. I got to work for one and really miss her. I love reading your blog. Thank you for sharing your ideas and your life with the rest of us. Knowing you can walk away is wonderful and does give us some freedom. Keep up the good work.
No less than 3 people told me today to check to see if I should retire; apparently there's a tipping point where I may bring home more money retired and not working than collecting a salary. I will be checking out that situation. I also can walk at any time, especially if the money's good. I heard that TRS is backed up with pension consultation appointments until November, but I will see if that's true. It could be the usual unfounded rumor.
"Is the devil I know better than the devil I don't know."
Whew! I've been asking myself the same question all year.
At least you won't have baggage, which might pull you through until you're ready to move on yourself.
Was he compromising safety? Was he ruining careers?
If the answer to both questions is "no," then you may well be worse off.
It depends, in part, on two things: how inexperienced in the classroom the replacement is, and how united your chapter is. If you are together, you can push force a new principal to back off mistakes. If he has never taught, there will be tons of mistakes. Also, if he has never taught, inexperience leads to lack of confidence leads to unwillingness to discuss because discussion might show his ignorance...
Good luck!
But don't worry too much for now... the summer's for better things!
Actually, the first year is sort of a "honeymoon" period, where the new principal gets a feel for the lay of the land, so to speak. You might very well be able to get at least that long before things get to be tough going.
if he/she has to piss on everything like a tomcat, you might be better off as often the people in favor with the old gang - see them race to suck up as soon as possible - I even knew a teacher who did yard work for the principal - are often rejected by the new guy who wants to bringin his own suck-ups.
Those out of favor might even find the new one will look at them in a good way just because it is counter to the old.
At any rate, you are on what we termed F-U time -- at any point you don't like something, say F-U and walk -- but you do have to give 30 days notice now or they screw you.
Suck ups are suck ups whether they be new or old.
I just read that the new principal of Townsend Harris HS is 32 years old. He's already talking about changes, although not right away.
I can only survive because I am on FU time.
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