On our very first day at Dodge, our principal offered a valuable piece of advice. He said, learn to embrace change because it will be all around you. It proved to be evident, as he began to run down the list of all the changes that would affect the school. These changes ranged from PBIS to grading policies to homework. However, one major change that he failed to include in his list was his departure. We learned last Wednesday that he would be resigning as the principal of Dodge on Friday to pursue other endeavors. Now, I don't know why this news it me so hard. I had only known him for a couple of weeks but I felt as if I was losing a leader.
That's when it hit me...Change is my weakness. I found that the uncertainty of change is the most fearful part. To lose a principal before the end of August is frightening. Not to mention all of the "heavy hitters" who are frequently visiting our school in the wake of our principal's departure. Brian Sims, Terri Gierki, and Amy Rome have visited my classroom on more than one occasion. Remember...everyday is a job interview (This message continues to haunt me!)
Speaking of uncertainty, what is really going on with the CTU strike!?!?! This strike became very real to me when I was preparing to dismiss my 4th graders and noticed the large picket line behind our school. It is apparent that this strike is more likely to happen than not. This will bring forth a wealth of new changes. How will this affect CTR residents? How much instructional time will we lose with this potential strike? Will it be like starting all over again with our students? What will happen with our vacations when school days are missed? It is so frustrating. According to the tribune, the mandatory 10-day notice was not filed this weekend so track R students will begin school on time. For now I guess we will just wait and see what will happen.
Change...Change....Change! Maybe this is a good lesson to learn now because who knows what we will face when we are teaching next year. I guess all we can do is wait and see.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-08-25/news/ct-met-ctu-leafletting-0825-20120825_1_teachers-union-vice-president-jesse-sharkey-president-karen-lewis
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