I Didn't Think I Cared......

Although it isn't official yet, our principal has told us that she THINKS she knows who my replacement will be.

I hadn't given it a whole lot of thought. I knew first of all our choices would be limited, since budget cuts have pretty much frozen any possibilities of hiring from outside the county. We expected that if one of the high schools had to cut an English position, someone would be "sent" to our school, even if he or she didn't want to come. That's not ideal for a school like ours. So few people understand what it is exactly that we do, and it's sometimes difficult to find someone willing to take on the challenge of a nontraditional approach to teaching high school.

Our staff has been pretty much intact since our school opened in 2005. Three of us opened it together, our business/electives teacher came the second year, and the most turnover has happened in the area of science. We work beautifully together as a team (we even occasionally snap on each other, just like siblings who are forced to live in the same house), and I trusted my colleagues to choose an English teacher who would continue the work we have started together. If they were given any choice in the matter, that is.

I can't give away too much information, lest someone who reads this blog might put two and two together and let the cat out of the bag. It's not supposed to be a SECRET by any means, but since it isn't official yet, I don't want to give away too much information.

I can say this, though.

I couldn't be happier with the person who is rumored to be taking my place. She is a dynamic, creative teacher, has a wonderfully wicked sense of humor, borders on mischievous, and she KNOWS. HER. STUFF. She gets along well with her co-workers, and she knows how to relate to teenagers. And she has chosen to come to our school rather than being SENT there. It's the perfect package.

We exchanged a couple of cryptic emails today (cryptic in case our email is being monitored, which would surprise neither of us one iota), and I cryptically told her how happy I was and she cryptically said I would have to train her.

I was going to retire and walk away with no regrets either way. But it sure is nice to know the program will be in good hands. They'll forget all about me a month after school starts. And that is okay with me.