Sunday we got up and spoke to Grammie and Pop. Since we didn’t have school it was a perfect time. However, we had to cut it short as I had a hair appointment and we had to go to the hotel to collect Stuart’s car because he had left it there the day of the brunch.
My salon appointment was at 9 am. Gina, my hair dresser, didn’t arrive until 9:30 am. When she got there, it was decided to color all of my hair as I had decided I was too cheap and lazy to keep up my highlights. I also decided on the total summer cut and the keratin straightening. The bad part about these treatments is they take a long time. I was hopeful I would meet Stuart and the kids at the mall for lunch at noon. Unfortunately, it was closer to 2 pm.
Once I was at the mall, we had lunch and did a bit of shopping. The kids each bought a rubics cube and Stuart bought a book. Since it was Father’s Day, Jack decided he wanted to buy something for Stuart, secretly of course. Well, thank goodness for technology. I just messaged Stuart and told him to point out some things he wanted in American Eagle, and then walk out of the store so the kids could pay for it. He acted surprised and the kids were thrilled.
We got home just before 4 pm and the kids decided to go upstairs to watch television. The rest of the evening was rather chilled. I was anxious as the next day I would face my principal and I had no idea what that would look like.
School on Monday was filled with a lot of love from the teachers I had not seen in 5 weeks. Sadly, my principal barely spoke to me. I really do feel sorry for her. She has obviously not been treated well somewhere in her life to treat others this way.
After school, I headed to buy items for the rugby club Summer Splash Bash. I bought water balloons, baby pools, sponges, water cups and small prizes. When I got home, I checked my email and saw that I had received my evaluation. Some of the comments made were not even read to me before she published it. It was so personal and hateful. I immediately wrote an appeal.
Tuesday school was not much better than Monday. I continued to score writing exams, but at least I didn’t have to see the principal and kids were still not in attendance. We know they will only show up for exam days. That means of the last 12 days of school, they will only be here 4 of those days. The principal left at 10:30 am and we had a staff meeting at noon. I’m pretty sure she has checked out, which is fine by me.
After school I picked up the kids. They went upstairs to watch television. We later went to the club to deliver the items I had purchased for the end of year party. We decided to have dinner. In the meantime, I forwarded my appeal to my cluster manager who told me I now needed to contact the new executive principal of our building. It turns out it is my favorite Vice Principal from my old school. What a little blessing that will be, if in fact I end up staying in my current position. She knows my character and will know the things said in my evaluation are fabricated.
When we got home from the club, the kids showered and Millie was off to bed. I finished up the article I write every month for a local publication called Oasis Living, and then sat down to watch some television.
Jack came into our room at 2:40 am to tell me he had a bad dream. Naturally, he had gone downstairs and turned on all the lights. When he saw the time, he came back upstairs, not turning off any lights, and came into our room. I took him back to bed and then lay awake until 4:20 am, thinking about the nastiness of my principal. All I could do was pray, literally. I sang a song in my head that I grew up with in church. The lyrics are ‘Jesus, be Jesus, in me. No longer me, but Thee. Resurrection power, fill me this hour. Jesus, be Jesus, in me’. I must have sang that song 100 times to try to convince myself that I need to send love her way instead of doing what I wanted to do. When someone does you so dirty because of their own shortcomings, you are really tested as to what kind of person you are. Do I return hate for hate or love for hate? I know the right thing to do, and continue to ask God to help me do the right thing. But the human side of me wants her to recognize and correct her misdoings. I’m not sure that will ever happen, and that is the hardest thing to take. She’s said untrue things about me that may effect my livelihood and it is all out of bitterness and spite. But, to use an old saying, I must let go and let God. He is in control and will be in control in this situation. The struggle is real.
I finally fell back to sleep and ended up getting up a little later than normal. I arrived at work and noticed my principal was not at school. It made my stress level go straight down, which was nice. The students were at school as they had an exam on Wednesday. However, they were dismissed and went home at 10 am, when the exam was over.
Before the exams started, I sat down and spoke to my Vice Principal, Shaikha. Shaikha is my kind of person. We don’t agree on everything, and when it is all said and done, I will always do what I am told to do. I have disagreed with her, but if I have needed to, I have apologized and we always move on. She doesn’t take anything personally and she starts each day new. She is friendly and a good person.
I started the conversation by telling her that I wanted to clear the air. I told her I wanted to make sure she knew that any issues the principal and I had, had nothing to do with her. I also wanted to assure her that I respected her and what was happening between myself and the principal was personal. I informed her there were things written in my evaluation that I was not aware of, even though they were to read all of the comments to me. She seemed aware of the situation and looked embarrassed. We left the conversation on a good note. I told her I was excited about next school year and I knew it would be a good one.
Once the exams were over, we waited for the answer documents to arrive. Prior to them arriving, I noticed our new Executive Principal was sitting in the Vice Principal’s office. I went in and started speaking with her. It seems she was at the school to speak to several of us about our issues with the principal. I felt so much better after my conversation with her. She is going to be such an asset to this school for next year.
I went out to get a few things since the students were bussed home after the exams, and we still hadn’t received the marking scheme for the exams. Jaime, one of my grade 1 teachers went with me. We were back at school and marking exams at 12:30 pm. All of the English teachers were in the room making sure all students had a fair assessment of their test. These tests are a large part of their final grade, and for grades 4 and 5, if they don’t pass, they don’t move on to the next grade.
I went to pick the kids up from school and then it was home time for a bit. We got ready for date night. This was the night I was going to get to try out my new clubs. This week all 4 of us went on a date. We all went to play golf. Jack got frustrated, like his Uncle Russ and his mama, and Millie just thought she was the greatest player ever, as she twirled around and talked the entire time. It was fun, but my new golf shoes wore blisters on my heels, so they will need some more wearing in, obviously. We then went to eat sushi at the golf club restaurant. When we got home, the kids showered and went straight to bed. I was exhausted as well and fell asleep on the sofa at 9:00, I think. I finally went upstairs at around 10:30.
Like pros
Lining up the ball, I think.
Thursday morning we were out the door and at school to endure another day of exams. I dreaded seeing my principal and now just avoid her, as I’m sure she does the same to me. I was to monitor the exams in grade 5, again. I sat in the hall while they took the exam. Guess who walked by? She always has her Bluetooth headphones in her ear, which I find to be rude and unprofessional, but there you have it. I spoke to her and she spoke to me, and then let me know that she had approved my sick leave. For some reason, she feels the need to sit on things because that somehow gives her the power. I hate to inform her, but in this country, I don’t care what your title is, if you are not from this country, you have no power. Oh, and she also was released from her contract. So why does she insist on going out in this fashion. Again, just continuing to pray for her.
Once the morning exams were over and the students were gone, we continued to mark the previous day exams. I met with Shaikha, the Vice Principal to decide what teachers would be teaching the following year. I, too, will be teaching, so if course I was interested in what the decisions would be. I was thrilled that she was making me a big part of the decision making.
I got home and started in on preparations for the party that would fall upon our house that evening. We were having a surprise leaving party for the Turners, O’Reillys and the Richardsons. They knew they were coming for dinner, but they didn’t know we had invited a house full! It was sure to be a wonderful night. Geraldine, a common friend, decided we would have a curry themed night, which was fine by us. She came over earlier than the guests to help me get ready. We asked that all guests arrive at 5 pm and then told the guests of honor to be there at 5:30 pm.
Before Geraldine got there, I got a call from the head of the junior school. He officially invited me to be a Year 2 teacher at Brighton College. That is 1st grade in the states. Yes, you read that correctly. I am up for the challenge and it is time for this change. Once I had finished speaking with Mr. McArthur, we called the kids down and I told them we had a surprise for them. Jack immediate said, ‘Are we going back to Brighton College next year?’ I said, ‘What makes you ask that?’ He said, ‘I heard you speaking to Mr. McArthur on the phone.’ I call this selective listening, considering Jack was upstairs in his room and I was downstairs in the lounge when I spoke to Mr. McArthur.
Both kids screamed with delight. I then ask them how it would be possible for them to go back to Brighton College. You could tell the wheels of their brains were turning. Then Millie said, ‘Did you get a job there for next year?’ I told her yes, and in fact, I would be teaching in the same year group she was going to be in. She squealed and said, ‘You could be my teacher.’ To which I responded, ‘Uh, no way!’ All the same, we were all happy.
The guests arrived for the evening, as did the guests of honor, finally. They were surprised, and we all had a fantastic curry evening. I believe the last guests left just after 11 pm. The kids went to bed dirty, and I knew the daunting task of clean-up would be the thorn in my side the following day. The kids had left an absolute mess in the loft, but they had fun so that was the important part.
We got up Friday morning and went to breakfast with the Richardsons. Then we helped them take things to the house they would be staying in for the next two weeks. Moving from this country is quite the job.
I resigned on the computer and messaged my principal. Guess who is my bff again? She was so friendly and helpful via messenger. I don’t get her, but it doesn’t matter. The process had begun and I was well on my way to my new job.
We ended up going home just before noon and having lunch. Then Scott and Clare dropped their kids off around 3:30, as well as their dog. They went back to their house to do some last minute things, then returned to a leftover curry dinner, bringing punjabis and samosas.
They were gone around 7:30 pm and at that point Jack hopped in the shower without even being told. Millie took a little more persuasion, but got in the shower in the end. She then went straight to bed. Jack played his PS4 for another 45 minutes, while Stuart and I sat in the living room with Sean, listening to music. We turned in shortly after 9.
Saturday morning I got up and changed our sheets on our bed. The kids ate breakfast, I had my usual 3 cups of coffee, and we got ready to go and pick up Henry and May. Stuart had volunteered to help Scott with the movers, while I volunteered to take all the kids to see Incredibles 2, have lunch, and go back to ours to play until Scott and Clare could come and collect them.
These were the random camels walking in the road as we drove to the cinema.
The film was so cute, as expected. Lunch was at the ever nutritious McDonalds, where three of the four children were either too tall or too old to play in the Playland, yet that didn’t stop them, and back at the house there was more playing.....and possibly some arguing and screaming, which is normal with those 4 kids, and probably most kids.
Clare came to pick up her two around 4 pm. Stuart went to help Scott some more and then he headed to the Rugby club to watch the international rugby game between England and South Africa. He got home around 8:30 and then we were off to bed. It was another great weekend.
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