More Upheaval...35º/Calm

A new search was launched for a superintendent...These searches were costly and time consuming for the district and draining for the volunteer board members and staff, wondering who the new boss would be...Applications received, interviews scheduled...The front runner seemed to be a woman...That put a new slant on things and the search now included a new principal, because the "buddy" principal turned in his resignation and retired...He let it be known that he didn't take orders from a woman!

He also didn't take criticism from a woman, as at the end of his tenure and our last face to face, I questioned his "professionalism," he said I was insubordinate and if he could have, he would have fired my A__, months ago...Normally that would have brought me to tears, but on this day I laughed in his face...He sputtered and glared at me, quickly turned and with clinched fists, he left the kitchen for the last time...Two staff members witnessed this scene...I was shaking like a leaf, but have never regretted standing up to this man.

I would like to say, with a new administration, that things got better...It seemed so for awhile, but the "honeymoon, " was short lived...The new lady superintendent was charming but not very savvy...The new principal and I didn't have confrontations, mostly because I didn't have the energy to fight...On one particularly hectic day, in the cafeteria, he stood in the doorway, watching, as bedlam reigned...I left the serving line, and asked if I could speak with him...I asked about a lunchroom monitor, to keep order, because students were playing instead of eating and then dumping food into the garbage...His reply went something like this, "They are just kids and need time to let off steam, what difference does a little noise make?" By this time we had moved into the hallway to talk because of the noise...He also enlightened me to the fact that he and his wife shopped at Costco, monthly and bought prepackaged "lunches," that their boys preferred, and also that it was cheaper than hot lunches at school.

I was smart enough to know that I couldn't win, over that kind of mentality...I don't think he ever ate lunch with us, always going home to eat and rumors soon started that after lunch, his office took on a faint smell of gin...Hugs To All...OWAV:)