My New Job

It's been a crazy couple of weeks. Crazy being defined here as frustrating, depressing, challenging, and any other words you can assign to the fact that administrators pluck you out of your strengths and passions just because it "works" on paper. Here's the skinny on school...

Monday, I received an email from the Supt. stating that I was being involuntarily transferred to the upper grades and (because of my seniority) had until Wednesday to decide if I wanted Middle School Choir or High School Choir next year. This supposed seniority I have is strong enough to appeal the transfer so that I may stay in Elementary General Music. One catch: if I play hardball and stay in the area of my dreams and greatest strengths, I put my colleague and friend out of a job because she is strictly licensed to do General Music. How's that for guilt? No thanks, I'd like to eventually be able to sleep at night. I told my principal that it would be a MUCH easier pill to swallow if I knew I was the first person back in the door when/if things got better. She could not guarantee that. Some of my colleagues think things will get even worse and elementary specials will, in fact, be eradicated from the curriculum. They encourage me to look at this transfer as a possible saving of my job. So...next year, I will be teaching 6th and 7th grade choir, as well as jumping over to the high school for 8th grade choir. Choir...all day, every day. Did I mention that my piano skills "drink through a straw" and, though they be totally adequate for K-4, the middle schoolers will see right through my meager chord-reading-boom-chucking? I know there are up-side to all this, but as my good friend said, I'm just not ready to embrace them all yet. Hey, at least I know how to pack for the evacuation of our building now.