Be Careful What You Wish For...

On Wednesday, I finally got what I've been wishing for... 

My principal got a new job, which opened the door for our current AP to take her position, which left the AP position open. I was offered and accepted the job! Yipeee!!! Finally...

I've posted before, and truly believe that all things happen for a reason, which is why things didn't quite go my way this summer. 

In reality this is really the best of both worlds. The AP position is only half-time, which means I will be wearing the AP hat in the morning, then returning to my classroom in the afternoon to teach math and science. This works out well, because I think the parents of my students would not be as happy as they are about the whole thing, if I weren't going to be teaching at all. 

The problem is that I now feel pretty schizophrenic. Administration and teaching are 2 VERY DIFFERENT worlds. People don't really see that unless they've had the opportunity to do both. Many people think that because you show up to work in a school that everyone's doing pretty much the same thing, but that just isn't the case. 

As an administrator I do not have a contract. We are "at will" employees and can be let go at any time. As a teacher, I have this insane contract, that covers just about every little possible incident that could ever happen. 

Yesterday, I found myself in an conversation with our PE teacher,  and later our Art teacher about some contractual issues. Halfway through the conversation, I realized that they were not speaking to me as a colleague, but as their boss. Holy Crap!!! I've never been someone's boss!!! 

So I realized this morning that this is what's been keeping me up at night for the past few nights... For the past few years, I've had several opportunities to "play administrator" at our school, but the final decisions have always been made by our principal and AP, and folks just knew that. They came to me as a kind of sounding board, then would go to either of the bosses for the final decision. 

So in one days time, all of this has changed. I can still be the sounding board, but I also get to make the final decisions... God help us all!!!