Is She REALLY a Mormon?

I've changed jobs recently. For a couple of years I had the privilege of being the assistant principal at CATEC and now I'm at JP Burley Middle School. Of course as soon as faculty and staff learn the name of the new assistant principal they start asking around to find out whatever they can. I would do the same thing to find out what kind of person my new supervisor might be.

When I arrived at CATEC the rumors were flying around about my age (28) and experience (lack of). It was interesting to notice the difference in my interactions with them when they learned that I was really a lot older. In fact it was very amusing because instantly I gained more respect. I guess that two years later I must already look a lot older because I haven't heard rumblings about my age at all...

A week or so ago some of my CATEC friends met up unexpectedly with my new Burley colleagues at a local bar. When Burley folks found out that the other group was from CATEC they asked them for "the dirt" on me. CATEC responded that there isn't any dirt-- that I don't even drink. I'm told that the next question was, "Is she really a Mormon?". I find that to be very interesting. Apparently the most important question wasn't whether I was a good educator, supervisor, or person. It was an incredulous, "Is she really a Mormon?".

I'm not entirely sure what to make of this. Maybe it means nothing. But seriously, is that really the most important thing to find out about a new person?

My New Middle School Life

A few weeks ago I began a new job at JP Burley Middle School. I officially started the day after teachers returned for the new year. It should go without saying that I have been scrambling to learn the ropes and make the adjustment. It was great to meet the faculty and staff and work for a few days with them. We specifically worked to analyze data in order to know where we are to be able to continue to improve.

One of my first tasks was to find the budget information and then to allocate funds to teachers, departments, and clubs. Of course since we are in a recession there is about 35% less than the previous budget. One of my first interactions was to tell teachers how much less they got. I was not a huge star.

Now enough with the serious stuff let's get to the fun & positive differences:

On the night of open house the first thing a student said to me was, "your pretty!". That was a great way to start the year.

The first day of school I got to spend a lot of time with the 6th graders who couldn't go to class because they didn't have their shots. I kept trying to make their first day good in spite of the lameness of having to stay in the conference room. --Can you imagine getting all excited/scared for the first day at a new school and not being able to spend time with any friends or teachers?--  Anyway, one boy who was particularly closed off said at the end of the day, "You are trying to make me smile" (through sort of a small grin)

We had a fire drill the first week as required and they did a great job. I was down with the 6th & 7th graders. They were very quick and quiet. After the all clear I said something like, "give yourself a hand- that was great!". Weeeellll, I found out quickly that the teacher demand silence throughout the entire fire drill. It was a very funny moment for me.

It is great to be at a community school where there are parents to help.

As predicted there is a lot of drama. Superlatives are often used when they aren't really appropriate. The funny thing is that the teachers are often the ones doing it.

I miss my friends at CATEC, but I think it will be a great year!