New Position - Hope I Can Handle It!

Greetings!  I mentioned in the Roll Call topic that I was a finalist for a new principal position.  Well, I will be signing my contract and receiving School Board approval tomorrow at 5:30 PM!  I am very excited about this new opportunity.  Technically, this will be a lateral move because I am still an elementary principal, but the district is 3X larger and it has a more prestigious reputation.  I am really looking forward to meeting the students, parents, and teachers.

I certainly have some apprehensions about my health but the situation in the district seems as though it will be better in many ways.  First, I do not need to be at school as early.  I will have an additional hour to sleep or get ready on most mornings, unless there is an early meeting.  Also, because the district is larger, I will not have to run a Latch-Key program, the Title I program, and At-Risk program, as well as many other "hats" I had to wear as an administrator in a very small district.

As I mentioned in Rosie's post, I am feeling better every month.  The new medicine I am taking, Arava, has been helping me immensely!  I pray this continues!  Also, I was very up-front about my health and they are not really too concerned.  When I dress up and wear decent make-up, I don't really look sick, anyway!

My teachers in the district I am leaving seem to be sad although I am sure some are turning cart-wheels down the halls - lol!  I will certainly miss them - they were my first school and I have been there for nine years.  The entire situation is rather bittersweet but, it will be good for me professionally.  In addition, it will benefit me greatly at retirement becuase of the increased salary.  The health benefits are exactly the same, so there is not a problem there.

I will be very busy in the next two weeks but I will try to keep you updated.  I hope and pray everyone feels better during these very hot days of June!

Prayers to all!

Thanks so much emmie! You would not believe all of the extra jobs I did in my old district! I don't know how much to explain about all of the programs for fear of really boring everyone here, so I just mentioned a few!

My drive will be almost the same, timewise and distance-wise (it is one mile closer than I do at this time), but, it is better because it is all highway miles (about 44-53 miles depending on the route I choose). I can't seem to find anything available closer to my home. We would consider a move if we could sell our home but the market is awful right now. We built our own house right before I took my other position nine years ago and it is in a price range that does not have many buyers. We discussed taking a loss on the home just this weekend and we might go ahead and list it for a short time to see if there is any action.

I plan on taking two weeks off between positions and I really need to do so! I have to call my rhuemy in the morning because I am sure I am going into a flare! I am noticing an increase in inflammation despite raising my prednisone to 10 mg./day last week. It could also be the weather, which has been very hot and muggy, but I am not sure! I have been so excited that I can hardly sleep - hence I am writing this to you at 4 AM!

Last week, in the midst of finding out that I got the job, I was also ending the school year in my building (last day for kids was Thrusday) and, preparing for a huge Retirement Party for my current Superintendent (whom I have very mixed feelings about - it is very political, if you know what I mean) on Thursday evening. My rheumy is going to be very annoyed with me!

As for retiring, I am currently buying five years and I can buy two additional years from Ohio. I currently have 23 years in the retirement system, and with the seven I can buy, I could retire right now if I wanted to do so. (It will cost us about $50,000 right now so I would like to pay this down a bit.) I had seriously considered buying out in February when I wasn't doing so well. In March, however, I began taking Arava and it has really made a difference for me. I LOVE working in education and that is why this crazy disease is so annoying for me and, I am learning from many of my dear friends here at Healing Well, so many of us! It is a constant battle to feel well and to do the work I am so passionate about! I figure that I will really do this new job with all the passion I can muster and, if I cannot handle it as well as I think I should, I will buy my remaining years and go ahead and retire. I know I can make a difference in this district in about two to three years, so I am going to give it my all! Wish me luck!

Congratulations Audrey Ann!!!! I give you a lot of credit for taking on a new job and it sounds like it will be a good move for you. I hope your meds can get you through everything you have to do without flaring. It's great that Arava has helped so much. You'll be in my thoughts during all of this. Take care

YEAH!!!! How exciting!! That extra hour is huge!! I hope you'll keep us updated on your progress there!! *phewwwwwwwww !!* Will probably be a bit stressful and more tiring at first with all the new routine to learn. I hope the summer (no students) makes that a bit easier. I'll be watching for updates . . . because I'm still toying with the idea of going back to work myself (55 yrs old and have been feeling fairly well for a good amount of time). Blessings!

Audrey Ann,

I am so excited for you and your new position.  I know what it is like to wear a lot of hats.  I am doing that right now.  I am the Title One coordinator, English as a Second language coordinator, and the standardized testing coordinator.  It sure keeps me busy but I love it.  I love the challenge and I love education also. 

I hope that all goes well for you.  Let us know how you do.  I hope you are not flaring.  Try to take it easy as much as you can, although from your posts I can tell you are very busy.

Mary Ann

Thanks Mary Ann and Judy! I am so grateful for your vote of confidence and nice words. As I read these posts, it is amazing how many of us here work in the schools in some way, either right now or in the past! (We also seem to have a lot of nurses - yeah for nurses!)

Mary Ann, I know exactly what you are speaking of - the amount of work in those areas is ever increasing due to No Child Left Behind and I am looking forward to some support in my new district. Bless you for your great work for our at-risk kids!

And Judy, bless you for your previous work as a school nurse. So many schools do not have the luxury and we all need our nurses, especially those schools with at-risk populations. Before my district cut the nurse position, we had parents use her for free medical care. There is such a need for funding for good school nurses!

Blessings to all!

That's really great! Congrats on your new position.