I'm happy, Mollie... not so much

Monday begins school in these parts and each year at this time I get a fresh wave of joy that I am retired. I try not to dance and shout out praises too exuberantly in Mollie’s presents. But it’s hard to hold it in. I really enjoyed teaching for the first sixteen years. I had a wonderful partner and together we had fun. 

We made it fun for the children too and they seemed to learn wonderfully well in that atmosphere. Teaching was fine for another eight years after that partner retired and left me. Not quite as much fun but still a good career and I enjoyed the children.

 

But those last six years … not fun. The new principal and I butted heads about everything. He had little man syndrome and felt he had to micromanage everything. I was far enough in my career, having taught twenty-four years to his four, to know a lot more than he did about how to actually teach. 

By the end of his time there it had degenerated to our occasionally shouting at one another and when he would call me to his office to discuss something I’d bring out my phone to record the meeting, making no effort to hide it.

 

My last year we had a lady principal who floated through the school doing nothing and making no decisions at all. Of course, by then I had stopped paying any attention to administrators, blew off any and all meetings that they called and concentrated on teaching my pupils. That was a pretty good year.

 

For me retirement has been, and continues to be, heaven on Earth!

 

Mollie, at the other end of her career is beginning her eighth-year teaching. But she anticipated this one being better than last. She will only have sixteen students in class and most teachers can tell you, that’s a great number. You can do some teaching with that number. 

 

I’ve stocked her room with Kleenex, Clorox wipes and hand sanitizer (they are no longer allowed to ask parents to send these things in.) I’ve given her cash for other things she might need later in the year. Most of these things are bought by teachers these days and, for the moment, I’m blessed with deeper pockets than she has. I really pray she’s right and that this will be a great year for her. But I imagine this might be the way she’ll start off.

With summer vacation over, 

Miss Mollie was having a tough time 

transitioning back to teaching.