I want a hug

This week has been really hard....my roof falling in, no flat yet, all sorts of new and really time-consuming work. It’s just overwhelming. But let me start from the beginning. Buckle up, little campers, its time for 'Julia's venting session.'

When I was hired, I was promised the spectacular advantages of a new high school. My own room, designed and supplied by myself was one of the main perks to accepting the job. Now, however, the high school won’t be finished for another year and a half. Which means that not only will we have more kids to teach next year, but also we will be forced to do it with less space and time. Excuse? There really is no reason for the delay. In fact, they haven’t even broken ground on the 40-acre campus. Their plan is to move all the high school people to the flats in the new school first, before the school is finished. Which means, of course, that we will need to commute from the new flats to the current school and back each day. Without traffic, the commute is 20 minutes. With traffic it can take 5 hours and yes, we will be hitting rush hour each
way.

In order to alleviate the current housing crunch (I am homeless and another teacher is supposed to be living alone, but has no apartment available), off campus housing is being sought. This all could have been handled last June, but I digress.
The school board went to see apartments today and the results were laughable. No security, unfinished and unfurnished. It is also in the middle of nowhere and would take up to a month to finish anyway. I don’t want to sleep on a couch for a month.

Then, Carrie, who is supposed to be my roommate, is trying to write a contract for her steward (who is amazingly expensive) but wont know whether to include me in it or not. She is stressed about it and I am feeling like nothing but a huge inconvenience.

The secretary of finances pulled me aside yesterday and explained that I was being demoted two full steps on the pay schedule because she and Tom had a conversation about reconfiguring the credit allowance in schools. Unfortunately, I may have no recourse since they still have not let me sign a contract. You can see how this situation could become very negative. The school flies you out here, without a contract, and then you may have to settle with whatever they hand you because you are already here. I know that the administration isn’t intending to make it this way, but you and I can see how easily corruptible this system is.

My room still isn’t fixed, although I did get this spectacular banner outside my door.
Look on the bright side, right? I have also been told that I am now in charge of creating an entire curriculum, supplies, room and schedule for 9-12 grades for a meeting in November. The job is huge and no one can tell me anything until I go to the week long training sometime next year. They will continue to expect the information in November, however.

I also keep getting volunteered for committees but not told about it. I am apparently on the 'flat committee’, which is created to buy and furnish old or unmatching furniture for each of the flats. It’s a nice interior decorating opportunity. I am boycotting that one until I get my own freaking flat.
Then there are the after school clubs, fun days, and registrations that I am told about the day before or even the hour before I am meant to direct something.

So the stress is starting to trigger my next episode of health concerns, which are always aggravated by stress. This current bout is gaining enough strength to be a disaster in the making. I just keeping making it worse because I know it am all in my head and so now I feel weak and pathetic on top of it all.

I know I will survive. Things will work out and get better. It’s hard is all.



I keep trying to stay optimistic by going down to the kindergarten classroom. Aren’t these little buggers cute?!
And then there are my two advanced classes, which show amazing potential.