Times are a changin'

I'm sitting here at my Thornridge office where I rarely just sit. Thornridge is my "home school". It's where Conan the Librarian was first conceived and where the AV Guy was born. It's also where I am the Faculty Association Vice President and where I conduct most of my political business. My secretary Nancy is out for the day which means that I have to pretty much stay put and keep and eye on the office. Sometimes staying put is enjoyable. It's kind of like being sick at home knowing one can't do too much but can still make the best of the situation. So right now I'll choose to blog.
Mary got back from Pennsylvania. She had a very busy week with her mom and with her sister Debbie. For those who haven't seen her, Mary looks good and her spirits are high. It's great to have her back in all respects.
Last night the Board voted to accept our newly negotiated contract. I may have mentioned that we as an Association were in almost a totally concessionary situation. That means that we were not really asking for much money or major language changes. We were defending the contract we had. The district was looking to increase our insurance liability dramatically. They were looking to cut positions and create evaluation and teacher transfer language that would have given them cart blanche. No freaking way! Well...some freakin' way. We were forced to give up our building level department chairs for district-wide administrative department chairs. That was a big deal but it was the only bargaining chip we had. We also gave up the department I work in. The district wanted one librarian in each building and one district-wide AV Guy. That would never have worked for the libraries. One AV Guy would be OK. Eventually we got them to agree on two certified librarians in each building. At least that way the libraries would be covered and it would be possible for the librarians to perform some of the AV duties. How? That is yet to be seen.
Personally, I'd love to go back to being Conan. The district had diminished my job so significantly that being a librarian would afford me the the opportunity to do what I love best...to teach. And guess what? That's what I'm doing right now. Well, not right now. I have been working on pairing up with teachers to work on wikis in their classes. I've had some great success at Thornton, but it hadn't really taken off at Thornridge until this week. I became aware of a first year teacher who was really having a hard time with the whole experience here. In fact, it was rumored that he was looking to quit. Rather than let that happen without any intervention, I approached the kid and asked him if it might help if we worked together on a project or two. He agreed and we prepared a wiki lesson and we are currently in throes of it as I write. While getting involved with this youngster, the principal approached me and asked me if I would mind staying at TR for a week or so to cover the library while one of the librarians was out sick. I was delighted. I still am. It is exactly the confirmation I needed that my transition from AV Guy back into Conan the Librarian is not only probably going to happen, but that it is going to be a good thing.
This situation with Mr. Lake has been very affirming for both of us. The kids have really taken to this whole project and I think Mr. Lake has gotten a reprieve from the burden of feeling totally alone and overwhelmed. It was great seeing him actually smile with his third block class. When I asked him when the last time he had fun in this class he told me never until yesterday. It was even more affirming that the principal came in during the lesson and was awed at the level of engagement of the students with the project. It's amazing how things work out.
Anyway, back to the contract... What they plan to do with the chairs is yet to be seen. We really have no idea what the plan for these new administrators is. With no building level department chairs this whole place could fall apart.
One great benefit of this contract is that my retirement date is set. Once I send in my letter I will retire June first 2010 with thirty-fours of teaching. I will have to pay a penalty for going out with one year shy of the 35 year regular retirement. I will not receive the benefit of the 6% compounded bump over the next three years, but to get out as soon as I can and with paid retirement insurance till I'm 65 is all the bump I need. The irony is that I am paying for "Rob's wild year" when I quit at the end of my second year. Maybe that's why I took such an interest in Mr. Lake. He may not be able to see that far down the road, but I certainly can look back and see that if someone had taken an interest in me and my teaching back in 1978, I might not have quit and I'd be retiring with full benefits in 2010. However, at the end of that wild year I got a job at Thornwood and I met Mary. The rest is history, a history filled with joy and a multitude of blessings.
OK, that's it for now. Keep in touch. Comment, call, email or drop by. We would love to hear from you or to see you in person.
Peace to you and to those you love.
Rob