4- Principal & Vice

I met with the principal briefly today and she reassured me that I was entitled to politely request that Class Mommy back off. Principal is a nice, older southern lady who barely ever raises her voice above a whisper. I remember when I came in for my interview- I sat uncomfortably and chatted with her for over 30 minutes, leaving with the impression that she was a snobby woman who would never crack a smile. Fortunately, my first impression is turning out to be wrong. Principal has a great reputation around the school and I’ve already heard several other teachers say they love her. Rumor has it, she’s never yelled at a student. Once you get over her quiet, cold demeanor, you realize that she’s not at all the stuck- up woman she appears.
On the other hand, I have some serious concerns about the Assistant Principal. I have already given her a nickname: The Intimidator. Typically, student discipline falls into the Assistant Principal’s line of responsibilities. The Intimidator takes her job very seriously. She, like Principal, is contradictory in her appearance and demeanor. The Intimidator is an African American woman who weighs at least 200 pounds. She thunders through the halls like a giant bowling ball. The woman acts smiley and cheerful to cover for the demon inside.
The Intimidator is one of those women who prides herself on “nipping it in the bud”; she thrives on intimidating children. Today at lunch, I watched The Intimidator stomp into the cafeteria like an angry elephant. With her eyes bulging out of her head, she screamed for the students to get quiet. The cafeteria immediately settled into a stunned silence.
At what looked like random, The Intimidator selected students to “set straight.” She wagged her finger in children’s faces, threatening them into being quiet. She told them she would “call their mamma” and she “knew they weren’t being loud in her school, oh no!” I saw a bit of The Intimidator’s spittle land on one kid’s cheek.
I do realize that students need rules to follow. I also understand that all consequences should be fair and administered accordingly. The Intimidator’s methods do not appear to be fair or consistent. She uses scare tactics to her advantage. I feel sorry for the kids who cross her path.
On a different note, the “Fun Committee” sent out an email today inviting everyone on the faculty to meet for drinks at a local bar next Friday. I have conflicted feelings about this; I would like to hang out with my colleagues and get to know them as human beings, but I have a life of my own and my Friday nights are special to me. I’ve also been warned that becoming too chummy with my coworkers could cause problems. I don’t know if I’ll go to the bar or not, but I do think it was pretty cool to have been invited.
I’m still exhausted, but today I like my job.