Face to Face, More or Less

Joe got an email from Tammy Rodabaugh, my name doppelganger and his new Chinese principal, asking if we could Skype with her about general counseling issues and a potential Lower School music position for me. After a few tries, we finally got together on Tuesday night (her Wednesday morning) and had a very nice talk. She has very pretty long brown hair and large round glasses, which is not particularly relevant, but I like to remember first impressions. Her proposed music position was also an excellent first impression. One of the current music teachers, who happens to be Chinese, is leaving at the end of this school year (next Friday), and because Ms. Rodabaugh doesn't want her music teachers to be overloaded, she is hiring two people to fill the departing teacher's position. One person will be a local hire so the school can maintain Chinese cultural music, and the other person could be me if everyone agrees. This would be general music for 1st-5th graders, 40 minute classes twice a week, and grade levels would be bunched together, so I wouldn't have to try to switch gears from class to class. I would probably also teach some strings in an after school setting, which means that my teaching day might start later than others' because I would go later (maybe 8:30-4:30). Anyway, it's up to our head of school, Michael Donaldson, and I should know something within the month. Joe also got to speak briefly with the school librarian about his "bibliotherapy," which made her put her hands over her heart in love, I think. Winning hearts from across the ocean, that's my husband!

The SCIS school year will be done on Friday (June 11) and the kids are taking a trip to the Shanghai EXPO 2010 (also known as the World's Fair). I have been reading great things about the fair, and we are looking forward to going when we arrive, because it runs through October, but we'll probably wait for the hot summer weather to break. I'm hoping to get a preview from one of my email buddies.

FUSD is done, or rather, we are done with FUSD, having turned in all our keys, computers, etc. Our colleagues at Cromer were very generous, giving us a lovely sendoff at the annual awards assembly, complete with awards for each of us and a beautiful bouquet of roses, then following up with a travel bag full of travel items at the end of year luncheon. There is much drama to come in the next week, when the district will make its decisions about which schools to close and what grade levels will be included in the remaining schools. Already two different parent groups have hired lawyers to sue the district for whatever decision is made. The rehire process for the teachers who will have to transfer buildings and also those who received RIF notices sounds a bit confusing to me, but my friend Faun seems to know what she's doing. I'm glad I'll be out of town until the dust settles, at least for the big decisions. Legal dust will probably take a bit longer; it usually does.