Retirement Recognition

Debby was fêted at her school's holiday party, which doubled as her retirement party. She was very touched at the outpouring of love and admiration from her staff. They wrote her a lengthy humorous poem based very loosely on 'The Night Before Christmas', then gave her a group gift, a Tiffany signature bracelet with heart pendant. Most of the women appreciated the appearance of the blue bag with blue box inside. Debby commented that she had never received a Tiffany gift before. I completed the joke by feigning mortification that she may have felt under-rewarded in the past.

I was impressed that all these teachers seemed to love and respect one another, as they did my wife. It was if they were sisters rather than co-workers. I became even more proud of Debby, for she was responsible for creating the kind of work environment that would foster this sense of camaraderie and teamwork. And this love and energy translated into success for the kids; the school's API increased 41 points last year, the tops in the District by a clear margin. And this week, a 6th grader at the school won the District spelling bee. Debby is going out on a high note.

It is time to retire; the job had become just too hard. The combination of ever increasing mandates flowing down from the District, ever increasing documentation, and ever increasing numbers of disadvantaged and disturbed children from disfunctional families, rendered the job of Principal as 80% social worker, 30% paper pusher, 30% public relations guru, 30% administrator, and 30% educator. That is about 2 persons worth of work rolled into a 1 person job. There was not enough time to do anything well. This is particularly onerous for someone with a perfectionistic outlook.The only things that made it bearable this last year were the work of her dedicated staff, particularly her office manager, and of course, the loving tokens and hugs from so many of her kids and their parents. They have come to appreciate her loving fairness, outreach, and support.

I look forward to seeing more of Debby. And she will have many new part-time opportunities for rewarding people-oriented jobs, come the new year. Retirement will mean yet another of life's new beginnings.

Debby won't miss the stress of her old position. Not even a bit. But her staff will be missed. A lot.