What been going on...

I've had a long couple of weeks that have gone by way too fast, if that's possible.

Part of it has been crap at the elementary school and high school. Part of it has been Primary. Most of it has been because I've been working and I've been sick. But I'm tired.

I subbed two days last week, teaching 9th grade English. It was fun. The kids are good and do what they're supposed to. I really enjoy doing it. Junior high is easy because it is a 45 minute class and then they're gone. I can manage a classroom for 45 minutes, no problem whatsoever. And N seemed to be okay with it (it wasn't her class). She would stop by between class and say hi. That makes me happy.

The downside is I got sick. I'm not sure what it was, but it wasn't fun. I was so tired and achy for a week. But I wasn't nauseous and didn't have a cough or sore throat. But I had a lot of junk in my lungs. After a few days, though, even that went away so I dodged a big one. I'd like to think it was my really good vitamins (Advocare!!!) and my voodoo doctor.

So the crap at the high school is the next easiest thing... We've had some pretty serious scandals lately. First there was the choir teacher who married an 18 year-old and was put on leave while the district investigates it. Then the principal was put on administrative leave while an audit was conducted. Both are still on leave. But it has been pretty disruptive to the school. I've said for years there was something hinky going on with the principal. And the choir teachers has been a thorn in many a student's side, although he's pretty loved by his students. Still, it is weird.

Then I got an e-mail with a link to a parent at my elementary school who wrote an article about homework in the local newspaper. The article itself wasn't that defamitory but it hurt the teacher's feeling pretty deeply, especially because she didn't talk to them about her concerns before taking it public. Then she posted some more about it on her blog which caused another firestorm of harsh criticism. She was feeling attacked and so were the teachers. And I felt caught in the middle, as a PTO president and as a parent. To make matters worse, it was the topic of conversation at the refreshment table at the stake Leadership meeting. She wasn't there (didn't feel like she could attend with all the controversy), but she had friends who were there. They reported that I was there in the gaggle of gossipers. I did hear the gossip but I walked away. I didn't stop it, I just walked away. But I still feel so guilty that I was a party to it and didn't stop it. What a lesson in standing for truth and righteousness. I failed.

The most stressful thing was Primary. We just had our RS and YW reorganized. This has left the rest of the ward (read Primary), in shambles. I was, at one point, functioning at 30% staff. They were holding off on callings while they made the changes in the other auxiliaries. When they finally made the changes, they took my two choristers. One they made my councilor (which was totally ok but left me without a chorister). They released my old councilor without telling her or me or the new councilor it had happened. So when the new councilor went to get the councilor's handbook, she was surprised. Talk about awkward. They released a teacher and didn't tell her, either. I feel responsible, but it wasn't my fault. Releasing people isn't my job. But I'm the one who feels guilty.

Anyway, coming up with names for callings is the most difficult, time-consuming part of my calling. I actually hate it. Passionately. And it is constant in Primary. I've never been 100% staffed. So they asked me for names for a chorister and I gave them two names. One had to say no for family reasons, the other had been requested by another organization. They asked me for more names. I told them there were no other names. The job is a hard one with a certain skill set, and not just "anyone" could do it. I told them I needed the one that had already been requested. After a bit of haggling back and forth they agreed to take it back to Bishopric meeting and council over it again. I heard on Sunday they are going to extend the chorister calling to this very "popular" sister. Now I can breath a sigh of relief because that is such a HUGE part of primary. If the chorister isn't a good one--and I don't even mean one who can sing, but rather one who loves the children and teaches the gospel and sings with them--then Primary doesn't work. I long for the days when my biggest concern was teacher appreciation gifts, not staffing.

So now I sit, listening to the rain today, watching the leaves fall from our Cottonwoods in the backyard. I feel like I can go on, at least one more day. I need to clean and do laundry today. And I probably should go to the grocery store (what's for dinner tonight?). I teach again this week (Thursday and Friday) so I have to get all my stuff done this first half of the week. Hmm... more to come.