Since we're doing this through the lens of mommyhood, yet there are those among us childless or whose nest is empty and thus, career-driven, I will pitch out there my recent career-altering (and possibly life-altering) decision.
For those who do not know me intimately, I am an elementary school principal for a large urban school district - the 7th largest educational bureaucracy in the U.S., in point of fact. For the last two years I have set about improving the efficiency of the systems we employ to handle academic and operational concerns (and never the two should meet, in my humble opinion, as the former is the core of our work and the latter, the great distractor), moving out the door those not there for the sole purpose of serving children, on the children's terms and focusing on instructional strategies that improve teaching and learning. For my work I have been well-paid, as well as gotten payback (in the form of a threatening, harrassing and extortionist letter, anonymous reports to the fraud office that I have been embezzling public funds - mind you, I've also been accused of being the biggest cheapskate with public funds ever b/c I go over every purchase order, limit the travel to conferences of my employees, etc. and constant reports to my boss' office of alleged wrong-doing.)
Enter my old district, a modestly-sized organization serving a mere 60, 000 students. They offer me a school 2.3 miles from home, a pay rise (albeit modest), my girls can walk to their neighborhood school, one month off in the summer with my girls (as opposed to 2 weeks) and more support from the ranks above in the process of weeding out the poor quality teachers.
A gift from above right? License to have a better work/life balance, right? Then why am I so upset about letting go? Is it that I've become so career-focused and my family has adjusted to it ? Is it tenacity in seeing through what I've started? Is it that I feel like I'm wimping out on my boss to whom I've worked so hard to prove myself as a superwoman because that's what she is?
In any case, I know it's the right decision and my girls will benefit. Besides, they've been praying that mommy not be so stressed and short with all the time after a long day at work - out of the mouths of babes seen from the rearview mirror, right?
Cheers and thanks for indulging this mommy.
