A Week On

It has been a week since staff were no longer required to be in school, and I have been there every day except Wednesday when I went to Windsor with Chloe! Are you mad, someone said to me when I told them and no, I'm not. I have spent this week completely reorganizing the library and sorting through. It has been very hard work but the library is beginning to look really good. I will try to take photographs but since I don't have any before photos, it probably wouldn't mean anything to anyone but me...I may do it anyway!

The last day

The last day is not today, it's tomorrow. However, I thought I'd make some pre-event comments. For most of the staff tomorrow will be their last day with our head of school. You can already feel a loosening of the bonds. It's rather exciting but there is also an air of disbelief. Perhaps we will all get excited about this and she will will suddenly jump up and say, " Gottcha!" So, I don't imagine that people will be overly demonstrative until a lot later. They haven't found a replacement for her yet so isn't it conceivable that she will be asked to stay on for one more year. There is a president for this.

I have been organizing a tea for those staff members who were retiring this year: the school receptionist, a chemistry teacher, a special needs support teacher and one of the librarians. Within days of sending out the invitations, circulating cards to be signed and collecting money, the chemistry teacher had been asked to delay her retirement for one more year. What to do? Well I told her that this was it for retirement parties and that she wouldn't get one next year. That was fine with her and we went ahead with our plans. Today, just hours before the tea, I heard that the special needs teacher had also been asked to put off her retirement because her replacement had decided not to come. Do you see why I think that Moyra may still come back?

The anticipation that she might make such an announcement could almost convince me to go to the end of year barbecue. No, not really! Nothing could convince me to do that. While insincerity, hypocrisy and the smell of burnt burgers and chicken fill the air, I will be sipping pimms and eating lunch on the banks of the Thames with a few like-minded friends.

Forgiveness

My head of school is leaving. She is quite the most despicable person I have ever met. For whatever reason, she hurts people. So many people have been damaged by her that there must be a huge cloud of negative karma hanging over the school. Alas!

What is truly amazing in the lead up to her departure, is the number of people who, having openly talked about how much they dislike her, are now writing touching best wishes in her farewell card. So, my question for today is two-fold. Is this hypocrisy or or have they forgiven her. If forgiveness is involved, why do I find it so hard to believe?

I'm not going into a religious or philosophical discussion of forgiveness. However, I will say that I don't think I have forgiven her for what she has done to so many. Then again, perhaps I have, since I no longer feel angry towards her. It might have something to do with the writing of my murder mystery. In it I had a character based on her who I killed her off at the beginning and then spent the rest of the novel trying to decide who of many might have killed her. I certainly felt a lot better after the first 5 chapters. One day I might finish it off.

What does this say about me? I'm trying to work that one out!