Starting at Rangeview was a new start and a new challenge. I was working with a new staff and learning new systems. The first thing I discovered was that a staff of almost 150 is very different from an elementary school. I could tell when we had our first all staff workday. We met at a conference center and had a nice breakfast and prepared for the new year. I am like all teachers who are new to a school. I am under scrutiny from everyone in my department and in the building. I wanted to just fit in and make no waves. I am boisterous and very involved in meetings but for a new job I just watch and see the lay of the land first. We had a large group of new teachers for this year and so it was easy to lay low. I had met everyone in my department but I knew Ingrid the best so I stayed with her and sat with the whole department. I sat at the table waiting for the meeting to begin.
We had a change in superintendent the year before and this was the start of his second year. The new superintendent had brought my old principal into the district office as the Director of Instruction. It had been a rough start because many people felt that the director didn’t understand what it took to run a high school and some of the people didn’t like some of the policies that were put into place. It was tense anytime the district folks came into our meetings. Because it was an all staff meeting we couldn’t keep any of the district folks out. I sat there quietly waiting and the Director of Instruction walks in. I can feel the temperature of the room drop ten degrees when everyone saw her. She walked in and was walking along the back wall when she sees a familiar face. I am ready to dive under the table but she walks over and sits down at the Business department table and starts talking to me. The rest of the room is all looking at me with a suspicious look. We had worked together for nine years so it made sense. I also believe she was a very good elementary school principal and I enjoyed working for her and with her. I was made fun of during Business Department meetings for several years. So much for being unseen and subtle.