It was right before Christmas last year. I was still working as an Assistant Principal at Huntington Beach HS and the administrative team had gone to good lengths to make sure a nice present was in everybody's (and I do mean everybody) hands before winter break. My principal at the time had ordered everything on her credit card and told us to pay her back when we could. I assumed that was going to be right after coming back from break but something happened.
One of the somethings was a fellow administrator was pregnant and due in the early spring. We wanted to make sure she had a good send off well prior to the craziness that goes on with school and gave her an early 'shower'. Once again, my principal at the time ordered everything and told us to pay her when we could. I still hadn't paid for the last debt at Christmas and now I had something more to pay. I was in shock over my predicament.
I just don't like to be in debt to people that I know. I learned long ago to not ask for money from anybody unless it was an absolute emergency that you just couldn't work out of. I can't think of more then 5 times in my entire life where I actually owed someone money. This was one of those times. My principal did not care about the money and made a fact in telling me so when I talked to her about it. It was not the only debt that I owed this person.
My principal was the first person to find out that I was thinking of, or I should say decided on, getting out of administration and moving back to the classroom. She was the one that I talked to about what was going on professionally, she was the one I talked to about the toll it was taking on me. I knew that she would give me two things, comfort and conscience. She knew what it was like to be in that situation of just dreading what was to come next. She told me that she did not see that in me and that the quality of the work getting down was excellent. She told me that she felt a very palpable change on campus because of the work I was doing.
She also told me to consider all of the things going on in my life with this change. She asked about what my expectations really were in entering administration. What was it that I didn't like? What was it that I couldn't deal with? Would you be willing to go back to the classroom? I remember clearly, "Chris, you aren't married to the job. You can always return to the classroom." It was the first time that I had heard someone else say it (besides Krista who always told me I support you no matter what). It resonated. It made my heart beat with anticipation.
A string of events led me back to a place of comfort much quicker then I ever imagined. At the semester change I went from being at Huntington to being back at Ocean View. It happened because my principal at the time made the calls to set the wheels in motion. It was my principal who saw me as a person first, and not just a warm body who occupied an office, that gave me the pick to start digging toward the light.
The problem was I still hadn't paid her. I owed her money, enough that you usually ask about it (not that she ever has). I went through the rest of the semester at Ocean View regaining my vigor, regaining my life. I sent a thank you note but that was it. I tried to cut ties with the school as much as I could just so I could keep my momentum going in the right direction. I didn't think about the debt until the other day when school started.
I went to the bank today and got the cash necessary for the payment of the debt. I wrote a note and I'll drop it in the mail tomorrow. There is nothing that I will ever be able to say or do to thank her for the career she gave back to me. For the life that she gave back to me. The fact that even though I had identified what was going on that she was instrumental in making sure I got on the fast track to recovery.
Thanks Janie. I hope you have another terrific year.
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