My Novels

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Changes, Changes, and More Changes



Is it really the middle of August already?  Well, at least we are heading into autumn, which is always my favorite time of year.  I love the last four months of the year, and I don’t really mind August, even though it can be one of the hottest months, because it feels so good knowing that fall is just around the corner.

So, the first part of 2009 was actually not all that eventful, since I still had quite a few students, and curriculum projects always seemed to be an ongoing thing.  One project would get done, and two more would crop up. As I would finish a project, I would almost get anxious that I would run out of those extra tasks, but the worries were unfounded, since there was always something that needed updated, added to, taken out and on and on. It’s not that I did not enjoy teaching, because that was truly the favorite part of my job, but I have always enjoyed having a lot of variety with any job, so the added work was just a bonus for me.
 

When the school was sold, the directors (the original owners) did stay on for a time.  One retired in early 2009 and the other one stayed on until September.  In the spring and over the summer months, new personnel were added to the staff.  Two of them were wonderful additions and the third one, well, not so much.  Unfortunately that person was basically in charge and made some terrible decisions for the school that wound up hurting the school rather than grow it.  This was also during the time when the economy was so bad (well, it’s still not that great, is it…), and even though that person was eventually let go, the damage was done.  Some good things did happen though.  We switched over to a learning management system, which is a type of platform where everything is online, including textbooks and assignments.  There was a lot of work involved with learning this new LMS, but it was actually a lot of fun, at least most of the time. The staff went into it with a bit of trepidation, because it was a pretty big change, but in the end, it worked out pretty well.  There were a few things I would have liked to have done differently, but no job ever goes exactly the way you think it should go, right? 

I don’t remember the exact sequence of events, but over the next few years the logo of the school and the name of the school were changed, along with a brand new website.  It was a very busy time with lots of projects, meetings, and keeping up with students.  I also switched from an independent contractor to an employee, and that was a huge change for me, as I had been working as an IC since 1990.  I liked being my own boss, but it was also kind of nice to have a paid vacation for the first time in about 20 years. 

Even though there were some very difficult things to work through over the first few years of working under new ownership, I have to say mostly I still felt very fortunate to have a job I loved.  One of the new hires, the director of education, I had the pleasure of meeting in person when my husband and I took a long weekend in Seattle.  We met for coffee, and Joe said he would go for a walk or check out some stores.  What was supposed to be maybe an hour or so of chit chat turned into many hours and a very long walk for Joe!  But it felt so great to connect so easily with someone I now consider a friend as well as colleague.  Plus I discovered the great city of Seattle and hope to make it back there someday.  Maybe it was because we stayed at the same hotel where the Beatles once stayed.  That in itself was pretty darn cool, even if being a Beatles fan is dating myself! 

More big changes both personally and professionally were on the way in 2011, which I will save for next time.  I’m almost catching up to the present, but I still have a lot to say.  Being the writer that I am (or at least aspire to be), I never seem to run out of words. Until next time, enjoy your day and thanks as always for your continued support! 

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