Wow.. it's nice to be back to school today after a snow day yesterday. Who wouldn't love the irony of April Fool's Day being a snow day!!

We started the school day with a staff meeting, scheduling concerns for next year. On the one hand, I appreciate being asked what our thoughts and concerns and wants are as far as next year goes. But on the other hand, do we really have ANY say? The budget constraints really decide what happens. The contract decides how many hours we will teach. Our certifications decide where/what we will be teaching. It seems almost as if asking makes it worse. So many staff members make requests from their own perspective, without regard or consideration for the school as a whole, what is reasonable, or what is even best for kids.

I know.. I sound down... maybe just a little. I long for the days when we had enough staff to creatively schedule, do things "outside the box" and experiment. Now, with decreasing enrollment and staff, we are so locked into the only possibilities that it seems overwhelming to even try and think about the what might work better ideas....

**sigh**