Post contributed by (the magnificent) Margaret Mains
As we officially wrap up the first semester of the school year, I have caught myself saying the plot is completely unbelievable at this point. For some reason, this year at St. Andrew’s has felt particularly zany. A prime example being a literal (small and contained) fire in the Admin office closet the other week. While the building was still evacuated, right on cue, our kind UPS driver walked up the sidewalk holding a box containing a Christmas Kringle– cheap gimmicks and unbelievable writing if you ask me.
When I first made the move from the 5th grade teacher to Executive Assistant and Registrar, people were curious about the differences between the two jobs. Even though my desk is probably 100 yards from my old classroom, at times the two roles feel a world apart. It is very hard to compare the two yet they still feel so intertwined.
Instead of cringing each time the “First semester grading is live” email arrived in my inbox, I am now the one who sends that email. I used to have 75+ students who were dependent on me daily, now adults are my main points of contact, and I still get to see a handful of students. The laptop that was used for updating lesson plans or grading one more project before bed is the same laptop I use to take Board of Trustee meeting minutes long after carpool has ended.
One of the biggest differences is not having as much of a universal experience with the people with whom I work most closely. When I taught, I knew what my other grade level teachers were up to – I knew about what units they were teaching, we were interacting with the same students and parents, and standing in the same spots during recess duty. We were all adjusting our plans based on field trips, sicknesses, and olympic meetings. Now, I have the same camaraderie and great group of coworkers but all of our directives are so vastly different. I have a basic understanding of what our offices do but have no concept of the hundreds of procedures that go into making those offices successful.
Looking at the school from a different vantage point, I am more humbled by the diverse and vital roles we all play at this school. Thank the Lord for the coaches who will referee dodgeball, the business office who preps all the cash boxes, the teachers who add memes to their study guides, and the person who is willing to smile and say “::insert # of days:: to go!” when they walk by even though they are up to their eyeballs in work.
The rhythm of the school year feels the same and I find this comforting too! That rhythm right now is whacky. We are spent, weighed down by obligations in and out of the workplace, and feeling the effect of the third Christmas Kringle to arrive in the office (that last one might just be me). Fingers crossed for a completely anticlimactic end of the semester! I hope we all return rested and take comfort in the universal experiences and the dozens of things we each do to keep our little world spinning.