The more I talk to people behind the scenes, the clearer picture I get about Palpatine's perception of our music program. One set of music parents went in to have a meeting with her, to discuss why it seems to be so hard to enroll their kid in the program: last year the compute booted their kid out of band three times and this year, band wan't even an option on the 8th grade elective list. Apparently Palpatine did some grade-A butt kissing. But in a "side" conversation, the status of the program was brought up... and it seems that my name was thrown out as a "cause" of the program's woes. Immediately, these people jumped to my defense. These people know me very well; their older daughter graduated from *MY SCHOOL* two years ago, after having been one of my students for her entire high school career. In fact, they told Palpatine how beneficial the music department had been for the older child... how it gave her so many things to help her grow. And to this, Palpatine responded "Well, that was before *MY NAME*'s time." Folks, I'd been at *MY SCHOOL* for a good four years by the time the older duaghter had arrived! They corrected her on this as well.
So there it is, Palpatine has no concept of *MY SCHOOL* before her arrival. She doesn't even know how long I've been here, nor what impact I've really had on the department or the school for that matter. She honestly thinks that the department has been in a downslide since I've been here... that things were better before. And given that Weasel seems to have her trust (something suggested by an unamed staff member just this afternoon)... it is no surprise that her perception of me is thus.
Ordinarily, developments with Palpatine send me home feeling bad about myself. Today I went home pissed. With just a few mouse clicks, I can remedy that with an SOS out to every alum from the last nine years, particularly the ones who were around in 1998.... and before... I can bring in testimony from the former music teachers at *MY SCHOOL*. Something inside me is telling me to wait a while longer.... but soon perhaps.
Still, I am angered by what has become apparent: If someone asks why our program is so small, it seems that she is pointing the blame at me.
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Be angrier than your post's title would imply. The only way to give that knife back is to stick it to her -- metaphorically, of course.
I'm with you. What's to get done?
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