Schadenfreude

Normally, I do not wish ill on those I do not like, especially if young children will be impacted at some point. I do, however, have to admit to feeling a slight giggle in my soul when I read this yesterday. You see, the principal in question is my former boss. I want to share one story about this guy. I have dozens more, but those involve other people and I don't have their permission to tell their stories.

The story starts in the November before Andrew came home. Our home study had just been approved by Ontario and was in the process of being translated into Chinese. Out of no where, a co-worker and his wife adopt a domestically born baby girl. Their process had been far more covert and it seems that paperwork from the employer was not needed. For Andrew's adoption, I needed to supply a letter of recommendation from my direct supervisor and a letter from HR stating my salary and length of employment. The sudden news shook me up a little and I found myself in anxious tears and even feeling guilty about crying at their happiness. Of course, I wasn't actually crying at their happiness, just at my own situation. I was even terrified to attend the first staff meeting after their bundle arrived because I couldn't handle all the emotions seeing of cooing co-workers and the delivery of baby gifts. Thankfully, the new parent wasn't there and a number of other teachers seemed to sense my anxiety. I remember quite distinctly a veteran English teacher gently grabbing my arm and sincerely asking me how I was doing. Of course I dissolved into tears. I crawled to a corner and sniffled into a tissue for the whole meeting.

Perhaps ten minutes after the meeting was adjourned, I was in my classroom, preparing to leave when a friend of mine came to my room. She told me that the principal (the guy mentioned in the article) asked her "Why was TC crying?" She, as best as she could, explained that the recent adoption news had hit me pretty hard. He replied, "What, why? She jealous?" My head spun, I just couldn't believe it. I work in a small district where I have worked hard to earn the respect of people at all levels of the hierarchy. This sometimes helps me open doors that others can't even find and I was able to make an appointment with the superintendent the very next day. At this meeting, he assured me that I would immediately receive an apology letter.

I don't know how many days passed, but a typed letter did eventually show up in my school mailbox. It said something to the effect of "sorry you were offended." Two more letters, with the same sentiment were tried. Two months later, the superintendent, the principal, my union president, and I sat down in my classroom. After an hour of I can't remember what, my union president exasperatedly asked,"Are you going to to say sorry or what?" Like a child forced to apologize for hitting a sibling, he said something that resembled sorry and he and I spoke less than 15 times in the next four years. That's amazingly low considering that I was and still am the Student Council adviser.

This is just one story. I could regale you with the time he told a student I was bullshit because I taped the pep rally plans to his door. Or about the time he told other people in the district that he had the worst staff in the district. Or the time he actually told his staff that he didn't "do e-mail." Or the way he pounded his chest and slapped hands with some of the biggest, most violent assholes in the building and allowed them to call him "Vic." But I can feel the hate in my soul rising to a dangerous level.

You see, I took a leave last year and I told everyone that it was because Andrew was starting school. It was really because I was going to break and my whole being was consumed with rage toward this moron. I am in a much better place mentally because of my decision.