Retired Principal Tales

Taking One Day at a Time

Tag: writing

  • I Will Always Wonder

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    Susie Grace
    in

    My mother was from England. I have always wondered why she and my grandmother decided to make the voyage to live in the United States. She came to the US at the age of 17. She had graduated from Dormer-Wells School at that age. Upon arrival, she started to work at a bank in Boston.…

  • Who Knew?

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    Susie Grace
    in

    Today, I woke up and willed myself to attend my first Pickleball lesson. It was a good thing the instructor was a good friend! I got dressed and put the tennis shoes on, worried that my bunions would hurt. I do not wear normal shoes most of the time unless you call flipflops a normal…

  • Efficiency

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    Susie Grace
    in

    I heard that the government might reopen soon. This just blows my mind. How can you just shut down the government? What if educators just decided to shut down schools because they did not agree with something? I know that school would be closed often because there are always reasons for disagreement. Why are the…

  • God Help Our Society

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    Susie Grace
    in

    In all of my years on Earth, I feel that our society is at an all-time low. I worry about this world for my kids and grandchildren. I wish they could grow up in the sixties like I did. Times seemed so innocent on the country farm as a child, but I know the times…

  • Trying My Best

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    Susie Grace
    in

    Technology is great when you are familiar with it. I’m teaching an online course this semester. I’d rather be in person, but this is ok. Yesterday, I flipped on the computer a couple of hours earlier than my class to finish the preparation. Low and behold, the online meeting app had been changed. I knew…

  • First Day

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    Susie Grace
    in

    The first day of school is just not the same. I miss it. I can’t wait for the kids to come home and tell me about their day. Of course, I will ask them what they learned, and they will say the infamous “nothing”. I always laugh when they tell me that because I know…

  • Tough Days

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    Susie Grace
    in

    Autism is a blessing and a curse all at the same time. I have lived with this over forty years with my daughter before the word “autism” was even a common diagnosis. We have good days most of the time, but today is one of the tough days. Her sugar levels are up which makes…

  • Personalities

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    Susie Grace
    in

    Being a principal was sometimes challenging due to dealing with different personalities. Knowing how to address each personality was key to being successful. For a comprehensive look at the principalship and how to manage various personalities, I recommend reading Shifting the Monkey by Tod Whitaker. This was THE most helpful book I read during my…

  • Learning Lessons

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    Susie Grace
    in

    My new pup has many lessons to learn, although she has come a long way from the day she came to live here. Of course, potty training has been a significant focus. Unbelievably, she has picked up on this most critical skill quickly. She only gets up once during the night and alerts me that…

  • “I Do Not Care Club” Retirement Version

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    Susie Grace
    in

    I have been watching TikTok lately. I enjoy the musings of the We Do Not Care Club, where millions of women going through menopause share what they no longer care about. I certainly can relate as a retired principal, mother, and grandma who has already been through that change of life. I literally laugh aloud…