politics everywhere

Monday April 23

The Director of the central school has been promoted. He is now working for the administrative supervision, which is like the superintendency. I work with the pedagogical supervision which handles classroom stuff, but the administrative deals with class sizes and teacher licensing and other stuff I guess. Before teachers had to go to the supervision a few hours away to deal with all that, but now with this newly created position there’ll be a representative of the administrative supervision here in Tacuati. So that’s good.

It creates a vacancy in the school, and also in the area – as Director of the Escuela Central this position is also the Director del Area, director of about seven of the schools in the area. So it’s quite a big deal. For today, the Vice Directora of the central school was acting Directora, but they’re acting fast to have a meeting tomorrow to choose the next Director de la Escuela, and thus Director del Area.

Apparently it’s the teachers of the school who get to meet and select their leader. Interesting, no? I’m trying to imagine what would happen at my old school if the teachers were as much as consulted on who our principal should be. They can vote to promote the Vice Directora or just to put someone else in as Director/a. However, it’s not that simple. Apparently the Mayor and head of the city council have been trying to put pressure to choose one of their cronies, who coincidentally is one of the least caring teachers in the school. The old red-blue loyalties were fierce today during terere at recess.

So at the parents meeting today to introduce the school garden project the teachers were even more divided than usual, and I’m worried that tomorrow’s meeting could create a rift that even the best garden project can’t surpass. I’m not naïve, I understand that politics is everywhere. I just don’t want it to affect my work or the education of the students!!

PS – WORST FEARS REALIZED. Apparently the mayor came to the teacher meeting and demanded that they accept his candidate, which is grossly unfair and, I believe, illegal. The teachers are pissed (the ones who aren’t of the mayor’s political party) and I think are writing a protest letter. I’m trying to stay out of it and am hoping this won’t interfere with my work – for now it’s all the teachers are talking and thinking about.