Once a month

My last post is about not posting much. That was a month ago, now. How boring would it be, if now, a month later, I posted about the same boring lack of posting. Boring.

Here is the other reason I have not been posting, much: I have been "playing my cards close to my chest," so to speak.

Part of the "lot going on" I referenced, was a difficult and emotionally draining family process that ultimately resulted in a decision to resign my position here as principal of Casablanca American School.

It wasn't something appropriate to blog about, but it was forward (right behind doing the best job I know how to do at running a school) in my thoughts. Thus the "radio silence."

Further, the school community needed to hear about that decision before general public (the two of you, blog readers). Now, they have. Here is what I said:

"What’s Up: January 8, 2010
FROM THE UPPER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

Dear CAS Family,

I have the unpleasant task this week of making a difficult announcement to the community. I need to let each of you know that, essentially for family and personal reasons, Arlee and I will not be returning to CAS for the ensuing school year.

I would like to take the liberty of quoting a segment of the letter I sent to Dr. Lee:

It is a pleasure and a privilege to work for and with you, and the administrative team, and the fine faculty and staff. It is truly an outstanding group of educators that comprises the CAS crew; that reality has made this decision an especially difficult one at which to arrive.

Students, staff, and parents, we are deeply grateful for the warm welcome, and for the support we have received from so many of you. We look forward to a productive completion of this year and will work towards a smooth transition to new staffing of our positions for next year.

Under Dr. Lee’s executive leadership, and with the hard work of a fine staff, a caring board, and an involved parent community, I know this institution will continue to prosper, and will continue to move in a positive direction."

So now what? We made the difficult and professionally costly decision to cut short our stay in Morocco. We know as a family that it is the right decision for us right now. At the same time, I would not trade the experience for anything. I have learned a lot, and have enjoyed many aspects of our short time here. I know those two things (fun and learning) will continue, along with frustration and challenge. But, we have plunged into personal and professional uncertainty, which is a stress and challenge of its own. As my good mother would term it, "A self-inflicted wound."

I've been busy.

I had a great week in Berlin. I was a strong finalist, but not the chosen candidate, to take over the American High School Principal position at John F. Kennedy School (a German public school with a bicultural, bilingual mission). I learned a lot in that week, as well. And, met some wonderful people, made new friends, and consumed substantial wurst and bier. I practiced my German language skills, and connected with my Teutonic roots.

I have very selectively forwarded a small number of other applications, looking carefully for potential "fit" for my whole family. Making those contacts is time consuming.

So, don't look for a lot of blogging, or even for more posts about how there are not very many posts.

But, let me know if you know of a good school looking for a good leader. Or, possibly a good coffeehouse looking for a rookie barista.

I'm looking.

A lot going on

My largely imaginary audience may have been disgruntled to notice that there have not been very many updates--posts, which I like to incorrectly call "blogs," since I began as principal at Casablanca American School.

To you, then, I apologize. Let me say, I've been busy. On a steep learning curve. Learning. Having fun, working long hours, and, learning.

Plus, I get to write, or, actually, I am required to write (not that I'm complaining, just to be clear) an article for the "What's Up," the bi-weekly parent and community newsletter that the school puts out.

That, I guess, has been feeding my need to blog. Also, Marti (the admissions director, and communications person), is good about including a (usually flattering) picture of me along with my article. That is always good.

I suppose I could write here about some of our family adventures on holidays--we have been to Essaouira, a seaport city to the southwest of us here in Casablanca, to Marrakesh, the European "exotic vacation" center, and to London, this Christmas--for a dose of English, of order, and of ale.

But, I am making posts about that to Facebook.

What can I tell you, dear readers (both of you): watch this space for updates, and perhaps things will change.

Or, perhaps not. That will be OK, too. In the meantime, thanks for your support.

Oh, yes, and a very happy new year! 2010 will be a great year. Mark my words.

Too many exclamation points.

The last two blog titles (OK, like Mike Smith of The Principal's Page Blog, I misuse the term. A blog is the whole thing; this is a "post," or an "entry." I don't care. I'm calling this a blog). My last two blog titles end with exclamation points. I don't like to think of myself as that excitable of a guy.

Positive, OK. But, I always cringe when I see extraneous exclamation points in others' writing. Exclamation points belong at the end of sentences like, "Ouch!"

Multiple exclamation points don't belong anywhere!!! (I don't think I ever did that before. Alright, it was kind of fun. Fun!!! Huh?!? Holy punctuation, Batman!!!!)

So in the future I will try to control myself, and limit exclamation points to true exclamations.

I have found, that as we adjust to our lives in Morocco, each member of our family is more apt to "exclaim" than we were before. It is simply the nature of things here.

Maybe that explains it.

(!)

Too busy to blog!

What an excellent school I have found. What a vibrant city. What engaging colleagues. What polite students. Life is good.

Busy, but good. Challenging, but good. Noisy, but good. Frustrating, sometimes, but good.

The thing is, with scrambling to put our family's life together here in Morocco, navigating a vertical learning curve on both a personal and professional front (not around broad philosophical questions, or around my understanding of "how to be an effective instructional leader," but around things like, "where do I get a three-hole punch--oh, we don't use three holes, we use four with A4 paper...so then, how do I make a photocopy...I can't until the photocopier technician gets back from vacation?"...etc.), and with working hard to get teachers and students off to a good start this school year, I notice I have not posted to my blog in over a month.

I'm sure all my readers are sorely disappointed.

Just as my (analog) real-time, real-stuff, real life is in disarray, so is my digital life. I have a daily electronic newsletter for my teachers (which I am tentatively titling "Patrick's Ponderings" for lack of a better idea), an Ed-line page, a long-neglected personal website, a Facebook page, this blogspot, at least three active e-mail accounts beside the one at school, and still-active accounts associated with my Reedsport principalship.

And probably some other things I can't remember right now.

Please be patient as I unpack my boxes. My real cardboard boxes, of books, clothes, toys, and bizarre things that I have no idea why we packed, and, my virtual boxes of digital life, all over cyberspace.

Please remind ME to be patient as I unpack my boxes.

I'm sure it will all be sorted out soon.

Or, maybe not.

So I will really need to learn French and Arabic!

At this writing I have completed my first week in Morocco. I had heard Casablanca described as a city of contrasts, and indeed I have found that to be true. I have experienced a week of contrasts, a week of ups and downs. I have had a week of exhilarations and depressions in rapid succession. I have had a week of challenges, and a week of challenges met.

One moment, I found myself stranded without a working cell phone, alone, and apparently unable to communicate simple ideas. Three successive taxicab drivers shook their heads sadly and motored away, unable to understand or unwilling to take me to my desired destination. I was frustrated, hot, and breathing acrid diesel fumes. That was a down.

Another moment on the same day, I found myself sitting and enjoying a cold beverage, delicious food and intelligent, stimulating conversation with new colleagues at a comfortable outdoor table in a funky, interesting club. That was an up.

It has been like that.

On the whole, I can see that I've landed in a great spot. Wonderful people, a fascinating city and culture, a top-notch school and the promise of rewarding professional challenge converge to elicit excitement and positive anticipation of the upcoming months and years.

Caveat: the challenges of living abroad, in what is in many ways a developing nation, are certainly present. And, you know, that adds to the excitement and anticipation as well.

It is what we were looking for.

Morocco: I'm lovin' it.  I hope.

Development section

I taught International Baccalaureate Music (theory and history) during my time at International School Manila; one of the topics we spent time on was sonata-allegro form. In a nutshell, classical composers adhered to a general roadmap for the first movement of a symphony: an exposition, where musical elements and ideas are introduced, a development section, where the ideas are explored, modulated and exploited, and a recapitulation, where the original ideas return transformed--in a new key.

A thought occurred to me the other day while driving a long stretch up Highway 101, listening to a public radio station playing classical music. That feeling of unrest, that lack of a "home key," that feeling of many ideas and elements interweaving kaleidoscopically, moving toward but not yet achieving stability--our family has moved into the development section of our symphony.

Which means, if we extend that analogy, all we have to do is hang on, enjoy the nuances of the music, and in time stability will return.

We can do that. And we will look forward to the next movement.

If a tree falls in the forest?

I still keep a journal. I don't write in it all that often, but the way I approach it is that I just sit down and begin typing (or, writing in longhand, because I keep a leather-bound volume, and also a Word file in an expression of perpetual analog/digital indecision). I use a free-write / quick-write / "Artist's Way" / stream-of-consciousness technique. That is, I just keep my fingers moving, or the pen, in the analog case, and whatever comes out is what comes out.

What comes out is not great writing, but it is often cathartic, or stress-relieving. It helps me process. It is not intended for an audience; the process is the product.

I approach this blog a little differently. I spend slightly more time composing my thoughts, and I pause occasionally to gather them. I try to write cogently and with some semblance of organization and purpose. It is intended for an audience.

That would be you.

Here's the thing: I don't think anyone is reading my blog. (Of course, if you (audience) ARE reading this, I am wrong about that). (And, if you are my English-teacher wife, I am in trouble for...nesting parentheses (I love you, dear)).

Which brings me to my topic: If a blogger blogs in cyberspace, and there is no one there to perceive it, does it make a sound? That is, is it valid, as a communication? As an expression?

Because, did I mention, I don't think anyone is reading my blog.

I have an answer to that: it's OK with me if you don't read my blog. It is serving a purpose in my life of expressing written thought to an IMAGINED audience, and that is good enough.

Now, if a man speaks in the forest, and his wife is not there to hear him, is he still wrong?