“Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Turn and face the strange
Ch-ch-changes
There’s gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I can’t trace time“

These Bowie lyrics have been running through my head this morning. My incredible partner in life, Sue, will, in two short weeks, retire from Greenwich High, pretty much the only place she has ever worked since getting there (there was that singular anomaly of one year in Weston, but that mistake was quickly corrected). More than 3 decades spent at the top of her game, in perhaps, the most difficult of circumstances, SPED, will close out on what will likely be a chilly fall afternoon.

Having faced similar changes 8 years ago, at, coincidentally exactly the same time, had my thoughts racing about changes. I spent 25 years at GHS myself (that’s where we met), and I have nothing be incredibly fond memories of a place and leaders that allowed me to grow, encouraged me to try things, to make mistakes as long as I recognized and corrected them. I once asked Bernie Capuano, the person in charge of Math, Science and Technology for the entire district (yes, once upon a time there were leaders capable of doing all those jobs well) a question, his response was something that still rings in my thoughts: “figure it out, I hired you, I trust you…” How do you NOT go miles above and beyond not to disappoint someone who puts that much faith in your ability? There was no micromanaging!! It was not just Bernie, it was the top leadership at the district, the Headmaster at GHS, the Housemasters, the Department Chairs, and the building principals at the various schools. There was a chain of leadership and support that encouraged the professionals they brought on to do their best.

One of the routines Sue and I have each evening is to “catch up” from the day during happy hour. Over the past few years I, who now enjoy a wonderful few hours each day having returned to my “roots”, teaching in small Catholic school, where I am treated exactly as I talked about above, frequently talk for a few minutes, “I went it, I taught, I had fun, I came home, I walked the dog….” Then Sue regales me with not only Tales of Brave Ulysses, but each story seems to be more and more a chorus from a Harry Chapin Song:

“Dance band on the Titanic
Sing “Nearer, my God, to Thee”
The iceberg’s on the starboard bow
Won’t you dance with me

Mama stood cryin’ at the dockside
Sayin’ “Please son, don’t take this trip”
I said “Mama, sweet Mama, don’t you worry none”
“Even God couldn’t sink this ship”

Well, the whistle blew and they turned the screws
It turned the water into foam
Destination sweet salvation
Goodbye home sweet home“

It is heart breaking to me that such an incredible place, is, in fact, now just like the Titanic in so many ways, rudderless, leaderless (well, there are people in leadership positions but they are simply tokens and the micromanaging and LACK of trust in their autonomy comes directly from the top) and firmly headed for that same euphemistic iceberg. I realize that change is natural, but during the previously mentioned 25-35 years we were both involved in, there were changes, but the trust in the “grunts” and the support they have been afforded has declined over the past 10 years to the point where it truly is untenable. A simple example is staffing reductions: Once upon a time there were two Resource Room teachers, each with their own full time para so that they were able to properly work with the individual needs of each of the kids, then it became ONE para to be shared, and now there are none…oh, and the caseloads have gone UP, not down, paperwork has INCREASED, not decreased and the needs of the kids have increased exponentially due to societal changes (including parents wanting new kids and figuring the school is the place to have that happen). It’s not just in one area, it’s across the board, in all disciplines, but that’s just a single, ringing example of the fact that no one in charge has listened to the lookout screaming “Iceberg, right ahead”.

Once upon a time, when I was much younger, I asked an incredibly talented colleague, why she decided to stop teaching AP classes (and this was before anyone was allowed to “try” anything, it was when we actually had standards)…her answer was simple “You’ll know when it’s your time to step away”.

While the life changes Sue’s retirement will bring can be scary for both of us, we are very grateful that we’ve both managed, in our own time, to get seats in the lifeboat…before we got to the verse in Harry’s song

“Well, they soon used up all of the lifeboats
But there were a lot of us left on board
I heard the drummer sayin’ “Boys, just keep playin'”
“Now we’re doin’ this gig for the Lord”