Searching for a New Principal

In the words of one of the 3/4 teachers; our search for a new principal for next year is the search for American Idol...

The principal at my school has worked at NewBrook for 14 years (I believe this is correct, but otherwise it is somewhere around this number). He is retiring and we must begin the search and interview process for a new principal. This is a HUGE change and change is difficult for people, so I have a feeling that this is going to be a huge production....but you never know.

I am hoping to be somehow involved, as I work closely on a daily basis with the principal but I do know that I am very YOUNG and NEW but who knows... I will be attending the school board meeting tomorrow night to learn more about the search/screen process, clarify the school staff involvement and ask a lot of questions!!!!

It is crazy to think that I have only worked with my principal for a year and have grown quite close and dependent on each other at school, and then he will be gone. Not only is he my surrogate/Vermont Dad, he has supported me and really made my first year of teaching go very smoothly.

I am hopeful for the new principal; for him/her to be organized, structured AND easy to work with!!

Is this a bad sign?

So Sunday night/Monday morning I had a TERRIBLE nightmare. It included 2 of my students. I was at some sort of water park/amusement park with water involved and it was the end of the water park day or activities or whatever was going on (this part is a little fuzzy). I was in some sort of boat or canoe and was strapped in somehow. My 2 students were walking on a pier/boardwalk to get out of the park. All of a sudden, they were in the water and could not swim. They were drowning. PANIC sets in and I (strapped in, in the boat/canoe) try to get out of the boat to try to jump in the water and SAVE my children! I am frantic, finally get out and start to swim over to my students. I wake up as I cannot save them and my students drown to death. I woke up in a sweat and panic and crying.......so traumatic for me!

1. WHO has this type of horrible horrible nightmare about their students?
2. Is this a bad sign?
3. I have only been teaching for 6 months and I am already having nightmares of my students dying?
4. Those 2 students better not get anywhere near water for the next 5 years.
5. I need to try harder to shut my brain off from work thinking when I get home but it is really HARD!!
6. AHHHHHHH!

I am exhausted and cannot wait for my winter break, 1 week off --> going to Florida to visit my Grandparents and stopping in NYC on the way down to visit my Uncle.

Hopefully after this week off from school/work/kids I will be able to turn off the work thinking at home and I will not have any more nightmares about my kids dying. Enough of that!