I am really surprised at how I am reacting to the news I got yesterday.

To relieve me of my ridiculous student load, the administration had initially proposed (promised) a new teacher who was capable of teaching regular and native Spanish classes.  I would teach mostly French, and maybe one or two sections of Spanish.

Yesterday, an assistant principal came up to my room, saying that she would stay with the students since the principal needed to see me immediately.  My first reaction, as it usually is whenever the principal asks to see me, was terror that the blog had been discovered.  As usual, I was wrong (the blog lives another day!) and instead I got that news that I would be moved to teaching only Spanish, and a current teacher at the school would take on French 1. 

The new French (former english) teacher is "named" Mrs. Botta.  Mrs. Botta had been teaching French before I arrived at the school, and the reason that I was given her classes was because her CEI (classroom effectiveness index... acronym revival here) was extremely low.  My boss hired me so that the language department wouldn't stagnate at level one, but rather flourish into the higher levels.  More or less, that is what has happened despite some major obstacles: the French program took off.

When I told my supervisor the news from the principal meeting (supervisor was absent otherwise she would have been there already) she almost cried.  She literally put her head in her hands and sighed.  I realized this was working out much better for me (smaller classes, less preparation), but the department would suffer quite a bit.

When I got back to my room, I got started replacing all the french student work with spanish stuff. As I started pulling down the first poster, I realized that I wasn't stressed, I wasn't angry, I wasn't indifferent... I was extremely sad.  I started analyzing this since I was so surprised, and the reasons popped up pretty easily: I've worked really hard! I got to know the kids! The shocking thing is, I've never related to my job like that.  I've heard other people do it, and I've seen it on cheesy teacher appreciation plaques.  But this job has always been an interim money-maker while I finish my degree and move on to bigger/better things.  I guess it still is.  But now I recognize I'm much more attached than I thought I was.