Emotional detachment from school

So I am on two weeks medical leave recovering from my unfortunate ectopic pregnancy and wondering what's happening in the world outside or most importantly; my school!

Just prior to my falling so suddenly so sick, I had made huge plans to celebrate the mother's day in the kindergarten in a unique way. The day Stfn had returned and I had left the school early in order to attend my appointment with my gynec, I had gone to the stationary shop and bought stickers, card construction papers, wrapping paper and several other materials for gift making. I had already obtained family pictures and mother's pictures from all the parents and had planned that children would stick their mother's picture on to a big red construction paper and make a collage design by sticking 'I Love You' cut outs from a special wrapping paper which had 'I love You' printed on it as design. This would be like a wall hanging Photo. Further more, I had planned to make a Happy Mother's Day greeting card on a special stiff glossy golden construction paper by sticking bright yellow velvet flowers, bright green velvet leaves, sticker butterflies and sticker hearts. Still further, I had planned to shoot and send videos of all the children singing a short mother's song for their mother and individually saying "I love you mama!" through the email.
All great plans to the trash bin now...!

I did hear, through Asy of course, that Stfn has has gone on leave from the kindergarten again, this time for performing some last rituals for her deceased grand mother. Asy herself has not been going to the school as she developed a painful hearing problem in her ear and also because Stf's attitude bothered her so much. She doesn't want to set foot in this kindergarten again because of Stf but probably she will come round in a day or so. I wonder who managed my class and how in the absence of all the three teachers of my group missing at the same time.

The website of the school has now only two old teachers to flaunt about: Mk and myself. Mr from Greece is on number one as she is the manager. Shockingly, there are nearly six or more new Greek teachers from Greece too. Asy had leaked this news to me that Stf has hired a Greek agency which is helping her in providing cheap teachers. At this rate however, our school would soon turn into a Greek one.

I am myself experiencing a strange detachment from this school now, something which I hadn't thought possible a few days ago. Uptill now I had been feeling guilty at being constrained to leave the school at a crucial time, but not now anymore. The day Asy told me Stf is back on her previous practice of blindly committing blunders, I lost all my sympathies with her. In about one and a half month, I shall be heading to another city with a complete set of another problems and situations to think about than a school whose owner has more interest in coveting other's boyfriends or spending long exotic romantic vacations with fresh new partners every time than thinking about the running of the school and which she accomplishes by appointing cheaply paid inefficient people and allows the school and the aspirations of the parents, teachers and the children to flow down the drains like gutter waste.

People like Stf never learn anything; they don't need to; they have enough money to just enjoy the comforts and joys a rich life has to offer much like fish enjoy being in water, without bothering about anything else on the planet. What a waste of life!

Asy's Plight

I have finally returned back home after spending four uncomfortable days in the hospital. H has also returned back home after living in N, Bhv's house for the same period of time. We all marvel at his ability of doing so without the least resistance; it is something unusual for such young children to stay away from their parents in such situations.

Today I rang the school and informed Marcel, who first picked up the phone and told him everything; knowing that it was a feminine problem, he discreetly gave the phone to Ndn whom I told in a bit of detail what exactly had happened to me. I just got an uncomfortable feeling that Ndn has also fallen out with me due to my falling out with Stfn.

Asy rang me to find out how I was. Today we had a very personal chat and I discovered so many shocking news that I am still tingling with sensation. It has given me something else to think about other than my stinging stitches

Asy's boy friend was Stf's boy friend twenty years ago. Then they broke up and each went their own way, ending up in each other's orbit in the present scenario. He is a very rich man and has lent some amount of money to Stf in setting up the kindergarten. Because of his obligations, he requested her to employ Asy in the kindergarten on a minimal salary of just 600 Euros/- a month although she has no teaching qualification or even school degree. Her modelling career isn't exactly thriving and because of no other professional qualification she is in danger of becoming totally unemployed. Stf had promised her boyfriend that at the end of Asy's one year in this school, she would give her a certificate that would enable her to get some decent employment in any school. Asy herself had started working here because she desperately needs that certificate and was doing her best to help Stf in all the ways she could in her position. A few days ago, she had a big fight with her boy friend and broke up for a short time while Asy went to live somewhere else. Later when they patched up and got together again, she learnt that Stf all the time had been talking ill to Asy about her boyfriend but at the same would ring him up every day any time of the day or night, often late at night at around three a.m. and would suggest he and she should go together on an exotic holiday for some days just to relax and just like friends.

Asy, despite being so very young and stunningly beautiful  feels very alone and insecure with this current state of affairs. Stf is trying to (or tried to) set her cap on Asy's fiance and Asy herself is growing older with nothing substantial in her hands, neither a solid career, nor a solid relationship. So far as I can read between the lines, I think she deliberately chose an old and aged boyfriend because of her dire financial straits. To support herself she has also worked as a cleaner once. She desperately wants to get married to someone rich and stable in life to end her woes. This would be possible in her current relationship with her boyfriend by having a child with him but even that hope has been thrice blighted.

She was sobbing on phone. I tried to console her as best I was capable of.  Considering how Stf is trying to damage her relationship with her boyfriend and was actually suggesting to have a romantic jaunt with him makes her hate Stf. She can't bear to look at her without being reminded of her diabolical nature. But she desperately needs the certificate which means she has to continue working here. Stf has made it painfully clear that Asy is not important to her and that she is neither capable of any work in the kindergarten except cleaning soiled diapers, nor anywhere else.

She also told me some stunning stories about her very troubled childhood regarding her past life memories. I am not writing them here in order to keep them confidential. When I heard them I was truly stunned but I fully believe her. I am so sorry for her. I will pray to God to help her.

I am in hospital

The day this episode with Stfn and Nn's news of leaving ocurred, I hadn't the faintest idea how the day was going to end for me.

I went home, drank my coffee, mailed Jr and Fr's birthday party pictures to all the parents all along having acute pain in my abdomen. I had been experiencing sharp pain in my belly since the morning but I had just carried on with it hoping it would subside. In fact since since two or more weeks I had been getting sharp mysterious pains. I had already consulted my urologist who ruled out kidney stone and my gynecologist too had confirmed there was nothing wrong despite my having abnormal bleeding.
Little by little, the pain started growing so badly that I lay down clutching my belly and crying in pain. The pain steadily kept increasing. I was abnormally thirsty, drank 7-8 glasses of water but was not able to pee.
I was afraid now something was wrong. I rang S who was in his German class at that time. When he came back home, I had nearly started collapsing.
He quickly called a taxi, bundled H asleep in his nightsuit and we went in emergency. They checked for the stone everywhere but couldn't find it. Instead they found that I was pregnant! They shifted me in an ambulance to another hospital where I was diagnosed with an ectopic pregnancy which needed surgery right away.

I was operated at about 1.30 in the night to remove the ectopic pregnancy and now I have to remain in the hospital for four days, today being the third day. We had to leave H with N and Bhv. They are taking good care of H. They even drop H and Bhv together to school and pick them up together. Both Bhv and H are together enjoying themselves and having the time of their life.
I hope to recover as fast as I am capable of but I know that this surgery will be a great speed breaker for me. I am still trying to recover from the shock that I had been actually two months pregnant without either my knowing it or even my gynecologist who is supposed to know or at least to check me for pregnancy. Right now I am just thankful that my tubes didn't rupture; I had come very close to doing just that.

I have been prescribed two weeks rest which sounds like two centuries. And at the end of two weeks, S's sister and her husband are coming for a visit of fifteen days. We had been making vigrorus plans of sight seeing with them. Now with this surgery I feel so dampened that I may not be able to do all that I had planned to. It might even strain me beyond my capacity.

And then, as soon as they will leave, it will be time for us to move to new city where S has to join his new company!

So much is happening so soon...

Brawl between Asy and Stf

Asy rang me to find out how I was. We started talking about my health and but naturally drifted on to the subject of school. She had something shocking to tell me and I was eager to know.

Asy has had a fight with Stf - over the new manager!
While Asy reported that the manager isstarting out totally tactless, Stf out rightly refused to believe her by saying she was excellent and hardworking and she just loved her. Her reasons for believing Mr? Mr herself came and reported everything negative/positive to Stf, painted the whole character sketch of every single teacher, discussed the stupidity of different gifts made by different groups, spoke about Asy in glowing terms saying Asy is such a wonderful teacher (when in fact Asy is not a teacher, does no teaching work in class and was the one giving pert replies to her) and proposed a fatal sounding plan of having regular staff meetings every Friday instead of every second Thursday as we have it right now.

"This is not right, Stf." Warned Asy, "You are committing the same mistake again - of believing blindly in just one person and not listening to the others too. You did the same thing with As, Mz and My and now you are doing it again."
"You know nothing about teaching, managing or Mr." Retorted Stf insultingly. "You are not a teacher. You cannot judge what's right and wrong for a kindergarten. I have complete trust in Mr; she is very highly educated and experienced. She is right to suggest that every group should have made the same gift for mother's day and also to have meetings every Friday. She is very very nice. She was saying all nice things about you which surprises me because you are speaking so badly for her. Mk is also very happy with her and can't say enough in her praise."

Asy knows why Mr was speaking nicely about her; because Asy had introduced herself as Stf's friend! Who newly appointed worker would be so foolish as to start by talking ill of his boss's friend to no other than his boss himself? We also know why Mk was praising Mr; because Mk is an ambitious man. He is worming his way steadily deep into Stf's confidence by saying things to her which she wants to hear and he doesn't mean. We all know he was as much pissed off by Mr's insulting manner of speaking as any of us yet he went to Stf and sang hymns in praises of the same instead of plainly telling her what had happened!

I wouldn't be surprised if Mk turns out to be Stf's next new boyfriend. Stf is forty seven and Mk is twenty seven!

Stfn is horrible

Today while I was getting the mother's day craft activity done by the children, Stfn casually told me that Nn is leaving the kindergarten.
"What? Why? When?" I cried.
"Yes, she is leaving though not immediately but at the end of June, just one month before the summer holidays."
"How do you know?"
"I came to know about this just two days ago."
"Just two days ago?" I echoed disbelievingly. "Great! You joined the school just two days after a really really long holiday and you came in at 9 0' clock and got this news? You have been in possession of this information since two days and did not once consider that you should tell me?
"Err...no, I mean I learnt this information while I was away on my leave."
"Really? But you yourself confessed to me that you were so distraught with grief that you switched off your mobile, shut off your computer and were not in touch with anybody at all. You mean, even at that time you entertained Nn's call?"
"Err no, no, it was before that, before I broke my tooth."
"Stfn, you have been absent from the school, off and on since more than a month. I find it insulting to believe that I was present in the school all the time but I didn't know this information, while you have been absent from the school since a really long time and yet you know it."
"Err, no, it was before that."
"Before what? You didn't think it was important for me to know since I am the group teacher?"

I felt I was on fire! I could almost feel myself going up in wild flames. I know she is very close and friendly with both Nn and Onm's mother. I had seen her talk to Nn's mother intimately on mobile and telling her everything that was happening and in fact Nn's mother was even calling her back on mobile. I know that Onm's mother discovered about her resignation long before anyone in the school knew and that was the reason behind her withdrawing Onm away from this school. There have been rumors in the school that Onm is going to the same kindergarten where Stfn has got her job, in fact he is going to be in Stfn's group.
It is not difficult to guess that she has been instigating the parents to withdraw their children from this school.

I asked her point blank:
"Stfn, I have heard Onm is joining the same kindergarten as you and will be in your group as well. Is this true?"
She nodded. Asy jumped up.
"But Stfn, today in the morning you were telling me that you didn't know that Onm was leaving; you discovered just yesterday?"

She had no answer to give to us...!

I was so disgusted with her. She calls herself professional and does everything that is not. She cribs about others doing wrong things or unpleasant things but herself does the same. She thinks her friends don't support her but she herself has no idea how to behave with her friends. She is disgusting!

It was time for me to leave. I went to pick up H from Mk's class.
"I want to say something to you." Said I. "It's about Stfn. I am not complaining because if I wanted to complain I would go somewhere else. I just want to give vent to the pressure building up and blowing my head away. And you are the only one I can talk to in this way."
"What happened?" He asked perplexed.
"Nn is leaving. Its not such a big deal because children do keep leaving for one reason or the other. The point is Stfn is inventing white lies to me so horribly and I am not a pig head to take it." I blazed.
"Nn is leaving?"
"Yes. And she has been in possession of this news since two months or more, knows all the fine details of her leaving date and joining new place but has the guts to tell me that she discovered just two days ago. I know she has been instigating all the parents to leave the group. This is not right."

I turned to say bye to him but he glimpsed tears in my eyes and he hugged me silently knowing that I suffered great emotional pain due to Stfn's double behavior.
"I feel so sorry for you." He said comfortingly. "That Stfn is out of her mind. I am myself so angry with her because of same reasons."

I went to change my shoes and found Mks changing Enrq's diapers. He guessed I had been crying. He asked me what was wrong.
"You were right...about Stfn. I was wrong. I eat my words."
"What happened?"
"Nn is leaving."
"Whatt? That's not possible. Nn's parents are Stf's lawyers and close friends. If Nn is leaving Stf should be the first one to know and I am sure she doesn't."
"I know nothing about Nn's parents. As to they being friends with Stf, unfortunately they are greater friends with Stfn. I mean that's what I guess." I laughed wryly.
"Tell me the whole thing. How do you know Nn is leaving. I am sure if Stf comes to know this she would be very upset."
"Well, today Stfn told me she discovered this news two days ago but she is lying and actually she has known this since a long time. She has been instigating all the parents to leave."
"I am going to tell this to Stf right now."

Jr and Fr's birthday party

Today we celebrated Jr and Fr's birthday together in the usual way. We were three teachers together which rarely happens now. We sang birthday song in both the languages, presented them gifts, clapped their age and then had a grand party. Jr's mother had prepared special chocolate tipped waffle sticks which were yummy beyond expression.
 Jr's had special magical relight candles which just wouldn't go off and were emitting tiny sparkles. He was so sure of his capability, he kept blowing hard but finally gave up with an exasperated look on his face which made us laugh so much.
We noticed that despite having his big day, Fr looked unmistakably low and lethargic and not really happy. His mother had told us that his actual birthday was last Saturday, when he had a party and ate a lot of cakes which upset his stomach so much that he was in no condition to celebrate his birthday in school at all even after two days.
His mother had prepared a small chocolate cake with gems sticking on top like colorful polka dots. It looked lovely however when we tasted it we were astounded to find it was so so sugary that there was barely any trace of chocolate left; it tasted sickeningly sugary. What's worse, the middle part of the cake had caramel too!
It is shocking that Fr's mother is always very particular that Fr should not eat too much of sugar. She has several times expressed her concern over our kindergarten's frequent birthday parties as every party means just chocolate, sugar and junk stuff. She has specially instructed us to never let him have juice (no matter if the other children are having it ) and to give him only the tiniest piece of cake during parties. She even brings her own home prepared snack for him as she was not comfortable with the afternoon snack provided by the school which sometimes consist of sweet yogurt, biscuits etc. I could not imagine that she would prepare such a damn sugary cake for his own son. None of the teachers could handle more than a spoonful and nor could the children. Only Mnt ate a good portion while the others just nibbled at it.

Two hours later three of them pooped badly....!

Today, in the morning I met Mnt's mother. Mnt is the little two and a quarter year old child who immigrated to our group together with Nn and Stfn. Stfn used to argue with Mz, My and Stf that Mnt and Nn were so attached to her that they would not be able to stay without her, if she left the baby group. So Stf decided Stfn should bring Mnt and Nn along with her! How stupid! Both Mnt and Nn have been perfectly fine.

Mnt's mother was amazed at the changes in little Mnt. "She is speaking such a  lot of English at home now which she had never done before. She says the numbers 1,2,3,..., alphabets, even the days of the week which make us sit up in amazement. It is unbelievable! She keeps singing songs all the time at home and looks forward to coming to school every morning. She talks about you also."

I was very happy at this feed back.

New Revelation Today

I had now begun feeling seriously guilty about behaving badly with Stfn. I have no right to judge her. She really has undergone a difficult time. Losing a close and a beloved family member is serious enough to make one relegate every other thing to the background, be it work or one's life itself. I should not have been so cold and aloof to her.
I would apologize to her today, I promised myself.

Today Asy had also come. After a really long time! I was so happy to see her.

Stfn was in a horrible mood! Ready to beat the life out of you by her deeply thoughtful, serious, gloomy, quiet, sulking expressions alone, looking truly like a tragedy queen in short.
"Are you okay?" I asked matter of factly.
"No. I have a headache and I am not feeling good. My whole body is hurting."
I tried to be good to her the whole day but her sullen expressions just wouldn't go away.
I noticed she was totally disinterested in work, avoiding any molecule of effort that she could and finding ways to rest her butt. She should rather come to school with glue applied already to her bottom.

Little by little, Asy explained everything that had happened during her absence; the thefts, the false allegations, the letter, the whole conspiracy, everything. Stfn was shocked especially to hear that she had been accused of all the thefts in the school.

A new revelation was made today!

Stfn had applied in another school in March and secured a position. Nobody in the school knew about this. Yet,  the day when Mz and My were having their farewell, My came up to Stfn and congratulated her on her new job! How come?
"Hold. Please hold." I cried. " Can you tell me the name of the school in which you have got your new job?"
"LG"
"Asy, did you hear that? LG! LG!! LG!!!"
"So what does this mean?" Asked Stfn thoroughly puzzled.
"LG is the same school where As works.(as told to me by the new Nigerian teacher Tn.)
"Yes, I know. When I went there for my interview, the lady over there smiled at me and said she knew everything about me already because she had been told everything about myself by As who works over there. And My is also going to join that school soon."
"Asy, this proves my another hypothesis. I was guessing that Mz and My were still in close connection with As. The news of Stfn getting employed in LG was conveyed to My by As. I was also guessing that maybe As will arrange for My and Mz to get jobs in the same school. This guess is also right. I can't believe my reasoning was so accurate. I am amazed at myself."

Asy was amazed too not at the news but at the accuracy of my guess.

Good luck, Stfn, you are going to a den of wolves the same ones who wove a wicked plan to get you ousted from this school. Do you really want to go to that place now?