Thursday 1 February 2007

Puzzling monologue of the day and a debate with myself

"I just popped in for a couple of onions and some mushrooms," she said. "Spaghetti Bolognese for tea. I fetched the vegetables for her and weighed them. "My son-in-law is coming round this evening and he's vegetarian and I've already got some corn, so I thought 'Spaghetti Bolognese'."

Add to that a presentation on the shape of things to come in secondary education, and it's not surprising I feel a little brain-weary tonight. Right now, I'm wondering just for how long my sense of social responsibility will last before I quit as a school governor. I'm honestly not sure if I want to relearn it all for the umpteenth time. I just thank goodness that I'm not paid and so a salary and pension doesn't come into the equation.

It's not that it's not interesting, and I admire the work that the school is doing. But it's all going pretty well now - is this, therefore, a good time to go? I've a couple more years before I'm up for reappointment, but it might not be so good then and I'd not quit if I were needed. But governor recruitment is not easy, and I have a good working relationship with the staff. And, to me (yeah, pathetic, I'd laugh too if I felt like it), it's been a way of giving something to the community. It's why I've put much of my energy into Special Educational Needs. Help the underdogs, even the angry and disaffected ones.

I'm feeling dispirited. I'll feel better tomorrow.

8 comments:

y.Wendy.y said...

Now just hang on a seccie...that lady was going to serve spag bol as a vegetarian dish?

I had it for supper tonight - there WERE mushies and onions in it...but also a lot of beef. As in cow. As in animal. Hmm. Poor dear.

Did you disillusion her?

Z - if you're too tired to do everything, and you do a lot, then pack it in. You've given a lot to the community so no guilt allowed.

Z said...

I cooked spaghetti tonight too. There were onions, garlic, fennel, yellow peppers and tomatoes in it. It was not Bolognese. What also puzzled me was the corn, it sounded as if that was the beef substitute. Anyway, I didn't say anything.

I am not tired as such, it's the prospect of plunging into yet more change, some planned by the school and some imposed by the government, which can mistake change for progress. I wouldn't go before the end of the school year, no need to decide yet.

Anonymous said...

you are the majesty of your own nation. quit if you are called. i'll send you a gavel if they insist on prying it out of your hands.

Monozygote said...

I hope you do feel better.

If you want to quit, definitely do it while you can, while the going is good. I made that mistake with a public-spirit-community-duty and now I'm lumbered and can't get out, and in way over my head. Big mistake. Huge.

Anonymous said...

Corn? Very strange. My sauce has lots of tomatos, mushrooms,garlic, olives and ground meat of some sort. Just had some tonight that I made with ground pork and ground turkey.
The corn thing reminds me of a hideous dish a relative makes called Cornfetti. Basically lots of cans of Veg-All and sliced hot dog bits fried in vegetable oil. Ghastly... .

Z said...

Thanks, Jen and Dandelion
I know what I'm like, once I get involved I'll be interested and not want to leave. But do I want to get involved? Really, don't know.

D, I do know what you mean. A not dissimilar thing happened to me at the primary school and I didn't have an alternative but to tough it out. I spent two years on that, a further year overseeing, a year coasting and then resigned, rather regretfully, because it was all going so well and was a pleasure.

Martina, I can see replacing the beef with extra mushrooms, but corn does seem odd. Oddest of all is actually calling it bolognese sauce.
Cornfetti sounds disgusting. Evidently the dish was invented to fit the name. Poor you, if you have to eat it politely.

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