No matter what I decide, I'm screwing someone...

My assistant principal evaluated me today. I thought it was a great class. Someone came in to talk to her during the evaluation, and I just ignored her (like I'm supposed to).

At 7th period, I was buzzed on the intercom and asked to meet the assistant principal in the other assistant principal's office after school. I'm thinking, "Damn. What did I do that warranted me a meeting with two assistant principals?"

So, after 7th period ended I locked up my room and walked over, wondering how I screwed up. Upon getting to the office, I see the first assistant principal with another woman. I sit down and they smile at me and my AP says, "This is a set-up." Great.

Actually, the conversation wasn't bad. It was good. They told me that the AP English teacher (advanced placement) sucked. They said that the kids were extremely vocal about how they weren't learning anything. This wasn't the first time I heard this tidbit of info. A former student of mine (who was moved to AP) told me she wanted to come back to my class because she was bored. A new student told me she got out of AP because the teacher was boring and they weren't learning anything.

The assistant principal and the other woman (who turned out to be the Magnet School coordinator) asked me to take over the AP classes because they like how I interact with the students, ask them thought-provoking questions and give them extra background info that the other teacher didn't know. Wow. Here's the catch: that ex-AP teacher is going to take over my classes and I have to move to a different wing (and moving all of my shit would be rough). Now, if she can't connect with the smart kids, how in hell is she going to connect with the rough kids? I know my kids - they are going to eat her alive.

This is such a tough decision. Do I screw my present kids by giving them up to this teacher or do I screw the smart kids because their teacher isn't challenging them enough? I'm going to be on the other side of the school (in an isolated wing), and my kids might not want to come to see me. Do I go to nice hallway where the kids are more wanting to learn or do I stay with the kids who might not graduate if they don't connect with this new teacher (some of these kids are on their way out)?

I talked to Matt for a long while and Andy briefly and they both said the same thing: go for it. Matt's input was "think of yourself - this is your job, what is better for YOU?" And Andy said, "Hell, if you turn it down tell them I'll take it!" (he teaches middle school English at a school far rougher than mine and his teaching goal is to teach AP high school English).

So, I'm going to take it. I'm going to move into the AP hallway, where the teachers aren't as fun as those around me, where the halls are quiet without the excitement, drama and humor of my hallway, where my class sizes will be cut in half, where the number of special ed kids will probably be lower, where the delinquent kids probably won't be. I'm going to teach kids who want to learn, instead of those who are just waiting until they are of drop-out age. But I'm also abandoning those kids who connected with me. I hope they accept this new teacher. If not, I hope they'll come to my tutorials because they will still be very much welcome and encouraged to come.

So we'll see. Can you tell I feel guilty? But I'm going to feel guilty no matter what I decide.