new school year started on monday. my classes are good and the workload is definitely manageable, so that is great. my good friend just became the director of the university foreign language dept. selfish of me, but this post really helps me a lot as well as he will be able to offer me classes in the university in the upcoming semesters which will help my résumé and generally improve my standing if i choose to make a permanent switch out of the high school. he will also have a lot more pull in areas like phd programs (he was the first to graduate, in december, from the program i want to enter, so i am hoping that he can also help keep the program alive and accepting new students). as we are pretty tight, it will also help me because i will be talking to him a lot and learning about his job and whether something administrative might be in the future for me as well (indeed, if he leaves in a few years and i am around working on a phd or whatever, i would be in a great position to take over the post). so ya, i am extremely pleased about this turn of events.

the director of the language dept in the university just quit; the director of the language dept. in the high school left 2 days ago. also, two other full time teachers have gone within the last 5 days. huge changes around here, which again makes me glad that a good friend is in charge of another dept in case things go south and i want out of this dept. i doubt that will happen as our new director is professional and up to the task, but with so many other external factors, one never knows. as this is the first time i have held a job for 17 months or more in the last 5 years, i guess i just assume that i will leave before anyone in a position above me does. strange to see your friends go as opposed to you be the one going. not exactly used to that, but oh well. there will always be new additions.