Disappointed. I'm not ungrateful, just disappointed- Part 1

I want to say up front:
1- I am thankful I have a job
2- I am thankful I have choices
3- I am thankful my job is no hard
4- I am thankful that the outcome really is NOT that bad at all (however, sometimes presentation is everything)

About 3 weeks ago my Principal called me in his office and said due to all the changes with our school system I had 35 paid days off this summer. I wasn't sure I heard him right so I repeated what he said and then also I asked him in about 3 different ways and he confirmed each time out of his mouth to my ears was I had 35 days off this summer.

In the past summers, the school librarian had to be at school and have the library open when Alcatraz had summer school and then she could have the rest of the summer off. Because we are only having 1 month of summer school (June) and then our ENTIRE building is being remodeled in July in preparation to start year around school on August 1, the school building is, for all intrinsic purposes, closed for the month of July. (Internet will often be down, water will often be turned off, power will often be off, air conditioning will not be functioning, etc. No reason to have anyone here). In summers prior the librarian had to work on the summer school days, for the same hours as summer school classes were in session, which was 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the early afternoon. For those of you who like math:

35 days x 4 hours per day= 140 hours to work in the summer

Not hard, really no big deal.

Okay. So the Principal told me I got 35 days off so I was rockin' that and yesterday I even posted about all the super fun things I had planned for the summer. All the time I had to do these fun things and even was going to be paid to do them. Albeit meager pay but pay nonetheless.

Then came today. Damn it. I knew it was way too good to be true.

I get called to the office and my Principal figured out his mistake. What he meant to tell me was that I have to WORK 35 days this summer.

Follow me here. It's still a mathematical story problem and a story so work with me.

I was given options.

1. I could work 35 days, at 4 hours a day and take my chances on what would happen in July with power/ water/ etc.


2. I could work the 20 days in June when we have summer school and then take a pay cut for the rest of the hours


3. I could work the 140 hours over the course of 20 days.

Of course I selected option number Three. Principal even told me I could set my own hours.

Now I know this is absolutely nothing to complain about. And I'm not complaining, exactly. I'm just really damn disappointed. Here I was thinking I would work all of June from 9-11am and 12:30-2:30pm daily and then have the whole month of July off, with pay. It just really sucks sucks sucks, that will not be the case.

I'm just bummed.

So my month of June schedule means that I will now work Monday- Friday from 8-11:30am and 12:30-4pm, and then I can have the entire month of July off. Yes, I realize I still get a month off- paid- and most people don't get that.

It's just one of those things. It was my bright spot, actually, with all the stress I've been under and it just felt like a smack.

As I said at the beginning of the post, I am thankful I have a job, a check, choices, and some paid time off. It's just.... the way it was all presented. It sucked.

Maybe this doesn't seem like a big deal to anyone else, but there's a part 2. I'll save that for tomorrow. Maybe it's this information AND the rest of it together that just seams like a big old SUCK-A-ROO...

Maggie