Other than feeling like we're in limbo and not knowing when we might move back to the US, I really don't have any stress on a regular basis. I do what I want and enjoy what I do, so it's not really what I'd call stress. But, yesterday I was THE governor-on-call to sit in front of the OFSTED inspectors and explain the strengths and weaknesses of our school and how effective I felt the governors were. This is a very important review for the school, which includes watching every teacher lead a lesson, going through the budget, evaluating how well the school takes care of the children and tracks their progress through the years. My part was miniscule, but I was so nervous about it. Mostly, I was concerned that I didn't harm the school's reputation, and hopefully could do some good.
It's amazing that I've come to this. I used to give presentations to all levels of management and potential clients in a global company without breaking a sweat, and here I was stressing over a 15 minute interview. I prepared as well as I could, reading the last OFSTED report and getting input from the headteacher and chairman of the governors (who happened to be out of town on the day) and crammed like crazy before I went up to the school. I even worried about how I was dressed! I wanted to come across professional, respectible, credible for these people. I don't have much besides jeans in my closet anymore.
As it turned out, I waited for an hour, because they had fallen behind schedule, and I spent a quick ten minutes max with one inspector. And while I did refer to my notes a few times to be sure I hadn't missed any key points, the questions asked were subjective, and I mostly spoke from the heart.
Evidently, it worked, because the school did well overall, although I can't tell you exactly until the full report becomes public, and I didn't harm anything. Phew! Back to my jeans and flip flops.
