Fog

We said goodbye to our school principal last December. Yesterday he passed away. It has been a very weird day today - trying to carry on as normal, but students (especially year 7/8 who have known him all their school days) plopping themselves down beside me at my desk to talk about him/ death/ memories etc.
I found out before most staff and drove up the motorway with tears stremaing down my face. Took a kid to music and sat in car, listening to Coldplay and more tears streaming down my face.
Some people are really really amazing. My principal was one of them. He had led this school for over ten years. Working in a low decile school is HARD yakka - far more than most people realise. (I am involved in schools at both ends of the spectrum and both have their struggles, but I still believe we have a bigger battle at the lower end.)
He worked tirelessy , battling MOE for our rights, having groups of kids in his office all the time, chasing families up, buying kids toys, taking furniture into homes, etc etc.
he will be hugely missed - a memorial wall will go up in my library tomorrow. It is okay to cry in front of students too.
Cancer sucks in a big way. Goodbye John. (more tears now streaming down my face.)