I had lunch with my vice-principal today. He was newly posted to my school this January, so he remained an enigma to me. This lunch date was the first time I had a chance to converse with him.
He was rather open about sharing himself, so it was great to know him as a person beneath his professional demeanour. He told me certain things that frankly startled me, which catalysed my reflections about the importance of choice.
Apparently, he was apprehensive about being posted to our school because it entailed venturing out of his comfort zone. What struck me forcibly like a hammer striking a nail was how he didn’t have the chance to say nope to his posting. To stay in the education fraternity, he had to be agreeable in regard to his posting.
Which occurred to me to be a horrible way to live. My vice-principal had spent five years at a primary school prior to my school. He admitted that hanging out with children wasn’t his cup of tea. By his second year, he was dying to be posted out.
Gives the term civil servant a new spin, huh? My vice-principal may have ascended the leadership track and gained money, power and status, but he can’t even decide where he wants to serve and contribute. No doubt, my vice-principal must have an agreeable personality. Otherwise, there is no way he could have kept working at jobs that didn’t appeal to him.
I have had a series of jobs that empowered me to own my world and shape my horizons. Because of this, I won’t be as financially well-to-do as my vice principal. On the other hand, I have had enjoyed my jobs. Each job teaches me something novel, and I will be grateful for the fact that I have come this far due to my volition.