This Pisses Me Off More Than If A Hulking Escalade Cut Me Off On The Interstate On Purpose And Caused Me To Crash Causing Great Bodily Harm To Myself And Children

When I received the email with this announcement I thought such bad curses that there aren't even words invented to translate them into print.

ACEA also presented **Name Blanked** with the "Northern Region Principal of the Year." She also received "State Principal of the Year." She was selected because of her strong support and belief in community education. **Name Blanked** sets the tone and provides an example for her students, faculty and parents to follow. She is a shining example of how strong leadership builds an effective school. The students at **Name Blanked** Elementary know they can always count on **Name Blanked**'s support during the regular school hours and the after-school program. She isn’t afraid to challenge students to become the absolute best they can be, and she dares them to step out and be something of “great stature!” Some would say, she is a “hands on”, very involved leader, this is what makes her a success in her school and our after-school programs.

This is the same principal who did not even call to inform me that I had a job last year. When I finally received the call I was told that I would probably not get paid for the first day, since I didn't show up until lunch-time (the call came at 11:30). This is the same principal who burst into my room to yell at a student who had his head down on his desk. He was sick and was waiting for a parent to pick him up. This is the same principal who paddled at least one of my first graders every week. This is the same principal who almost hit me with a paddle when I was standing too close to a student she was getting ready to hit. This is the same principal who would frequently say  (imagine an old, black lady with attitude here) "It is on" to my first graders to keep them in line. This is the same principal who told me that she wanted the last three weeks of Dibels results, but had never given me the materials or instructions up to that time. This is the same principal who barged into my classroom one morning as the students were arriving to chew me out because I didn't do my morning duty and in the same breath she informed me that she hadn't told me that I had morning duty, but I was still expected to have been there. This is the same principal who told us at a faculty meeting that we should find and take all the on-line classes we could to get ahead so that we could go to paid conferences all over the country and world instead of having to spend time in the school. This is the same principal who left for a week or more at a time to attend those conferences without giving the secretary or teachers any notice that she would be out of the building. This is the same principal who...

I know that things haven't changed this year because I was talking to the Gifted teachers at lunch today about this school and principal. They occasionally have to go there. They both were amazed that I taught there for a year. Both of them agreed that they could never work there. One of them even said she would stand in the soup kitchen line before she would work there.

So who  comes up with these awards? Probably someone who thinks it looks good for the state to have a black woman succeeding. If she is the best black woman they could come up with, then the state is in worse shape than I could have ever imagined.

Yes she is "hands on"--if you mean that she beats children with a big paddle every day. And yes she does "set the tone"--if you mean by yelling and berating those around her. So yeah for you Alabama. What a wonderful "State Principal of the Year" you have.