That Secret Pact

Because of my interest in lesson design, I am not too bad a teacher. I can deliver my lessons well to ensure that students have something to take away every time. People who know me will know that I am competent. Perhaps that is why people welcome me to their schools? 

At the end of 2019, I bumped into an administrator of School P at the park. So I casually asked whether she had vacancy at her school. She did. She suggested that I submit an application for transfer if I was serious about it. But to ensure that the transfer went through, she wanted to pay the officer at the State Education Department a visit. She suggested that we go together to see the officer-in-charge. As a side remark, she said that T-Rex would kill her if T-Rex ever found out about this. 

So I contemplated on the idea but did not apply. But unbeknownst to me, that administrator had spread the news among her teachers. "Hey, I heard you are interested to come to my school," N asked me when I met her somewhere. N was a teacher at School P who had heard about my intention to transfer, and she listened patiently when I explained to her my situation. Recently, I met L, another teacher at School P and she too talked about it. "I heard you wanted to transfer to my school," L said. 

Then came 2020 and school was closed for a very long time. I wasn't teaching for 8 months due to the poor distribution of teaching load at my school. "Why aren't you teaching? There is one class with no one teaching at my school, and you are not even teaching at yours. What do you do in school then?" A asked me. A was a teacher at School S. Well, I was sitting in for the other teachers, I replied. "What a waste of resources," A lamented. Indeed.

By September 2020, I was again thinking about whether I should apply for a transfer. At around this time, my friend G, suggested to me that rather than School P, I should try to apply to go to School G. Hmn, I had never thought about going to School G ... but then it was an option. 

My friend G was friends with one of the administrators of School G. Let's call her N. So she casually told N that I was interested to move there. I knew N as well. We used to meet a few times a year for work. N was really prompt and contacted me in person to confirm my interest. She was going to help me to get my transfer to her school. 

I preferred to apply for it, but before I had the chance to do so, N had already contacted the District Education Department and put in a request to have me moved. But because my school had no excess of teachers, this request was not entertained at all. 

'I heard you want to go to School G," A of School S asked me. Huh? How did she know? Apparently, N had told people about it as well. Even D of School S recently suggested to me that she knew about it too. So much for privacy. A was a rather senior teacher whom I had enjoyed working with on many occasions. She discussed my options with me and gave me sound advice. She even commented that it was a pity that there was no vacancy at her school because otherwise, I could consider going there as well. 

At a time when I felt really crappy about work and about my workplace, it was nice to know that there were others who would welcome me at their schools. School P, School G and School S wanted me even though my own sidelined me. Better the devil you know than the devil you don't know?  

Then came this opportunity at the end of Dec 2020. Someone with a higher scale was due to be transferred into the district. But School G had no post for this person, whereas my school did. The problem was that my school had enough of teachers. To fit in that someone, one of us had to be transferred out from my school.

It was proposed to me that I exited to open up a spot for that someone. I would then be placed in School G since my scale fitted that vacant spot in School G. I was hesitant actually, because I was scared. I was scared of what the dinosaurs could do to me if this plan botched. T-Rex would blacklist me and I could kiss my career goodbye. 

At the same time, I wanted to know how far this plan would get me. Would it really work? I wouldn't know unless I tried. So I gave it an ok. But then, right after that, I felt really terrified. I was doing things without my school's knowledge. Though I was aided by people whose authority was higher than me, I just felt bad about the whole situation. I tried to back out the next day, but it was already too late. I was told that this plan would not only involve me, but it would involve the other person who was due to transfer in. The State Education Department had already accepted the transfer and needed a school to place that someone. 

I was assured that this was a common process in public service, and it was a win-win situation for all parties. From then on, I could only wait. The wait lasted months, and it was really a stressful time for me. To make it worse, I had to be confidential about the whole thing. So I could not talk about it with my friends at all. 

I kept asking myself whether I had made the right decision. And sometimes, I reprimanded myself for agreeing to such an arrangement. But it was too late. In January 2021 when the academic year resumed, no movement occurred when I fully expected it. I did not know what was going on at the administrative level at the Education Department. I could only wait with trepidation. I knew that School G was on the lookout for me, though. 

Soon it was March 2021, and this secret plan was actually revealed in the meeting at the district level. T-Rex attended the meeting. And T-Rex was shocked when it found out that I was going to be moved. I was told that T-Rex made a big fuss and everyone turned quiet for a moment.

So now that T-Rex knew, I had to plan my next course of action. What would be my next move? Should I go and explain to T-Rex?  I was supposed to be moved out from T-Rex's grasp. But I was still awkwardly there, and I needed her mercy. What if the whole plan failed? I would be stuck there and T-Rex would banish me for life. At this time also, Someone-with-a-higher-scale reported for duty at my school. That someone was currently redundant since there was no more teaching load available, with me still there. 

So in accordance to the original plan that hatched in Dec 2020, an Education Officer contacted me and asked me to resubmit my application to exit my school. When I heard that, it meant that the original application in Dec 2020 was not processed at all. My heart sank. By right, I was supposed to be moved out before Someone-with-a-higher-scale was placed. Now, there were the 2 of us at the same place and I had to still apply to go to School G. 

T-Rex did not confront me at all. But I did go and explain myself. I could not reveal how the secret plan came about because I had promised the others not to do so. I suppose T-Rex tried its best to accept the whole situation, and I wouldn't blame T-Rex for getting upset at me. Because this was really not a conventional way of doing things. If I were in T-Rex's position, I would not approve what I had done as well. 

T-Rex then announced to the whole school community that I was applying for a transfer. I was surprise because it seemed out of the ordinary. T-Rex never revealed plans before they came to pass. But at least, I could talk about it after that. Everyone wanted to know what happened and why and how .... so I had to explain to my colleagues in the most diplomatic manner I could. 

Upon the submission of my application, I had more waiting to do. There was always a chance that I could be stuck there. Right after I resubmitted my application in April 2021 - through my school this time, my colleague vacated his post in favour of an administrative role. With this vacancy, my school had no excess of teachers anymore. It meant that both Someone-with-a-higher-scale and I could actually be there at the same place, and still have something to teach. So my school tried to stop the transfer even though my application had been submitted. 

School G was adamant, however, that the Education Department stuck to their end of the bargain. School G was severely short of teachers and was demanding to have me over. School G regularly followed up with my case until a placement letter was finally issued in August 2021. It was a plan that took 9 months to come into fruition. I heaved a sigh of relief as I could finally escape the claws of T-Rex.

- - - - - - 

That night in December 2020, I had a fleeting thought about my problems with Stegosaurus, and it left me feeling really low. The very next day, I received that fateful phone call that would change the course of my career. I distinctly remember that moment, and I am writing this as a record of my experience in this chapter of my life that I am closing for good. 

Will School G be a greener pasture? Do dinosaurs lurk within? I don't know. But I have been given the assurance that I will be happy there. I have been in School G for a month ... my friends envy me so much. They too intend to make their escapes next year. And I hope they succeed. I really wish them all the best in trying, and I really hope that a few of them can migrate to to join me over at School G. They too deserve a fresh start.