My School Director Left

1 year, 10 months and 3 days. I think that's what the student said. Doi Saket Wittayakom School had Mr. Boonsern as our school director for less than two years before he left for another, bigger school in Fang.
I can't remember when the rumors began...it was definitely before Christmas. Students and teachers heard rumors that he was leaving. But one morning during the morning assembly in front of the flag pole with everyone listening, he denied any rumors that he was going anywhere. This school year, 2009-2010, was the year for Doi Saket to be evaluated as a Royal School. Each school must undergo this evaluation every 5 years. A committee from our cluster of 10 schools in Chiang Mai does the first evaluation. I think that one was in October. Then we compete with other schools in Chiang Mai province. This second evaluation was in December. Finally, the third evaluation was between us and 4 other medium-size schools around the nation. This final evaluation was done on January 11.
Shortly after the final evaluation, we heard it again, but this time it wasn't a rumor: our director was indeed leaving. We would have a ceremony on Friday, February 5th, and he would go the following Tuesday. Teachers were invited to send him to his new school in Fang, displaying our respect and hopes for his prosperity and success.
I was surprised, that at the ceremony at school on Friday afternoon, two of the 12th grade girls who are our emcees for most important school events, Bua Hom and --- both cried as they shared their praise for our director. They were crying, wiping tears from their eyes, and sobbing. Two boys also spoke praises for the director, Wasin on behalf of students in M1-3 and PK who is the student council leader. They surely didn't cry. It made me wonder...he was here for such a short time. But all of the students said that he always had an open door for counsel or advice. He always supported the students and cared for them. Wow. I just never knew!
When Khruu Toi told me that the teachers were invited to send Mr. Boonsern to Fang, she said, "You don't have to go, if you have something else to do."
I already knew that I would be helping to train other Chiang Mai teachers who use the British Council Connecting Classrooms curriculum about international learning projects the following Saturday, Feb 13th. So I told Khruu Toi that I'd pass on the "field trip" to prepare my curriculum. She said that was no problem. But several other teachers approached me at different times asking again, "Aren't you going to Fang?"
"No." Honestly, the last thing I want to do is not fit in or not do something that I should do culturally. But my supervisor excused me from going. And I wasn't close to this director at all. I always felt like he was afraid to talk with me. He knew that I could speak Thai well, but still he would rather choose to speak to Baw Hua more than me when we were together, even though I would end up translating between the two of them. She's just younger and cuter, and I always wondered if I wasn't somehow a little bit threatening to him.
When Sunny Pai and Jocelyn visited me here in Chiang Mai, I invited them to come to school. In the morning, I introduced them to Mr. Boonsern, just our of professional courtesy. I told him that they were in the same principal's training network as me, and that Sunny was already a principal. He asked if I wanted to be a principal in Thailand, and I said no. I liked teaching, and I would rather stay in my current position.
So now, it's been nearly 2 weeks since he's left, and it's just hitting me. We don't have a director. The assistant director has to take on his responsibilities as much as she's able to do that, even though her authority is limited. She led our monthly staff meeting on Monday, and I was pleased with how she led the meeting.
I'm sad for our M5 students, who will end this year and begin next year without a director. I think of the students in M5/1 like Chanon who's going to graduate as the best student ever from Doi Saket Wittayakom, but how there's no one there leading our school into greater things than we've so far accomplished. Our school's reputation has shot up, since we passed the evaluation and are apparently a Royal School. We were told that there are several people who have already applied for the position. But still, there's such a long way to go - in my opinion - until we're a really great school.
He's gone. Maybe in 6 months we'll have a new director. Until then...I want my school to be better than a Royal School.