Much to be Thankful for

This Thanksgiving Shih Han and I have much to be thankful for. Most of all for being given the chance to become the parents of Bessie. And for that we have to extend our thanks and gratitude to Shih Han's sister and brother-in-law, Shih Mei and Francis.

I will be taking off on Sunday to spend a month with Bessie. Shih Han will join me in the middle of the month.

Getting permission to take a leave from school was not easy. My principal was supportive, but I needed to get approval from the Leaves Administration Office of the Human Resources Department of the Department of Education of the City of New York. The problem was that my situation did not fit into any of the categories. I was asking for leave to take care of an adopted child, but I do not yet have custody of that child. They wanted a letter from a lawyer. All I have is my word. I spent days trying to figure how I could meet or get around their rules, to no avail. I had given up when my union rep came to the rescue. He alerted me to a totally different route that went through my principal and our superintendent. Yesterday morning I filled out the paperwork, my principal signed off on it and before I left work I had approval from the superintendent. So off I go.

I should add thanks to my principal and assistant principal for being so supportive and to my colleagues, Carolyn and Jessica, and my student teacher, Adrianna, for covering for me while I am away.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING