Page 250 - She's One Crazy Lady!

Don’t confu“
“It’s not fair, Miss Hooper.”
“What’s not fair?”
“Miss Hooper, you’re our Headteacher, aren’t you? We want you to
se where you are, for who you are. A situation you didn’t ask for, didn’t want and can’t completely control, does not
be our Headteacher.”
Oh, dear.
I quickly reassured her that everything was OK and us grown-ups
would be sorting things out so that everybody would be happy; she was not to worry.
I will always remember the look the child gave me, almost a pleading look as if to say. “I hope so.”
I hoped so too.
My last day and all the staff were lovely, wishing me well for the reconstruction. It wasn’t emotional for the surgery was uppermost on my mind.
define yo”
As you will have read, the reconstruction surgery did not entirely go to plan and required further procedures and a much longer recuperation period which, naturally, upset the LEA – and me. I had to listen to my body and realised that I had to make decisions – one very big decision.
April 29th 2003:
A meeting with my Union Rep. followed. By this time I had made my mind up that the only thing I could do, for everyone, was to apply for early retirement, my decision being made – my final and absolute decision. My Union representative, who I had got to know well, was brilliant and having listened to me agreed, but advised me to speak to Dr W again, as he, Dr W, would be the best person to submit a medical report to Teachers’ Pensions on my behalf, as would Dr Lawrence, who I was also advised to talk to. I was handed the relevant forms to fill in from Teachers’ Pensions – forms that I had, of course, seen back in 2001 when I first saw the Personnel Officer.
May 2nd 2003:
I spoke at length with Dr Lawrence who signed me off until the end of August 2003, half-pay, once again, starting on September 1st. I was under intense pressure. As much as he agreed with my decision to apply, he wasn’t confident that I would get early ill-health retirement but would support my application.
June 3rd 2003:
Dr W also agreed with me that applying for early retirement on the grounds of ill-health, sadly, may have to happen but may not be accepted. I was advised to meet with the LEA again because, by rights, they should offer me alternative employment. Dr W indicated that he felt the only way I would be granted ill-health retirement would be to say more about how all of this was affecting my mental health and arranged for me to read a huge questionnaire that I would be required to fill in – pages of in-depth and probing questions. Was this really me I had to
u.
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