Blogger’s Note
Anyone who has been reading this will notice the gap in time and blog posts. A lot has happened in the past two months…
In January, the parents, students, and staff of my school found out that we basically had no money to operate. After an agonizing meeting, it was decided that we would try and continue til June. The teachers went a month without pay before it was caught up. It was a tough battle both for money to operate and for motivation of teachers and students. Some of the teachers and students decided to leave the school. And I don’t blame them at all. Things were not looking good. Thankfully, we had an outpouring of donations from parents and friends in the community. We were getting by…
Between January and April the teachers’ pay was usually late, but we got it. That all changed with the April 30th paycheck. We received 40% of our paychecks that week. The remaining amount came in two installments: 31% the next week and the final 29% on May 12th (three days before our next paycheck). We were told that the board did not know when they could pay us for the May 15th paycheck. The teachers contacted the Department of Education to discuss student credits and graduation. We found out that if we closed May 21st, all students would get their credits for the year. The school would be put on probation for its accreditation for the next year. The teachers collectively decided that we could not keep working for no money and made the recommendation to the board to close May 21st.
May 17th we held a board/parent meeting to discuss the issue. After the recommendation was made, the decision was left up to the parents. They choose to keep the school open with or without the teachers. The teachers were given the impossible choice between leaving and collecting unemployment or staying and not getting any unemployment. We didn’t have a choice and so we left that Friday. For the last three weeks of school, parent volunteers ran everything, taking students on field trips and doing special projects. We found out later that we could have “volunteered” and still get unemployment, but that came too late.
The entire process was handled badly (although in the heat of the moment, I don’t know how we would have realistically changed things) and things became problematic for teachers, students, and the parents. Comments were made and actions taken that created a bad taste in my mouth. I had the difficult position of being the junior class sponsor (handling graduation reception) and being one of the main senior teachers.
Graduation has come and gone… but things have not been resolved. The school most likely won’t open next year (or if it does, it won’t be the same leadership or faculty) so I am officially unemployed. We still have not been paid for those 3 weeks in May or our summer pay (we work 9 months, but the pay gets spread out over 12 months). There are many discussions out there about what to do next. Actions are being looked into… All in all my connections to my former employer are over.
Throughout this entire epic failure, one thing has kept me going: my students. When the issue first came out, the parents and students found out about everything from the Saturday newspaper. Of course there was a lot of anger. Some of us teachers suggested a time to meet with the students and discuss the issues. Thankfully we were allowed private meetings with our sponsor classes. The juniors and I had a great discussion and worked out a lot of issues. From that point on, things were rough, but my students were always there for me. They didn’t blame the teachers for anything that happened. When the teachers made the decision to leave, the students again had meetings. I was very honest and open with them about my decision. Many times outsiders look at teens and just see the immature behavior. When given a chance, they shine. They are giving, caring, thoughtful adults from time to time. Actually I think they are more giving, caring, and thoughtful than most adults I know. The students gave the teachers a good send off. I got a candlelit breakfast and a huge cake. Some even helped me carry all those boxes of books to my car. I love them… they are the ones that have helped me survive the transition. They have been there for me in their crazy little ways: sending encouraging texts, being my friend on facebook, writing me little notes, or just giving me a hug when I see them out somewhere.
So where do I go from here…
Well for the rest of the summer I am going to spend time with my family and friends, even my students. We have plans for midnight showings of movies and cookouts (I am having our second one this Friday).
In August, I will be moving to Nebraska to begin a new chapter in my life. I plan on working out there a year, and then attending law school starting in the fall of 2011. I don’t know my specialty or area of study yet, but I have a few possibilities.
Never fear, I plan on keeping up with the blog. Education is still a passion for me. I love the idea of teaching and guiding students in their path to adulthood. I don’t want to turn my back completely, but I definitely need a change after this year.
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