"The End of the Year Blues"

2011-05-25T16:22:00.000-07:00

There are only two days left of this year and I have so many feelings going on at the same time that I do not know what feeling to show in the presence of the kids. I am so happy that my first year at this school was awesome. I could not have asked for a better administration, group of teachers, and students. I felt, for the first time, like I was a part of something good and then of course...THE BUDGET COMES OUT and here comes the next feeling...FEAR.

Since I started teaching four years ago, I have been laid off every year. Last year was the first year that I knew I had a job to come back to (I was tenured) and then my husband was transferred and I had to go...so did my tenure. The thing that aggravated me about it, I did not leave the state...just the county and they do not transfer tenure so it was like I was a first year all over again.

So of course, a few months ago, I heard about the budget but was told not to worry. Then, a few weeks ago when the number came out of how many teachers will be laid off; 933...of course "don't worry" turned into "Well, just do everything like you will be here next year..." WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN and the next feeling DOUBT!!!

Did I do a good job, did I complain too much, did my kids like me or did they complain about me and no one asked for my side (that is another blog in itself). But even if I was the best teacher in the entire school it doesn't matter...I was hired last and usually the first to go!!!! But, before you go... pack up the classroom, get all the stuff together, clean the classroom, turn everything in and wait all summer and miss all the other teaching opportunities, waste your whole summer doing lesson plans, and then find out that you are going somewhere else. How does the government expect us to teach at our best when some of us don't find out where or what we are teaching until the beginning of the next school year...are they that frigin dumb!!! Don't they know how long it takes to get a year together? Don't they realize that teachers have to have about three to five different ways to teach a whole year because of everything else that gets in the way (USUALLY THEM!!!!). Can you guess the next feeling...I bet you thought it would be anger but it isn't...its SADNESS!!!

I work hard all year, and now that I could and should be enjoying myself with the last few days with my students, I feel sadness that I may never see the 7th graders as 8th graders and the 6th graders I never met, (I teach 7th and 8th) but their brothers and sisters told them what it will be like in my class, but never get the chance to teach. It saddens me that the government forgets that these students need consistency and with their way of running education, may be the ultimate reason for the low scores, low respect, and low moral all around. Maybe they should ask the students what it feels like when they keep taking...sometimes the only constant in their life every year away from them!!!! Do you think it would change the way they run the education system????

To All Parents...

2011-05-23T18:30:00.000-07:00

I was looking at Facebook and I noticed a post from one of my high school friends…she was talking about how her kids have been saying they hate her and they want to leave…and it is all because she is being a good parent…

All year, I hear the parents (well some of them) blaming themselves for what their kids are doing in school. I hear that it is because they have to work and they are not always there to make sure everything is done right for school. I hear that they are trying but the work is hard and sometimes they do not even know how to help them with the work because they never did the work when they were in school. I hear tons of excuses from the parents and sometimes it has brought them to tears.

LET ME TELL ALL OF YOU PARENTS SOMETHING!!! IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT!!!!!

This was my response: “Believe it or not, teachers hear the same thing every day and this is what I always tell them: When you receive your Emmy, Oscar, Heisman, Newberry Award, or giving the Valedictorian Speech at the Harvard School of Law…make sure you remember to thank me!!! I promised them I would never change my phone number or e-mail so they can always find me…as a side note I also say and when you become a parent…I hope they are just like you!!!!

I tell my students I am not here for you to like me…keep doing what you are doing!!!! Remember this…we didn’t like our parents either and I think we all turned out pretty good!!!”

The "Reading" Teacher

"The End of the Year Blues"

To All Parents...