Teacher Diaries: The Key is to Stay Grateful
Whether or not anyone has actually noticed a prolonged absence of posts from me from mid-August until last week, I did indeed fail to write and publish anything new on my blog for a full month. After returning to Canada after a long and wonderful extended summer break with my husband and his family stateside, I was in Ottawa for a week to hunt for a car which I found, and then we (my parents and I) drove my brand new car back to Toronto. In anticipation of a long few weeks of unpacking, setting up and decorating my "new" classroom (I was moving from a portable into the old library which was being renovated to become a classroom), I was ready to head in to work as of Monday, August 17th.
As (bad) luck should have it, there were major delays with the construction happening at our school, and the official date for all teachers to safely enter the building kept getting pushed back. Needless to say, it was a very frustrating and nerve-wracking few weeks that I spent the better part of cutting, laminating, and cutting again (I had 150 laminating pouches, all of which have been used except for 14), planning and waiting. It was late afternoon on Thursday, September 3rd, before the principal was given the go-ahead to allow teachers onto the premises, and I spent all day Friday and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. unpacking my dozens of boxes, setting up, moving furniture around, and decorating (thanks to my sister for coming in on her day off on Saturday to help me!).
With already such a rough start for the majority of the teachers who had to move classrooms, the first few weeks of work and school for the kids were very chaotic. To think that a late start to setting up my classroom was the worst thing I'd ever have to deal with was so utterly wrong of me to assume.
A few weeks in, word was going around the staff that classroom numbers in our three Grade 1 classes were too low, and that there was some shuffling happening to reduce the three classes down to just two. This could only mean one thing in the world of education: we were cutting down the staff.
To be honest, this kind of situation is not rare. I've known a few teachers who were declared surplus as late as October because of fluctuating student enrolment within the first few months. When the official news was broken to the staff during an emergency staff meeting on Friday, September 18th that our school was in a difficult position and had to declare someone surplus, all eyes were on me as it was no secret that I was the last person on our staff to have signed a permanent contract with our school board. Having the "least seniority", it was me who was on the chopping block unless someone volunteered themselves. I knew the news and the likelihood of someone volunteering to be declared surplus was bleak. I do not blame anyone for not wanting to have to pick up, move, and start all over again at another school after the school year had already begun.
The weekend came and went, as did the opportunity for someone to come forward and save me from my sealed fate. Monday, September 21st, I received the devastating news of my surplus officially. I was also informed that Thursday, September 24th, my Grade 3 students would be taught by the Grade 1 teacher whose class was being dissolved and split up into the remaining two Grade 1 classes. I would hear from Human Resources by that same day about a list of open positions which would have been emailed to me. I would have had one day to reply with my top 5 choices, and on Monday, they would have confirmed where I would be going. By Tuesday, September 29th, as soon as the bell goes, I would have been expected to teach in my new position. I would have had less than 24 hours to figure out how to move all of my personal belongings and teaching resources, somehow plan for my new grade, subjects and map my way to the new school.
It was a very tearful and stressful week, but I wasn't the only person who was feeling overwhelmed because the staff was equally pained at losing me. The Grade 1 teacher who had taught her grade level for 10 years all of a sudden had to familiarise herself with the Grade 3 curriculum, pack up her stuff, move into my classroom, and start all over as well. All week, I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, and agonised over details of how I would be able to move all of my things throughout the week, taking down all of my decorations that I so painstakingly spent two full days perched on a tall, rickety ladder putting up, packing up everything that I had unpacked only a few weeks before, and say my goodbyes to a staff and school of students that I grown to love so much over the past 2+ years. I could not get over the fact that I would only be told on Monday, September 28th, what school and position I would be getting and be expected to be ready to teach, all belongings moved, and prepared, by the next morning. I spent every day crying that week, and walking around in a daze, trying my hardest to hide my tears.
My students were devastated by the news, all of them in tears and visibly upset after I broke the news to them, so much so that their amazing parents took action. These wonderful, strong and generous people took their time to call, write, and email. They paid visits to the principal, the superintendent, and headed to the board with their sentiments. These parents did what I thought was the impossible: they had the board overturn the decision to declare me surplus, and I was able to stay after all! My students' parents made such waves, and I am sure that many prayers were said, that my fate was saved. I cannot even begin to express just how grateful and overwhelmed I felt by the strong reactions that my impending departure incited, and I do not even know how to repay God's grace other than by being the best teacher that I can be to those precious students who were placed in my hands this year, and to never stop thanking the parents, the ones whose children (and I) are so lucky to have in our lives. My friends, my family, my colleagues, and the parents and students all kept me strong, and gave me so much to be grateful for.
Hope everyone has an amazing (Canadian) Thanksgiving weekend!
I'm so sorry to hear all the stress and anxiety you have been through. But I am so amazed and happy for you that they all saw how wonderful you are and rallied for you. So cool!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear all the stress and anxiety you have been through. But I am so amazed and happy for you that they all saw how wonderful you are and rallied for you. So cool!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh how crazy of a story. Sounds like the WORST few weeks, and I can't imagine how I would have handled it. But that's amazing how everyone came together and supported you. I love that the decision was overruled and thrilled that you are still in your position. Definitely a fantastic result to a terrible situation.
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