The Journey Inward

My heart is broken tonight,
as it seems on both a local and national scale,
that my beloved field of education is being attacked.

My district,
short 4-6 million dollars,
put a vote out to the public
to raise taxes in support of our 
students, programs, employees, and teachers.
It was rejected.

The cuts that have already begun,
will continue tomorrow and in the weeks ahead.
Non-tenured teachers will most likely be let go,
as will some veteran teachers.
We've already lost our supervisors,
but other positions are on the chopping block now,
including the officer who keeps our school safe daily.

Our students will have larger class sizes,
our teachers will have even more responsibilities,
and programs we have counted on to serve both
our striving and struggling students will be abolished.

This mirrors the sentiment of the nation,
which has decided to begin dismantling 
the US Department of Education,
clearing out half the workforce there effective immediately.

The funding that comes from this federal entity
provides services for our students 
in desperate need of special programming,
programming that costs local districts 
more than their budgets could sustain on their own.

My heart is broken tonight.
For my profession, for teachers,
for families, but most of all,
for our students, who will pay the price dearly.

My heart is heavy tonight,
but I know tomorrow my colleagues and I
will do what we always do,
be the buffer between a cold world 
and the children's sweet souls.
We will rally as we always do,
and give our best to shield them from the worst.

My heart is broken,
but it will go on beating for the students I serve,
for the families I serve,
for the future of our country.

My heart is broken.