The Journey Inward

That’s a wrap 
on a school year
that held so much…

change-a new position for me
challenge-learning interventions and matching them to striving readers
reinvigoration-for my teaching
crisis-financial struggles for our district…again 
relationships-with my K-4th graders
speeches-pleading to the Board to save reading & math support
letters-full of data and results
fun-parent drop off & pick up with my team
camaraderie-with my work besties
devastation-65 more employees let go
uncertainty-another new position
testing-amazing insight by reading one on one with students
adventure-class trips and events
stress-Union representation
cannibalism-gossip, speculation, nastiness
tears-saying goodbye to the safest, most structured environment many of our students know

Too many of us packed up classrooms today and left for the summer, not knowing what job we will return to. It is almost certain that I will be a classroom teacher again, perhaps in third, more likely in fourth. I may even departmentalize.  

This school year has been one of my most gratifying, but also one of the saddest I have known, as this second year of financial struggle has brought us to 100 teachers cut from the district. 

After a weeklong conference in DC, and a week of downtime, summer school starts. Or will it?  We still have not heard from the federal government whether or not we will be receiving our Title III money, allowing us to work with some of our most compromised students. The hits just keep coming.

That’s a wrap on a school year, my 27th.