Pink Stinks

I got a pink slip this week. Tens of thousands of teachers all over California are getting them. Just because I got one doesn't necessarily mean I'm losing my job, but it's the "CYA" business. If your school district doesn't give you a pink slip but wants to lay you off, they are "SOL" if they didn't serve you. Soooo, they blanket their districts with pink slips. And this blanket ain't no cozy lil' hand made blanket either!

I'm sorta feeling all over the map about it. Part of me knows that there's a pretty good chance that I'll still have my job. The other part of me goes, "Screw it. The public school system is SO broken, and it keeps getting harder every year. Time to change careers again." But then I think about the kids. Agh, those little varmits that keep me coming back every day, year after year. They are the reason I'm here. And I'm just cocky and confident enough to know that if being a teacher is going to be an impossible task, it may as well be someone confident, like myself, doing the job. If I vacate, or if they vacate ME, my shoes might be "filled" by some less-competent individual. I may as well stick it out.

The last angry rebellious part of me says, "You don't want me? Really? Well it is YOUR loss, you fools. C-YA!"

I could easily justify a decision to leave because there's a whole host of crazy crap coming down next year. Larger class sizes, more curriculum to teach that's being pushed on the already overworked classroom teacher, fewer available resources for kids, and less money per student. Hmmm....makes me want to write President Obama a letter about the reality of NCLB and merit pay.

I'm tired, for sure. Tired of fighting the uphill battle. But then I go to school and see these kids in crisis, some of them in serious crisis, and I remember why I'm fighting. !Si se puede, pero necesitamos ayuda!