Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Updates!

So it is 4 am and I have been up since 2 am and can't go back to sleep, so I figured I might as well update this blog that I seem so good at neglecting!

Pregnancy.....I am now 34 1/2 weeks pregnant and still feel great! I of course can't seem to sleep through the night and have the usual suspects.....back pain, heartburn, round ligament pain, BUT I feel so very blessed that those are my only issues so far! I know I still have 5 weeks to go, but I thought I would be feeling miserable at about 28-30 weeks, so I feel pretty lucky! We have had 3 wonderful showers (another post to come) and we are trying to get the nursery finished while I am on vacation for the next 2 weeks!

Work......So some of you may remember a little post that I wrote at the end of the school year last year. Here are my exact words...."


It is going to be interesting to see what happens next year, with all of the budget cuts happening. There were lots of unanswered questions at the end of the year. Are any teachers going to be cut? How many kids will we have in each class? Will I still get to teach Math and Science, or will they make me teach reading(scary!!!) Will I be moved to a different grade, or worse....a different school? For now I am just going to enjoy my summer and worry about all of that in August!!"


Well, little did I know that it would be the most eventful school year I have ever experienced! It all started with a facebook message in late July that we were getting a new principal.....UGH, that made me sick to my stomach. I absolutely LOVED our principal and knew that it would be hard to replace her! I went up to my school about a week before teachers had to be back to get a head start in my classroom. Said all my hello's to everyone there and then headed down to my room and my phone rang, it was the school secretary telling me that the new principal wanted to talk to me. She informed me that a 3rd grade section had been cut and that I would not be teaching 3rd grade this year, and that at the moment they didn't even have a spot for me at my school. After a couple of AGONIZING days they let me know that there was a 5th grade opening for Math, so I was excited to be able to stay at my school, but wasn't too excited about having to learn a new grade level while pregnant and being gone on maternity leave, and I had the added pressure of having to pass another certification test by March since I was only certified EC-4. So, I tried to suck it up (which I did a horrible job at) and got my classroom ready and taught the first week. Got an email the next Tuesday to come see my principal and she informed me that another 4th grade section had been closed in our building and that meant a teacher had to leave, and guess who it was.....yep Lucky me! 


Here is where I start to become a little ticked off, for many reasons....

1. We all knew from the beginning that numbers in 4th grade were VERY low and that section would probably be cut, was I given any warning that I might have to move....NOPE! So, I spend at least $100 decorating a 5th grade classroom and learn a week later that it was a waste of MY money. Not cool!!!
2. When I was told that my 3rd grade section was cut, I immediately told them that I would LOVE to go back to Kindergarten( not because I love it, but because I have taught it before and that definitely makes for a less stressful year, plus I wouldn't have the added stress of having to pass a certification test) In the end, they still moved me to 5th grade and then turn around and hire a brand new teacher and put her in Kindergarten. Talk about a slap in the face. I was pissed. 
3. GISD has a very crappy rule when it comes to displacing teachers. When there is a grade level cut and a teacher has to move to a different school they look at the grade level that is cut and look at the teachers in that grade level, along with the grade level above and below. Out of those teachers they take the one with the least amount of years in the district and then they are the one that has to move. So, in reality I had been at my school for 6 years and with the district for 7, but the brand new Kindergarten teacher that had just been hired got to stay and I had to be the one to go. Totally not FAIR!
4. Moving a teacher 2 weeks into the year isn't right for the teacher, and especially isn't right for the kids. They have a pretty good idea of numbers and could have made that decision before school started. but of course didn't!


Soooooo......At the end of the 2nd week of school I packed yet another classroom and moved to a new school(thankfully one that was about the same distance from my house as my old one, I would have been really mad if I was 45 minutes from school instead of 20-25). I was put in a Kindergarten classroom and was basically a new section that had been added at the last minute. There were 3 sections and all 3 teachers had about 26-27 kids in their rooms, talk about a nightmare(again poor planning GISD


So, it was definitely a difficult month or two with all of the changes and moves, and I am so glad to finally be settled at my new school, which everyone has been wonderful at. They made me feel at home from the very beginning, so that is an added bonus. I have a great class (for the most part) and feel very lucky to work with a great team! 


I was invited to my old school's Christmas party and attended last week, and let's just say that maybe I dodged a bullet. The mood is definitely different with the new principal and it definitely isn't the same family type feeling with a relaxed atmosphere. I know that everything happens for a reason, but I still don't like the way that things were handled from my school's end and even the district's. But, I am thankful to have a job :)

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