The End

Thursday was the last day of school for students, and Friday was my last day. It has been a very emotional, rough few days....

I received my pink slip on Wednesday. I knew that I was going to get one when I accepted the job, but it still hurt. Knowing that I was going to have to start the whole applications process again, and also practicing my patience again was disappointing. Thursday was Awards Day, and 4th grade Promotion Day. This day is when all the kids, K-4 are recognized for certain achievements, and 4th grade gets their certificate of promotion to the 5th grade. Our school is a K-4 school, and the 4th grade goes to a different school for 5-6 grades. It acts as a graduation ceremony for the 4th graders. The promotion went great, and the students were very excited about the awards they had received for their hard work.

I only had 6 students stay with me that Thursday. The rest couldn't wait to get out of there and start their summer vacation! I was sad of course. These kids were my first class, and I had grown to love them very quickly. Remember, I only had this job for 5 months! The ones that stayed helped me get my room emptied into the hallway for cleaning and waxing.

Friday was our last work day. We had a meeting first thing, where I got emotional once again. One other teacher who was also pink slipped made a speech about us, and I couldn't hold it together. Afterwards, I went to my room to get all my belongings. I fixed my resume, and am in the process of getting it checked to start applying for jobs again. I am most definitely going to miss the people at the school I worked at. They were so wonderful and helpful to me. They made me feel like I had been there for years, and treated me like family.

I probably wouldn't be so sad and worried about a job if things would look positive. They aren't. I found out Thursday that our school is 1 of the 2 that were picked to lose a unit. That unit is the position that I was in. As of right now, they have decided to to keep my position in 4th grade. That will bring the current 4 units down to 3. They have a plan of how it is going to work. If they were keeping that position, I would feel much better about my future. I believe from what everyone, including the principal, has said to me that I would be strongly recommended for the position again. There is only 1 position available at that school, and it is 1st grade. There are 6 of us that worked at that school wanting that position. Like the principal said, it's going to be a hard decision. 6 teachers wanting 1 position.

I am praying that students move into the area over the summer and they have to bring that 4th grade position back. If they do, I feel like I have a very good chance at getting it. I'm praying that they change their minds about cutting the position. Maybe they will really analyze what they decided, and decide it will be better to have 4 teachers. If not, I know something will come to me. I just have to be patient, which is not my strong point!