Gimme an R, gimme an I, gimme an F. . .

What's that spell? RIF! Reduction in Force! Woo!

Okay, so not actually something I'm cheering about. I have officially joined the ranks of those millions of Americans who have been laid off at one time or another. And, I'm a Charlotte Observer headliner: CMS sends out layoff notices to 739 educators. Big news. That's about 8.5% of teachers in the district, if my math is right. But, budget crunches mean cuts, and when you're a public employee, that's the way it goes. It's just really unfortunate that this particular budget cut means there are 739 fewer people teaching our kids. They've upped the student-teacher ratio too, so kids are going to have bigger classes. The superintendent has stopped pretending we can do more with less. Everyone admits this will hurt kids. It sucks. They need everything we can give them. They deserve a lot more than having their teachers fired and their classes get larger. I'm upset for my kids.

And, it's a hassle for me. It would have been a lot easier to have the security of knowing I've got a job in August while I relaxed all summer.

But I've been really touched by the way all the teachers in my department called, texted and facebook messaged last night to see how I was doing (after they heard I had a meeting with the principal.) And today folks stopped by my classroom, asked how they could help... I guess I'm not used to having people concerned about me (I've never had anything to be especially concerned about) and I guess to a lot of people a layoff is a big, devastating kind of deal. But, as I've been telling people, I'm fine! No tears were shed; I just went home and starting looking for jobs.

Nobody likes uncertainty, and of course now this means I have to spend time looking for a job, and I have to be a little more careful with my money, but I've been there, done that. I had to find my art teaching job, then I was jobless and homeless in Chicago until I found Grosvenor, then I spent a lot of time hunting down NC jobs until Teach for America came through. . . so I feel like a pro at the resume and cover letter thing. I've been saving my money to have my regular paycheck amount, plus some cushion, over the two months I don't get paid in the summer. So I've got about three months before I have to start worrying about paying the rent. I'm not really worried that I won't be able to find a source of income by August, but I don't want to have to take a job I'm not excited about just because my savings is running out.

Apparently, the county will be approving their budget in June, and the state in July. These budgets could potentially give the school district money that would allow them to re-hire people who have been laid off. That's the ideal scenario, obviously. But who knows.

I had every intention of finishing my second year with TFA, and still hope to make teaching a career beyond that. I'd like to either stay teaching apart from TFA or CMS, or get into education in some other way.

But, for right now, all I can do is stay on top of the local news, see what the county and state do with their budgets, and either I get my job at West Meck back, or I get another job within CMS, or I get another job entirely. I'm also thinking of taking the PRAXIS exam in some other subjects or grades, so that I could potentially teach other classes. But mostly I'm going to be updating my resume, writing cover letters, and raining job applications on every high school, and middle school, and educational institution in the Piedmont.

As inconvenient as this sudden change of plans is likely going to turn out to be, I feel okay about it. If there's some bigger, better opportunity out there, I'm going to trust God to help me find it. If I'm supposed to wind up back at CMS, well, then that's what will happen. If I'm supposed to pick up and move again (as big a chore as that would be) well, then that's what I'll do.

Keep your ears to the ground for me, folks. Anything involving teaching, or nature and the environment, or kids, or art, or a job where I get paid to grow vegetables and read books...