Update on the Employment Front

Counting our Blessings

You'd have to be independently wealthy and/or living under a very large and paid-for rock to not notice the economical woes that are all over the place right now.

Thankfully, Chris and I are only affected by the fact that we're upside down in our house. Even though we want to move and build in Wickenburg, that's on hold until we can squeeze out a tiny profit from our current abode. Since it doesn't look like that's even possible right now, we're staying put for now. However, other than the house thing, Chris and I are blessed in our jobs and the fact that we have a house and upside down or not, we can afford it.

Which brings me to the subject of this entry: I was informally informed (I know, repetitive and bad choice of words) that my job is staying with the district. I say informally, because no official word is being given until April 15th. I also don't know if there's going to be pay cuts. But if there is, it's looking like 2%. Yuck. There are projected teacher cuts at each school in the district, so there are some that will not have their job come August.

Therefore, even though this is a good thing, I did dodge a couple bullets. Well, the first being that I could have lost my job, but the bullet I'm referring to is the district wanted to cut some art teachers (and other special area teachers) and make the remaining ones work 1/2 days at one school and 1/2 days at another. Thankfully the board said, "absolutely not" at that proposal. The district I work for did finally get a competent school board elected this past year. Unlike past years and unlike district admin, they're very "pro-teacher". While budget cuts and some sacrifices need to be made, at least the board has the best interests of the teachers in mind. It is quite the turn-around from the jokes on the school board that were voted out! I am grateful that all this crappola that is hitting education hard (especially in a state like AZ that often errs on the side of educational imcompetence with our elected officials!), there are some blessings within the mess.

That said, there is a part of me that wouldn't have minded if my job was cut. A part of me. I'm not being ungrateful and I am not taking for granted the blessing I have of not losing my job. But a complicated set of feelings exists that is a little difficult to put to words. I love being a teacher and I love my students. However, there are other factors that "losing my job" would have solved. Haha I am also in prayer asking for certain things and certain answers for some concerns (not specificially job concerns, but life concerns that are intertwined with job stuff), and the fact that my job wasn't cut is a little confusing as to what I am supposed to do.

Confused yet? I know, it's complicated.

However, when it is all said and done, I am happy. I also have faith that Heavenly Father knows what he has planned for me and we continue to count our blessings.