So Sad

I volunteered in my sons kindergarten class yesterday after lunchtime, like I do every week. I was kind of sad about it because it was my last time volunteering in the classroom, and anyone that knows me knows how much I love doing it. I do have a few "events" that I am volunteering for at the school next week, like field day, but that's for everyone, not just my sons class.

The way my teacher has the class set up is that she has the kids in groups of five sitting at one of the four octagon tables in the classroom. She's rotated their seats four or five times this year, so they could socialize with different kids, which I love. Anyways, I was at one table playing a spelling game with one group and the teacher happened to be at the table next to mine doing something else with her group. The other two groups were self directed and doing their own thang.

All of the sudden, the principal comes over the loud speaker and asks the teacher when she is going to have some free time because she needed to talk to her. The kids were going off to computers at 2, so they agreed to meet then. I was watching the teacher as the whole conversation took place. The principal is a very intimidating sort of woman (hell, I am scared shitless of the broad, so I can't imagine what she's like to work for) and she made is sound like it was going to be bad news by the tone of her voice, which is why I was watching the teacher.

She looked over at me once the principal disconnected herself from the loud speaker and said that it wasn't good. Mind you, the kids at both of our tables were busy, so they had no idea what was happening at all, not that they would I suppose. But the teacher told me that they were doing cuts (lay offs) today and that one other teacher was already informed at 9 am that morning, and she knew that's exactly what it was when the principal asked for her.

I knew there were budget cuts and going to be lay offs, but for some reason I thought it was the elementary, middle and high school. There are 305 kids in my sons class right now and they are spread out over 13 kindergarten classes. If they are cutting two and there is one that is retiring, that is going to be over 30 kids per class next year, assuming there will be around the same amount of kids in the class.

The teacher said that this happened to her two years ago. She was laid off and then called back in July, after she packed up ALL of her stuff and took it home at the end of the year. She is hoping that happens this year and I do, too. She is a phenomenal teacher and I am blown away by the change I've seen in my son since he started in her class in September. It makes me so sad that she may not be in the school when my next one enters kindergarten. Not to mention the fact she is like 13 or 14 weeks pregnant and doesn't need the stress at all. I offered to meet her one night to help her pack if she needed it. The majority of the stuff in the classroom are hers because the teachers all have to supply their own learning aids. And she has A LOT of games, puzzles, craft things and so much more.

She was in very good spirits about it and I was in the class with her for about 1/2 hour after the call from the principal. I personally wouldn't have been able to continue, even though she only had about 45 minutes after she spoke with the principal. I think she was half expecting it, to be honest, but I think that was a pretty shitty way for the principal to do it. She may as well have announced that she was getting laid off over the loud speaker, because the teacher knew as soon as the principal called what was happening.

Very sad days.