Perry Panther

I haven't blogged about this, but my life has been emotionally, physically, and mentally draining for about a month and a half. A lot of prayers have been said by a lot of people. Thank you for that. God definitely listened and took care of my family and me.

A little history first:

I do not have a continuing contract. A continuing contract, in the state of Ohio, requires that a teacher be employed in a school district for three years and have 30 post-bachelor credits and/or a masters degree. I have been at Hoover for two years and I will graduate with my masters on August 15, 2009. Obviously, I do not qualify. As a teacher, those are scary years because your job security is very vulnerable.

About a month and a half ago, the rumors started to fly within North Canton. RIF's (Reduction in Force), cuts, shuffling teachers around, new subject areas, etc. The district, who I believe is at fault, is currently still dragging this whole roller coaster out. There are so many details that I could share, but it is exhausting just thinking about them all. The worst part? It's already June 23! Talk about incompetence...

Anyways, after school ended, I decided to send out a few resumes just to be safe. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't left high and dry. On Monday, while still employed by North Canton, I interviewed for a position at Perry. On Tuesday, I received a phone call at 9:52am from North Canton informing me that I would be included in a RIF (Reduction in Force) and that I would not be rehired for the 2009-2010 school year. At 2:39 pm, a little over 4 1/2 hours later, I received a call from Perry offering me the position. For 4 1/2 hours, I was unemployed and worrying about my family's well-being.

I can proudly say,...I am now a Perry Panther!

God takes care of his children. I am a testament to that.