Mid terms

This week was the midterm for third quarter of school. As my mom put it, I am in the home stretch. I realized last night as I was patting myself on the back for making it nearly through ¾ of my very first for real renewable contract after over 15 years as an educator of one type or another, that in six months, I need to be in Dillingham for Teacher In-service for the 2016-17 school year.

That is, if I get asked to return. I signed my Letter of Intent to Return within minutes of getting it from Sam. All signs point to being asked to come back. I regularly use phrases like "next year, I want to…" and "I can’t wait to try out (insert ridiculous new teaching strategy) with my class in the fall." As of yet, no one has given me that look which says, "Oh Honey, don’t you know? You aren’t coming back" that I have seen on the faces of principals, secretaries and colleagues over the years.

And after years of being laid off every single year, I am cautious.  I heard today that this time last year, contracts had been offered already.  As far as I know the union is still in negotiations for the new contract to start in the fall.  We get exactly zero feedback from either admin or the union reps about how it is going.  Here, unlike Oregon, you do not have to belong to the union to teach.  In Portland, it was either join the union and pay your dues, or be a "fair share" member and pay the same dues but have no say.  I did both over the years, and all I got for it was told that, due to seniority rules, I was ineligible to apply for jobs.  I did look into joining the union here but once I found out that it was voluntary, not obligatory and that it would cost me a cool thousand dollars to participate, I backed slowly away from the table.  No thanks, I'd rather go home for Christmas.

It’s not that I don’t think I will be asked back, exactly. But the past has taught me, finally, to never count my contract until it is signed. And sealed. And delivered-in the form of my first paycheck of the new school year. Until then, anything can happen.