Maybe it's because I'm taking Lent more seriously than I ever have, but my attitude and disposition towards life has been rather depressed and pessimistic. Personally, this week was fraught with bad news and crummy circumstances, some of which I don't feel comfortable sharing. But as to not keep all things in the dark, I'll expose those I can so that they may be prayed for accordingly.
Knowing that Elisabeth would be next week to go to Mississippi, Andrea and I hosted a dinner before our routine Wednesday night Bible study. The food, the company, and the study was great, but the harsh reality of knowing that we were losing a strong, Christian woman to another place is still difficult for me to handle. From when we first met during my senior year at college (2003), Elisabeth has been a blessing and also like a younger sister to me. When she started living in Binghamton again after finishing college, our bond grew stronger and culminated this summer when I was teaching her how to drive. So, for the next nine months, Elisabeth will be working with AmeriCorps to refine her carpentry skills in Mississippi. Know full well, that I'll be waiting for her latest blog entry in The Sunshine Chronicles, and you can too, as it has been added to my blogroll on the right sidebar.
All local school districts are losing revenue and are searching for ways to close the gap. To do so, a school needs to make sound financial decisions as well as the confidence of their taxpayers. So, it should come to little surprise that job cuts are in the cards; it's just a matter of how many and in what departments. Considering that I am the newest employee, I'm might be first on the chopping block.
This is the way the system has worked for years, and regardless how well a teacher does their job, when it comes to cuts, it's a hierarchy based on seniority. If you're looking a major reason why the quality of education has been suffering over the past two decades (and especially in New York), look no further than how schools choose their educators. If schools are looking to update and stay current with education and technology trends, then why would a school layoff those newest in the field. Although expertise should not be thrown away at first conflict, a system to distinguish better teachers from worse ones needs to be brought into public schools. And this system should not be dependent on years of service or age.
The last snippet of depressing news I've heard has been out of our local paper. Two stories, released then than 24-hours apart, announced the cutting of over 100 jobs in the Binghamton area. For those unfamiliar with the history of Binghamton and the economy, this is the last thing we need. Between the downturn of the economy and the recent flooding (both 2006 and 2011), the economic prosperity in Binghamton is going from bad to worse. This local region that I call my city is in a lot of need financially, but also physically and spiritually. Although the cost of living here is low, I begin to question how many more blows can we take before move and leave Binghamton completely?
The title for the blog is pulled from a clip of the show "Community." I haven't seen many episodes, but it looks rather entertaining.
No comments:
Post a Comment