Outrageous

Five days of school down at my new school, and I'm feeling OK about things.  It is hard not to feel totally inadequate about my teaching, now that I am surrounded by all these teacher superstars and overachieving kids.  But I seem to be making some allies among the students (although that may be simply because they know I haven't been strict about giving demerits...) and I'm also figuring out who my best allies are within the staff.

Last night and all day today, though, my mind was on my old school.  According to my sources, there seem to be many really crazy things going on this year, even crazier than last year's insanity.  But the most outrageous thing is that they have not yet hired my replacement yet.  Or a replacement for the other general ed physics teacher.  Or the sheltered-English physics teacher.  All three will be filled by subs until they can find people to hire full time.  Students started school today.

I can't get over this.  I have been obsessively thinking about it all day.  I know it's not my fault; I gave my notice months and months ago and they had ample opportunity to hire someone new.  So it's not guilt that I feel.  It's closer to anger, perhaps.  A slow-boiling deep-gut anger.  It's a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach because kids are being ripped off.

I can't even imagine being a student who shows up for the first day of school and finds a substitute.  In a functional school district this would be a major crisis.  As it is, the adults involved seem unfazed.  But I keep putting myself in the students' shoes.  Will they be outraged to find a classroom without a qualified teacher, without a plan to support their success?  Or are they so accustomed to the dysfunction of the system that this won't even surprise them?

They deserve better.