I may as well break the news to the rest of the world.
I will not be back at Tisdale Elementary School next year. Nor do I have any plans in place for next year. Despite applying for my position again, I simply was not hired back.
It's been quite the year. In late November I was given a grade one class that was the joke of the entire school. Most of the kids in the class, or actually probably all of them, hated school and learning. The other teachers, as they welcomed me in, warned me of what was in store. There is no denying that what was in store was difficult, but it turned out that this class of mine, with all of its many "behaviour problems," and being behind 1-2 months from the other classes in their subjects (despite it only being November), was actually a gem of 20 students who were just needing someone in their life to provide stability and to guide them. They just needed to be disciplined, given a routine, and above all have fun. Nowadays I have kids trying to convince their parents that they are not sick, just so they can come to school. The kids are far ahead of the other grade one classes in reading and math. Why? Because they enjoy it. Six months later dare I say that this class is the model for the entire school. These kids here are incredible.
All of this doesn't matter when it comes time to filling out the teacher positions. I currently have a group of angry parents on facebook angrily bashing the school for not bringing me back. I have one parent, a farming dad, wanting to form some type of a posse. Apparently the entire town knows about what is going on and is bashing the school. I have had many of my fellow teachers and colleagues come to my classroom crying because I was not brought back. Needless to say, my kids are pretty upset by the news.
Somewhere in all of this there is an important message from God for Becca and I. I'll be the first to admit I was too confident in my own abilities, and would've bet my life savings that I would be brought back to the school in a full-time permanent position. I was way too confident. Never put all your trust in yourself! Ever! Thankfully God is teaching a very important message. It will be hard to move again, the 7th time in 3 years of marriage. Quite frankly, the job prospects are not looking good for next year. Worse than last year actually. All the more reason to put our trust and hope in God. As contractor Mike Holmes would say: "this time we're doing it right."
Or, perhaps better, as Psalm 127 says: "If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labour."