Decisions

I have a friend who I have worked with since my student teaching days. Since the beginning of her teaching career, she has felt a call to work in an inner city school, and has done an incredible job fulfiling that call. She is an incredible friend and a great teacher.
We spent many a Thursday night together while we were working towards our masters degrees. From these classes, I know that she puts everything she has into being a great teacher. She is an advocate for the district and out studnets. She defends both to any critics who complain about what we do or how we do it.
Teaching children is everything to her. If a child is struggling to learn, she does everything in her power to figure out why and to find a way to ease the struggle. She is one of the best teachers I have had the pleasure of knowing.
Our district, like many across the country, is at a time of financial difficulty. As a way to save money, they have decided to cut all the part time positions from the district for next year. This effects my friend since she has been working 1/2 while her children are small.
For 8 years she has poured her heart into teaching and given the district everything she has. She has bettered herself as a professional, created lasting bonds with students and touched countless lives. But to the district, she was simply a name on a pay check... a way to balance the budget.
Many questions came to mind when I heard the news. What is a district coming to when they have to cut teachers? Is there really no where else they can find to save money? Does the district know that by cutting all 1/2 time positions, they risk losing some incredibly qualified teachers?
My friend is trying to look at the positive - perhaps the decision is not yet final. If it is, perhaps it will lead to new opportunities that she loves just as much as teaching. I to, want to keep the mood of this blog as positive as possible. But sometimes, when you put so much into a profession, you expect a little bit more in return.