I’ve made a momentous decision. I have decided to retire from the Newark Public School System as of 7/1/10. It was a gradual decision that I prayed about and asked the Lord for guidance. This past year put the letter C in the word challenging. The amount of paperwork added to an already overloaded teacher paperwork system coupled with the insensitivity of the hierarchy to come to the realization that innovative/therapeutic classrooms need to be designed to address not only academic needs but behavioral and social issues as well.
It is now time for me to hang up my public school teacher shoes and put my dancing shoes back on and return to the arts. It will take a lot of self-discipline. There will be no more time clock to punch…no Kronos…it will be me and the muses hanging out and teaching by creating meaningful pieces that speak to the soul of the people.
It’s been a roller coaster of a ride with the Newark Public Schools but all good things must come to an end. God blessed me with an excellent job that had great benefits. The job enabled me to put all six children in private high schools…it enabled us to move from the projects…to a townhouse…to our own home. We’ve been able to travel in the summers together as a family and I have been blessed with a wealth of experience and knowledge that I can draw on for the rest of my life.
A republican governor took over and a gargantuan bite out of education has affected all of New Jersey’s public school systems…layoffs hurting all school employees…a huge number of retirements…cut backs in programs…paying for health benefits...reconfiguration of pensions...and a host of other concerns.
The next few years are going to be difficult in the NJ spublic chool systems. My prayers, my heart, and my love goes out to all those that remain and who still care enough about the children to want to make a difference in their lives.
