HEATHER
MIGDON
Update - August 25, 2003
I
Find the Job I Want, But the Price is High
With less than seventy-two hours before teachers have to report to schools, my fall placement remained as uncertain as it had been 13 weeks ago. Indeed, the outlook had become even bleaker. I found out that my school was even more crowded this fall than it was last year, and the principal decided to once again use the auditorium space for a classroom. Guess what lucky teacher was given that assignment?
Me. Again. It was January all over. Only this time, I wasn't accepting it so easy. Knowing that I have set amazingly ambitious goals for this school year, I could not rationalize being content with another placement in the auditorium. My many attempts to reach my principal were not successful, so I decided to call another principal I knew -- my former one at Park View Elementary. I've spent a year singing his praises to anyone who would listen, and I was desperate to go back. Unfortunately, district bureaucracy prevented him from hiring me. I had worn out all my options, so I made two calls. I sought the advice of the union field rep and my program director from Teach for America. Both recommended faxing a letter to my principal outlining my frustration with teaching in the auditorium. I followed their advice within hours, explaining in my letter that I was very upset at the prospect of trying to teach in such a substandard learning environment. My program director thought the following quote was too harsh, but I left it in: "For every day my students are to be in the auditorium, we rob them of the chance to learn much more than this: They and their education are not valued." Five days later, my principal had not found the time to call me back or contact me in any way. But I did get another call—from the principal at Meridian Public Charter School, an urban elementary school not far from my home. I had heard of their successes, and I knew several Teach for America members who taught there. I interviewed an hour later, and the principal was more than happy to offer me a fourth grade position. I was elated! I would be teaching at a cheerful school with a progressive mindset pointed in the direction of attaining excellent educations for all of its students. Regrettably, the decision to leave Garfield Elementary carried a high price tag —I was expelled from the Teach for America program, the founding philosophy of which I have devoted myself to since my sophomore year in college. It was the hardest decision I had ever had to make. I was able to make my final decision only after re-reading the mission statement of Teach for America."One day all children in the nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education."I knew I could contribute to more children attaining excellent educations at Meridian Public Charter School than in an auditorium in a failing DC public school. Knowing that, my choice was obvious. I hope my students will be better off for it.
