As we wind down the last days of school things were different.
I am finishing my second year at Westlake High in the copy center.
I have worked 3 years at Saratoga Shores, an elementary school.
5 years for Alpine School District.
Kelsi is finished her 11 grade year and Logan just finished his 10 grade.
Many of their teachers are my friends here at Westlake. The staff here is amazing.
We are saying goodbye to 40 employees. Many are leaving to teach at the new Junior High in Eagle Mountain named Frontier. With the new jr. high opening Westlake is becoming 10-12 grade only.
In the last week of school I helped with graduation. I sat at a table on the top of the inside track and as they came to me I looked up their names and if they were cleared to graduate and had no outstanding fines I stamped their hand with a stamp and let them pass by to go downstairs into the gym floor and get their cap and gown. Most students passed without any problems but some needed to go back and get cleared or pay money. I have this favorite special ed girl who has the cutest smile. She would come and visit me in the copy center with her peer tutor and I would watch her come for lunch so I could see her smile. As she approached the table, the lady by me said, 'Oh the teacher already got her cap and gown, she got all of theirs." I just waited for her to come to me. She was smiling the whole way. When she got to me I said her name and look you get to graduate and I stamped her hand like everyone else. She squealed with joy.
Another day I got to pass out deposit refunds. I got the letters A-C. Such cute kids. They had to sign, date it and then they got back usually 15.00. I spent from 8-1;30 out there!
Drivers Ed will have two sessions this summer. I made them 700 copies of everything! That was a lot of copies on the last week. And my experienced teachers made their copies for the first few weeks of next year.
At the closing breakfast on the last day, our principal read a letter that was so touching. It was about a boy whose parents were told he would never be anything, never graduate from high school. The parent in the letter, complimented our special ed team and called them each my name telling what great things they had done for this boy. Now, I had met this boy. His nickname was Skinner and Jane Pate loved him. She would bring him down the copy center and I liked him too. One time Jane sent Skinner down to get a ream of paper and he lugged a whole box up to her class room she brought him back with the box of paper, and showed him just a ream. They were both laughing. Skinner got a mission call and is called to the Spokane WA area and I was so pleased to hear this. My parents live in Spokane. Our principal read this letter from his mom to our special ed team at the closing banquet and called them up front. It was sooooo nice to hear a thank you.
I finished my year making 3,411,813 copies. So many copies. I got a
new machine which was faster and better. My copy guys (the company that
services the machines) were amazing to work with and always came when I
needed them. Most days everything went smoothly. When they didn't I
always had a back up plan. One day I will never forget I totally lost
it because the machines were down. A teacher stood in there and helped
me and then delivered them to the teachers who most needed them. I tell
you teachers are the best to work with.
Oh next year, what will it bring?
Less teachers, less students, less hours.
Yes, you heard me correctly.
I
was happily working 40 hours a week but because of Obama care and the
changes that makes to employees and rules of health insurance I can only
work 27.5 hours next year.
This is unreal. I changed nothing but I get changed. I will have to share my job and my space with someone.
I am worried about this. It is change and I hate change.