CHALK TALK: Eureka! Eureka

My name is Rebekah Kitchin, and I have fallen prey to a physics problem. Archimedes is fabled to have watched the water rise in his bath and shouted ”Eureka! Eureka!” as he grasped the concept of water displacement. Along with many other educators, I have recently been labeled as displaced, but no one is shouting in enthusiastic amazement.

I graduated from Palmer High School. I thought I would retire from Palmer High School. After teaching for about 20 years outside, I returned to my hometown. When I started back in the district I took the windy road to the position I wanted most; from music to kindergarten and first, to middle school, and finally to Palmer High School, where I teach English.

I was sent to Florida for International Baccalaureate training, and for the past five years, I have been part of the teaching staff of an IB World School. The staff is excellent, and the students are inspiring. The tiny music students I taught when I first came to the district are now my students in English 1,2,3, or Creative Writing, or IB Literature. This is the year some of our freshmen are students I had in music class as kindergarteners. What a privilege it has been to watch them grow, and then to be able to write letters of recommendation for them as they go to college or apply for jobs.

Last fall I was encouraged to get involved speaking to legislators about funding for education. It was interesting and I learned a great deal. I talked with our representatives before the session started, met with them in Juneau, and during the interim. I went to budget meetings, asked questions, and wrote for the newspaper about how important stable and predictable funding for education is. I thought I was doing it for the new teachers, especially the ones who are not yet tenured. I thought I was past the time in my career where those cuts would affect me. I have been teaching for 30 years, have been in the district for 10, and in my position for 5. I was wrong.

Last week I was told that my position is being cut; not only mine but two others as well. The crystal ball says we will lose about 30 students, but the ratio of pupils to teachers (PTR) is also being adjusted. It seems that now the plan is to have a 33:1 ratio in our high schools. Teaching six periods per day, a teacher could see up to 198 students. As an English teacher, that number is frightening.

There is a negative impact on building morale when positions are cut. It undermines the feeling of stability and causes teachers to question the security of their positions.

Looking at it logically, I am in a better position than most. I have certification in elementary, middle, and high school, so I am officially qualified for many of the jobs that will be vacated by nontenured teachers. I have signed my contract, so I am assured a position somewhere in the district. For those things I am thankful. I hope that I am not going to be bumping someone else out of a position they love.

I am already missing my school family. My teaching partner, in particular, will be a huge loss. We are better together. I feel like I am letting the team down. I have become the lame duck who can't participate in future building plans. I can't plan ahead because I don't know what I am planning for; it could be another high school position or elementary music. I streamline my belongings and prepare to pack up and relocate.

What now? I try to find job postings that are a good fit for me. Just because I am certified, doesn't mean that I have the same passion for every position. I fill out an application. I update my resume. I go to interviews. I attempt to give unwavering focus to the classes I am still teaching, even though I may miss some of them due to interviews.

My name won't be on the schedule when students pick out their classes for next year; at Palmer High, I have become past tense. One of the things that helps students be successful is having choices for classes that fit their interests and goals. Students have fewer options for classes, and teachers will have more students. This weakens student/teacher relationships and further divides time so that students will have less individualized instruction and feedback. Students, who have come to depend on one of the three teachers who has been displaced as an essential stable presence in their lives, lose those connections.

Part of the solution for this mess is more stable funding for education. Opinions concerning raising the mil rate, instituting taxes, and approval of borough and state budgets vary greatly. What we need are decisions and leadership that clearly evidence the value of our children as a priority, not a bargaining chip. They should be offered the best possible education, not an adequate one, just as no one dreams of a merely adequate future in Alaska.

Rebekah Kitchin is currently an English teacher at Palmer High School.