My Pink Slip Story...

If you live anywhere in the state of California you have probably heard of our budget woes and the school district insanity. If not...lucky you!

Anyways, Los Angeles Unified School District, has decided to balance their budget by cutting teaching jobs. They not only cut probationary teachers but permanent 10-year teachers as well. I was one of the "lucky" 9,000 teachers that will be losing their job as of June 30, 2009.

The funny thing is, I was planning on quiting my job then anyways, so the news of my layoff actually saved me paperwork and the hassle of quitting!

My boss had no idea of my plans to move to Africa...that is until last week! She called me into her office and told me to start looking for a different job.

She was expecting tears or anger but instead I leaned back in my chair and said, "well actually, I don't need to because I am going to move to Africa instead!"

I wish you could have seen the look on her face...It was classic! She was shocked to say the least and of course had many questions.

Boss: "Africa?"
Me: "Yep...I have an opportunity to help out there and so I am going to do that"
Boss: "What opportunity"
Me: "Well, a school asked me to be principal and rewrite their curriculum"
Boss: "Principal??"
Me: "Yeah...but I turned that down"
Boss: "What school offered you that?"
Me: "Oh and international school...but I didn't think I was ready yet"
Boss: "An international school asked you to be principal??!!"
Me: "Yeah"
Boss: "huh..."
Me: "Yeah, but I want to learn more about their school system before I do that"
Boss: "Where will you live?"
Me: "In a hut."
Boss: "What about your house?"
Me: "I rented it"
Boss: "You did! To who?"
Me: "To some guy and his wife and their baby on the way"
Boss: "And you all live there together?"
Me: "Nope...I moved."
Boss: "You moved??"
Me: "Yep, last week."
Boss: "You moved last week?? Where do you live?"
Me: "In Simi Valley"
Boss: "huh..."
Me: "So actually this is perfect timing and pretty much validates that this is what I should do."
Boss: "huh..."
Me: "Yeah, I mean, it really is perfect! So yeah...I'm moving to Africa"
Boss: "Do they have flush toilets where you are going?"
Me: "Well...not the place I will go for the first 6 months"
Boss: "...and you want to go?"
Me: "Yep!"

Here's the really cool thing...If I had taken a leave, the longest leave was 12 months. By being fired I have 39 months to be rehired with all of my seniority...That means that if after my first term I don't go back to Africa, I will have a job waiting for me here!

Isn't it so cool that God is a "details" kind of guy! I could not have planned it so perfect even if I had tried! He is so awesome!