Explaining what I don't understand

It's been 10 days since I last posted. 10 DAYS!!! It's hard to believe. But some of the things that have happened in the last 10 days are even harder for me to fathom. Well...at least one of them is.

Smunch's kindergarten teacher unexpectedly quit, or was fired, or some combination of the two, last week. It's just two weeks before the end of school. It's hard to put into words just how I feel about that.

I didn't think she was a very good teacher. She clearly had issues. I once overheard her saying (to another parent!) that she would be taking as much sick time as possible before the end of the year because she missed her 18-month-old daughter too much. Hmmm? And what about those 17 little kindergarteners who have come to love and respect you over the year?

There's a palpable sense of betrayal. I'm angry that she let us all down like this. I'm sad for my little boy who doesn't understand just how complicated life can be and misses his teacher. I'm relieved that she's gone when she clearly didn't want to be there. But gosh, couldn't she just suck it up for the next two weeks? The school board had already approved a one year leave of absence for next year. Now, I hope she'll never even consider coming back...although I no longer think they'd have to take her.

Something about Smunch's card for her (pictured above) makes me want to cry. It's so heartfelt. He clearly worked hard on it with all its little details and hanging flower baskets. It's hard to understand how a dedicated teacher could let a child down like that, much less 17 of them at once...