Thank you for all your support and advice. Here is my story.

I work for the School Board of Broward County, commonly known as the SBBC, also claims to be the largest accredited school district in the US, so unfortunately I can't use the NLS. I have not been fired yet. I am going to join the Clerical Union as soon as I get the paper work which is on its way and it may have arrived on Friday, but I took a mental health day to try and regroup, and when I do will ask for help from them. I was given two weeks to work out a schedule, so they are trying, I guess. I think the reason this all came to pass is that I hadn't updated my schedule with the office manager and hadn't signed out for my lunch time for the petty reason that no one else does. Which goes against the advice I always give my son which is just cuz someone else does or doesn't do something you follow suit. Here is what I am thinking of submitting and would love more advice. The reason that I am writing this this way is this is my 4th boss, 3rd this school year.

Dear...

I came to work for the SBBC in October of 2001 as a temp to transcribe school materials into braille for the visually impaired students. The reason I decided to take the job was I was told that my hours would be flexible so that I could be with my son when he was not in school. At this time he was in kindergarten. This stayed in place until August of 2002 when I returned after the summer break. At that time I was asked to become a permanent member of the staff and was reassured that I would still be able to work my schedule around his as long as I fulfilled the requisite hours needed to be full-time and to do that I put him in after-care at his school. This I did for the next two years.

During this time the program went through two moves, at that location, loss of teachers and a major increase in students with visual impairments which necessitated hiring two more temp office workers and trying to find new teachers. Because the hiring strategy is to use temps, I trained 2 during this period to help with the brailling.

In August of 2004 we moved to our current location, approximately the 14th move for the program in 25 years. When setting up the rooms for us to use we were able to secure a 4th room because of the production of Braille. It was also an area for all of the supplies needed by the teachers for instructing the students.

 I had become dissatisfied with my son's school's after care program and enrolled him with the after care program at the gym where he takes gymnastics classes. For the 2004-2005 school year they had a pick-up program that was not offered for the 2005-2006 school year. Also during the 2004-2005 school year there were many changes besides just the move. A new office manager was hired who saw the need for more office help and so a micro-tech was hired, another temp office worker, a person to help with all of the technical equipment the students use, and a teacher's assistant. The temp that worked with me found a better job and I then trained two more people to help with the brailling and then another temp office worker was hired. The teacher's assistant quit and another one was hired. At the end of this year our AP quit and the person hired to help with the technical equipment quit.

The start of the 2005-2006 school year brought an interim boss. When I was told that the gym would not pick up my son from school anymore, I met with her and she said it would be no problem for me to take my son to after care during my lunch time and that it would be all right for my lunch time to coincide with when he got out of school. When the second temporary AP came on board I didn't speak with her about it because I didn't know it was necessary.

I am sorry that I did not consult with you when you came on board. What with everything else that was happening I didn't realize that it was so important. I am also sorry that I did not update my schedule and had stopped signing out at lunch time.

I  make sure that I work all the requisite hours, even staying late without filing out the comp time form because I care a lot about the students and know that they need what I am providing.

Sincerely...

For those of you that made it all the way through this, I would appreciate any suggestions, any kind of comment, etc that you offer. I am trying to figure out how to use all the great questions that have been offered. Cheers!