U-46 teacher who recovered from in-school stabbing laid off

Carolyn Gilbert isn't the type to make waves.

After she was attacked by a 16-year-old student with a knife in January 2008, she lost her right eye, endured several surgeries and months of therapy.

But she never sued, never blamed the district or the school for what happened to her.

She simply went back to the job she loved, teaching family and consumer science classes at Elgin High.

"I loved the principals, teachers and administrators, felt like it was my home. It is my home away from home. That's the reason I went back," the Bloomingdale resident said Monday.

Yet last Friday Gilbert found herself in Principal Dave Smiley's office, learning she is one of hundreds of teachers being pink slipped by Elgin Area School District U-46 next year.

She feels betrayed.

"I'm not the only one being laid off and I'm not the only single parent," Gilbert said. "I never said I have a right to a job for life. I'm not better than anybody else. My whole peeve is I never caused any problems. I didn't talk to reporters. I never once asked for anything except a teacher's aide. And a lot of people would have taken advantage of that. I didn't."

Gilbert has been having problems with both her prosthetic eye and her good eye. She's having trouble driving, reading and seeing distances.

"I was in really good health before all of this happened," she said. "It's a mess."

On top of things, Elizabeth and Caitlin, Gilbert's two teenage daughters, are under her health insurance plan. Her ex-husband is in London.

In an interview Friday, Superintendent Jose Torres said the district is cutting more positions than necessary to pad itself against potential state funding cuts. It plans to recall employees if the funding picture improves.

This is Gilbert's fourth year teaching in the district, so she is just shy of tenure.

Gilbert is determined to fight for her job. She hopes to talk with Torres about it this week.

"I don't know how to do anything but teach. I love it. And that's what panics me. I was in a panic mode last week. I'm 52, almost 53, and who wants to hire older people? That's just the way it is. I need every year I can get before I retire."