The Countdown Continues

     Day 3 flew by because I was at an all day ELA (English Language Arts...for the non-teachers) Committee meeting planning curriculum for next year. It was fun because our group is choosing new books, making a year long plan, and coordinating materials, both old and new.

 

Part of the pleasure of curriculum writing days is the adult company all day long!  Not once did I get asked, "Can I go to the bathroom?" OR "Where's my pencil?"  Being amongst friends felt good! It was also bittersweet because I knew that it would probably be the last time I would be doing this kind of work for a while.

 

     Even though we were busy, I couldn't help thinking about tomorrow, the last day of my teaching career. That thought was always lurking in the back of my mind and cast a shadow on the day.

 

     There were bright spots to my day too. I got a "sunshiny" surprise from a sweet friend (Thanks, Allison!). I also had a surprise visitor, Dianne, from Missouri!  She came to town to watch her grandchildren but was kind enough to stop at school where I was packing things up. Dianne and I taught together at Westside along with another friend, Karen, for many years. We had a wonderful time catching up. I treasure those minutes we spent together reminiscing.

 

     Tomorrow will be a very busy day as I try to wrap up loose ends at school. I know it will be a very emotional day too. I have to tell my 22 kiddos that it will be my last day of teaching. I'm telling them only that I need to have surgery and that I won't be back to teach them any more. I will also tell them that they won't be able to hug me when I come back to visit because my "ribs" will be sore. (I get hugs each night from 21 of the 22 children as they walk out my classroom door and their hugs are BEAR hugs!!!)

 

The letter I'm sending home to the parents tells much more information but I'm allowing the parents to tell the children as much as they feel comfortable telling them. The children will be sad. However, in their next breath, they will be clapping and cheering because I will tell them that Alyssa (my student teacher from this fall) will be their teacher for the rest of the year. 

 

     It will be a hard goodbye...