Yesterday I attended the last graduation of my seniors, and tomorrow will be my last day teaching my students. Bittersweet doesn't convey the weight of the dichotomy I feel. As a teacher, few things are as rewarding as watching the senior slideshow to see each student's transformation into young adulthood and getting a glimpse of their lives that has been hidden until that moment, reflecting on their growth in my classroom for four consecutive years, and then seeing them pick up their diplomas with smiles that light up their faces. The kids who seem most ready to go are sometimes the hardest to let go - they're ready, but I'm not emotionally ready to say goodbye.
I imagine tomorrow will feel similar, only I've spent less time with these kids (1 - 3 years). I'm not sure if that makes it easier or more difficult. In some ways, I've had less time to get attached (but even one year in a school our size makes that relative state less significant). However, by having less time, there's so much more I wanted to share with these kids. Despite this, everything feels just as it should - it feels right, even if it's difficult. This year has given me a new perspective on what we've discussed in the classroom. Watching Steve Jobs' commencement address, discussing the status quo versus the individual's path in our transcendentalism unit, even linking our Native American archeological survey field trip with Joseph Campbell's expression on the importance of mythology and the hero's journey marked by his adage, "Follow your bliss," all of these (and so many more) reinforced what I knew was necessary for my own self-fulfillment.
This experience reminds me of a woman I saw present at an education conference a couple of years ago. Ann Bancroft left the teaching field to pursue crossing Alaska with a team of sled dogs. She was able to do that by being granted a sabbatical. However, when she returned to the school and saw the hallways filled with students' project about her adventure spanning virtually every subject, she realized that she had been teaching her students all along. I hope my students see this transition as the best lesson I could ever teach them. As Steve White, my musical mentor to whom I owe so much, said, "The people who follow their dreams are never the ones who have regrets."
I imagine tomorrow will feel similar, only I've spent less time with these kids (1 - 3 years). I'm not sure if that makes it easier or more difficult. In some ways, I've had less time to get attached (but even one year in a school our size makes that relative state less significant). However, by having less time, there's so much more I wanted to share with these kids. Despite this, everything feels just as it should - it feels right, even if it's difficult. This year has given me a new perspective on what we've discussed in the classroom. Watching Steve Jobs' commencement address, discussing the status quo versus the individual's path in our transcendentalism unit, even linking our Native American archeological survey field trip with Joseph Campbell's expression on the importance of mythology and the hero's journey marked by his adage, "Follow your bliss," all of these (and so many more) reinforced what I knew was necessary for my own self-fulfillment.
This experience reminds me of a woman I saw present at an education conference a couple of years ago. Ann Bancroft left the teaching field to pursue crossing Alaska with a team of sled dogs. She was able to do that by being granted a sabbatical. However, when she returned to the school and saw the hallways filled with students' project about her adventure spanning virtually every subject, she realized that she had been teaching her students all along. I hope my students see this transition as the best lesson I could ever teach them. As Steve White, my musical mentor to whom I owe so much, said, "The people who follow their dreams are never the ones who have regrets."
Pictured: Steve White (Jan. 25, 1959 - Nov. 17, 2014) playing piano at our weekly open mic at his coffee shop, Rendezvous Coffee & Tea, in downtown Galena, IL.
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