The Last Day of School! :)

The end of the year is always a mixed bag of emotions for me, but this year is quite different!  This time tomorrow I'll be headed to Philadelphia International Airport to begin my journey of a lifetime to Boot National High School in the Philippines.  People keep asking me how I am feeling about the trip.  My standard response is "excited," but the reality is that I am feeling many things right now. 

This last day of school feels very different!  To start with, I am saying goodbye to the Class of 2016.  It has been a great year and I wish this class, like all of the ones before them, nothing but success in the future.  My collab teacher, Becky, is retiring after 37 years of teaching!  She has been my right hand for 3 years now.  I am going to be a little lost without her, but I can't be more excited for her to get the extra beach and grandkids time.  My principal, Annie, is moving to a new position in the county.  This is a well-deserved promotion, but there is a big part of me that wishes she was staying.  She has been a steady source of guidance, support, and a swift kick in the pants when needed for our school. Several teachers who have been a vital part of Rising Sun for many years, including my time as a student, are retiring and I know my school will not be the same.  Oh, and did I mention, my own children are "graduating" from elementary school!

Today will definitely be filled with lots of laughs, smiles, tears, etc., but it will be OK.  I'll do what I always do, follow the advice on change from the Dalai Lama, "Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values."  I keep this quote taped on a cabinet in my classroom to remind myself of this everyday.  I don't want Becky to retire, but she already submitted her paperwork.  I don't want Annie to leave, but she has already accepted the new position.  I don't want my babies to go to middle school, but they are going anyway.  Life is full of change and it makes no sense to resist it because ultimately it is going to happen anyway.   

As I embark of this amazing journey to the Philippines, I know that things will change.  I won't be the same person when I get back; this trip will change me.  I'll be different and it will be good!