For the last eight years of my teaching career, more than half my career and 1/5 of my life, I have been on the faculty of the Weber School in Atlanta, GA. Today was my last day, and it felt very strange to walk out the door and make my way across that lawn to my bus stop for the last time. I don’t think I expected to burst into tears, but even though I have mixed feelings about leaving, I know it was a completely normal and understandable reaction. I have colleagues at that school that I love very much. They are warm, intelligent educators who made me a better teacher. I will miss them so much. We have shared lessons and laughs. We have commiserated over shared workplace frustrations. We have grown together. I can’t imagine I won’t see them again, and I truly hope that they will manage to visit me or that I will manage to visit them. I take some comfort in that in today’s digital age, I can keep up with them a little more easily than I might have done ten or fifteen years ago. In that way, I hardly feel like I am leaving. I can’t begin to thank them for all they have done for me and meant to me over the years.
At the beginning of July, I will begin working at Worcester Academy in Worcester, MA. I am already excited about the new colleagues I have and will meet and the new experiences I will have. It’s a great adventure, and though moving 1,000 miles away is daunting, I am excited, and I’m beginning to feel almost ready. I will be heading to ISTE with new colleagues prior to joining the faculty, which is another experience I look forward to.
Though it saddens me to turn the page on the chapter of my life at Weber and say goodbye to beloved friends and colleagues as well as a state I’ve lived in (with the exception of two short sojourns in VA and NC) for the last 20 years, I am excited to see what the next chapter has in store.
I wish you the best as you put one foot in front of another and step in the direction of new territory. How exciting! How scary!
Another chapter means new friends as well as new challenges. You can do it! You've been preparing for it all your life.
I know exactly how you feel. I left a school last year and sobbed all the way home after turning in my keys. But I learned so much about myself in my new job. I'm a better teacher now because of the change. Good luck to you! They are lucky to have you!
Congrats and good luck on the new position! I'll be interested in hearing about your new adventures since you'll be teaching near me (Fitchburg Public Schools). Enjoy the summer!!!
Congrats on your new position! Worcester Academy is a great school and not that far from where I teach at Shepherd Hill. Enjoy New England, new neighbor!
Thanks! I am excited about it.
Congratulations on your new endeavor! Change is good and often needed in order to grow mentally, develop even more, and be a mentor to others. Sometimes we become stagnant when we stay in one place too long, therefore, we need to move forward. I wish you nothing but the best.
Thanks! It was a good move. I am looking forward to it very much.