Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Reflections of a Conflicted Blogger

On Saturday morning at 10:00, my thirty five year journey as a teacher comes to an end. I anticipate that moment with both joy and grief. It's hard to realize that I'm retiring because I always had the summer months free. I don't suppose I'll really get it until August when my friends go back to work, and I stay home.

So, I'm having a lost of 'lasts' this week. For the last time I:

1.went to Class Day to watch the students receive their yearbooks
2.attended graduation and got choked up because the seniors are so young and full of hope and life
3.gave final exams
4.taught my last social studies class
5.had a lovely retirement luncheon with the faculty
6.took up books and wrote debt cards
7.had my final lunch with my lunch buddies Jennifer, Sue, Glenda, Madison, Leigh, Rita, Tammy, and Ben.
8.packed up my room for summer cleaning
9.used an ID badge to unlock the school door
10.did morning and lunch duty

I also remember that there's a whole new world out there to explore. I have some ideas on how I'll spend my golden years, but my plans are still too vague and undefined to mention. Suffice it to say that I'll be creating a new list of 'firsts.'


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2 comments:

  1. Patricia KiyonoJune 5, 2015 at 8:48 AM

    Elaine, I retired from full-time teaching ten years ago. I was 49 years old and wondered if I was being foolish - but I qualified for retirement pay and I had two part-time jobs lined up, so I went for it. I've NEVER regretted it! Even with the part time jobs I had a lot more flexibility to do the things I WANTED to do. I've traveled all over the world, met wonderful new people, and published ten books! I've also been able to develop a close relationship to my two youngest grandchildren because I'm available to fill in as a last-minute sitter, accompany them on field trips, and just be there for them. Don't worry, Elaine, your time will fill up quickly and you'll wonder how you ever had time to work!

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  2. Elaine CantrellJune 5, 2015 at 11:01 PM

    I'm counting on it.

    ReplyDelete