The End Is Near

For the next week and a half I will be dedicating myself to cleaning and packing my teaching spaces. We have had some big school-wide events occurring, and I hope to have everything done by the end of next week.

I have big decisions to make—the biggest of all is my teaching status. Retirement always looked exciting when I was married. Now though, I’ve shifted my focus from spending my retirement with someone to moving toward a new profession. I don’t really have that one person, or a family, with whom to plan my future, so it makes retirement feel different.

People will tell you a lot has changed in education since I began my career, and that is definitely true. We’ve moved from families beginning to utilize technology in their lives to technology taking over their lives. This has altered many responses from both parents and kids and has changed how teaching looks and feels.

Yet the hearts of children have not changed. They still want love. They still need attention and affirmation. They still fill their hearts with love for you (particularly the younger ones).

Teaching has been a wonderful profession for me. I’ve learned and grown alongside my kids. It challenged me to be better and learn more. Honestly, I think it encouraged my insatiable need to travel.

So, as I complete my last week of school, I will take the time pack up my two libraries. I’ll take on summer school, but this week could be the last week I wake up on this side of retirement.