Today was my last day as an elementary school teacher. As I waved goodbye to my students as their school buses drove by, I was also waving goodbye to my time in elementary. I have spent my entire career (9 years) in elementary. I still remember my last day at Holmsley. I was emotional as I packed my things, and said my goodbyes to my mentor teachers. I was a newbie. I had just completed my first year as a teacher, and still had no idea what I was doing. All that I knew was that I was moving from 2nd grade to a new grade level in a new school, surrounded by new people. Tomorrow is almost an exact parallel. I am moving from 2nd grade to a new grade level in a new (to me) school. It was definitely the right decision then, and I'm sure this is the right decision now.
When I started at M. Robinson, I never imagined the friendships that I would cultivate, or that I would meet my wife. I can safely say that M. Robinson has been my family for the last 8 years. We have been through some good times, and some rough times. So many different things have happened in our time together. I have seen some of my dearest friends move on to bigger and better things. I have seen some phenomenal teachers start their careers and develop into teachers who I want to be like. And the students... The students have been wonderful. Each year they come in excited to meet me, and each year we part with heartfelt hugs and goodbyes. I am going to miss them.
Tomorrow I am leaving a campus who is responsible for my growth as a teacher and as an aspiring administrator. I have had the privilege of working under 2 different principals, with very different philosophies. Both effective in achieving similar results. I have had the opportunity to work in 3 different grade levels, with 7 different partners. I have started a family, furthered my education, and reached every milestone that I have set out to conquer. Thank you M. Robinson family for everything. May my voice and spirit still ring through the hallways with my KTK YouTube videos. It's time to start my next chapter.
