Transition

At the end of every school year I feel an ache of goodbye. After every season of teaching I mourn its passing as part of the ritual.

The hardest part of the job is letting go. Letting go of my successes. Letting go of my failures. Letting go of students that have etched my heart and letting go of those that pushed back at every moment. Every year I welcome people to my life as I say farewell to others.

This used to be much more difficult as I allowed my feelings to own me as I tried to hold on. I found ways to stay connected to students and colleagues that had moved along but it felt forced. For sure, some have stayed in my life but it’s OK that others have lost touch.

So as I say “goodbye,” I hug this moment as part of the natural cycle of everything.