Bittersweet Ending

Usually, today, I am on top of the world. I feel free, excited, and just down right giddy!

As a teacher, the last day of school means so much.  It means you have another year under your belt (6 for me!), you've *hopefully* made an everlasting impression on at least a few kids, you've grown as a person and teacher; and now your job rewards you with some much-needed time off and fun in the sun. 

As much as I'm looking forward to laying by the pool, having lunch dates like a real person (not eating in 20 minutes!), and this year ~ working on Harper's nursery, I have this bittersweet taste in my mouth.

This year started out with a lot of potential.  I began this year as Mrs. Burton instead of Miss Giles.  It was quite exciting and a little hard for everyone to get used to!  I had a wonderful class filled with great students and of course a few challenging ones that always become the ones that tug at your heart in the end.  My team had changes as well.  We added a new teacher to our mix and knew that my team-member, Andrea, would be with us for her last year as she's getting married this summer and moving. 

Kathleen, Mary, Me, Andrea: Open House Night

Throughout the year, as I always do, I truly leaned on my teammates as well as our wonderful group of friends.  I work with some pretty amazing teachers, but there's a small group of us who haven't just been 'work friends' ~ which we intend to keep it that way...  The Fall semester was challenging with lots of changes, which isn't uncommon with a school it seems.  The 2nd semester was in itself a whole new ballgame for me.  I knew things were different, and could finally put my finger on it when I realized I had been pregnant the entire time! This made it very hard for me to handle the sickness I was having, the exhaustion, and just emotional pull, all while trying to be the best teacher I could be during the day.  But alas, my friends and teammates helped me through it.  My class was so excited and sweet about the news and I'll always remember that as being one of the best memories from this year.

And although I will really miss this class, I am used to moving on to the next year and meeting new, wonderful students. The true Bittersweet End comes with some of my friends at my school.  It seems that a group of 3 of us who hardly knew one another become very close.  Then we grew to a group of 5 friends, and then 8 friends over the course of 6 years.  But little by little the group has decreased.  This year, the group will no longer be a group as there may only be one or two of us left.  With that thought, it has brought me to tears more than once over the past couple of weeks ~ especially this week.  Not everyone has such close friends they work with; but I had that chance, and it has been amazing.

 I'm realizing now how I should have been more grateful for it while I had it. 

We've been through break-ups, engagements, births, weddings, Spring Breaks, break-downs, loneliness, cancer, dating, happy hours, laughter, tears, and more with one another.  So when I'm getting upset about the convinience of these friendships, I realize how important these people mean to me and how I will have to work very hard to keep these.
I'm just praying hard that next school year won't be as hard as I'm anticipating and that my worries will quickly leave me.

warning: picture memory overload and soooo could have uploaded more! {I couldn't find the camping trip pics!}

 

So, with my Bittersweet Ending...here's Goodbye to another school year and Hello to Summertime.