Friday, December 19, 2008

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

It's official: I'm no longer a teacher. I am a former teacher. Today was the final day of fall semester, and I don't see my name on the teaching schedule for spring semester.

I've been feeling a little fragile all day. I've taught my last class, graded my last paper, entered my last end-of-semester grade. No more lesson plans, no more pre-class butterflies, no more purple pens writing praising/encouraging/constructively criticizing remarks in margins of papers. No more learning new software and wrestling with hardware; no more frantically trying to work through a new textbook that the publisher decided to release five minutes before class started. No more teaching highs; no more teaching lows. No more hours at the kitchen table on Sunday night, working my way through a stack of technical writing statistical reports.

No more waking up at 2 a.m., worrying about some other mother's child who isn't doing well, who isn't adjusting very well to college responsibilities. I . . . am . . . exhausted. And I will miss it. It was a wonderful, worthwhile way to spend my life.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Teaching is an honorable occupation. Congratulations on an honorable career.

bd said...

Well done, good and faithful servant! Congratulations on your retirement. You will find your life will be busier than ever doing "something else" with the rest of your life:-) You are an official grandma now-so lots more teaching (and worrying) to do!!

Anonymous said...

I like your blog

Anonymous said...

Howdy!

from westernmn

(see more below)