As I was cleaning up my art area in my house this summer, I came across a few things that belonged in my classroom. So, all summer I've anticipated the day that I would drop these items by my school and say a final farewell. The secretaries reminded me last week that I still have the key to the glass case outside of the main office and I have been trying my best to get there. Today I made it happen.
It felt so normal walking through the front doors that I went through every school day for the past three years. I remembered to open the door on the left instead of trying for the locked door on the right. I heard the music coming from the front office and saw Michael on the phone behind his desk. Nancy was tucked neatly in the small office, sitting on her yoga ball with important papers strewn about. It felt like coming home. Yet, I knew I was there to say goodbye.
"I'm finally here with the key!" I said as I gave Nancy a hug and asked about her "summer." "Sorry it took me so long to get it here."
"What's this?" Michael asked looking at the bin of items that I needed to return to my classroom.
"Oh, just a few things I need to put back in the art room." I responded. "I also have something I left behind. Is it okay if I go down there?"
"Sure! The new art teacher is here. I just met her this morning." Said Michael as he picked up the phone to make another phone call. Michael is always busy doing something to help the school run smoothly.
So, I took the walk down the hall while being grateful that the tiles I mounted the last week of school were still hanging on the wall. I knocked on the door that I used to have the key to and slowly opened it to see my replacement standing there. "Hey! I'm Beth. I was the art teacher here last year. I just have a few things that I needed to bring by. I'm so glad you are here because I wanted to tell you about a couple of things." I'm glad Megan was as nice as she was as I rambled about this awesome classroom, where to find certain art supplies in, and the history of the neighborhood and school. She is excited to be there and I am excited for her. It is good for me to be able to visualize who will be in that space that was my second home for three years.
I spoke with a few other people on the way out today. It was good to say another goodbye to that space that was my crazy community for a while. When I got home, I got to work on editing photos and drawing on my new Ipad.
I took a break to look down to a text message that just came in. "BETH! Greg here. Were you serious about whipping up a medieval inquiry unit with me? Let's do it!" My teacher friend, Greg, is probably sitting upstairs in the classroom right above the one that I said farewell to this morning.
"Yes, let's do it!" I replied. "How does it feel to be back?"
"It feels good to be back." he said.
So, I guess I'll be back.