5 school years ago I interviewed and accepted a position at a school that was unlike anything I had ever heard of or understood. There were many other jobs that I could have applied for that would have been far less demanding, but something about this place drew me in and it seemed like it was worth a try.
The school was in its second year and still in the early stages of redefining what education should look like. There were many aspects of the school philosophy that I didn't agree with. The year was tough. I cried more times than I can count and was frustrated with staff members, students and administrators, but there was definitely something special about the staff and students I worked with and I decided to give another year a try.
That continued for FOUR years.
Every year was tough and every year I questioned whether coming back was a good idea or not, but in the end I couldn't bring myself to leave. The school was comprised of less than 200 students and a staff of 20. I loved working with my fellow staff members and the small school and intimate class settings provided me with an amazing opportunity to really get to know and become close with many of the students.
More than any other job I have had, I knew down deep that I positively impacted the program and many of my students' lives. I hope that I never forget the feeling of my students knowing they could count on me to help and support them, of students wanting to sneak a hug goodbye when Covid restrictions required us to keep our distance, or seeing them genuinely sad when I announced that I would be moving to North Carolina and wouldn't return for the 2021/22 school year.
The appreciation and respect that my fellow staff members had for me was also really incredible. We all gathered on the last day of school last year to send each other off to a much deserved summer break, one by one as people left the venue each staff member took a moment to pull me aside and say goodbye. Tears were shed by many as they shared how much they appreciated what I had done for the school. Leaving the school was one of my biggest heartbreaks of leaving Washington.
Twice I have been back to Washington for a visit and while I could have tried to work in a stop at the school to see everyone I didn't take the time. Partially, I was always under a super time crunch of trying to fit in everything I wanted to do in a short period of time, but also part of me was worried that I couldn't handle it if students couldn't care less about my visit.
Last week I received a text from a former co-worker telling me one of my former students asked her to reach out and let me know that he wishes I could be there for his end-of-year exhibition. He's graduating this year and normally this is an event that family, friends, and close staff members would attend. I was moved. He and I worked very closely together for 3 years and while I am sad that I won't be at graduation this year, I didn't expect that he would even think of ME during this busy time. Thankfully, we were able to coordinate the logistics for me to Zoom into his final exhibition today. I was so great to see him complete his final task to graduate from high school.
When I popped into the room on the Zoom his family and students in the audience actually cheered. I don't know if it was because it took me a good 5 minutes to get into the room or if they were just happy to see me. Maybe both. At any rate, I was able to watch and participate in this event with him and for a sweet moment, I was reminded that even though I am gone from that place I have impacted numerous students in a positive lasting way.
As with many other things that I have left in Washington, I try to remind myself that some things are just for a season, and rather than focus on mourning the loss of these seasons, I can choose to celebrate the opportunities I had and know that while the recipe may change, more magical opportunities are still out there to be had.
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