Teacher Goodbyes

Tonight I got together with many teachers from the staff at the school I taught at for the past three years. I invited everyone on staff to a final goodbye get together and I was surprised by how many people showed up! Considering it is summer and it's a great time to go out of town and have some fun, I was really honored that so many people made time to come and hang out and say goodbye. It made me realize how much the staff cares for me and what a valuable part of the staff I was.

It was so nice to sit and chat and hear about several blooming pregnancies. There have been several changes in teaching placements, and a few just recently, so everyone was sharing updates on what grade level/position they are now assigned to.

Everyone was so excited for me and supportive, wanting to know all about our move and what I will be doing in Germany. They said they were excited to follow my blog and read all about it

This photo was taken after several 7 or 8 people had already left. I felt very loved!

The movers are coming tomorrow to pack and take all the items that are being sent to Germany in our 40 foot container. We will stay in our empty house until Thursday morning when we catch our "moving flight." Our car is getting shipped too, so we will have a rental car for our last day here and get another rental car once we are in Germany. Today was a crazy day of packing, making trips to our storage unit, and organizing. We still have more to do, but taking a break to spend some time with good friends was a necessary event!

You may not hear from me for a few days, but thankfully the hotel we will be staying at for our "temporary housing" has 24 hour free internet, so I will be able to begin blogging again once we arrive. My job is only for 3 hours a day, so I will have plenty of extra time for posting details about the excitement of living in Germany!

Bye to Miss Meghann

I met Meghann in one of the first classes I ever took at PSU for my special education certification program. I don't think we ever talked to each other during that class, but after we became friends we both admitted to each other that we had wanted to be friends when we first saw each other. I think she told me she saw me drinking Diet Coke and just knew we were going to be friends!

I can't really remember exactly how we transitioned from strangers in class to hanging out with each other outside of class, but she has become a great friend. We hung out tonight (the last time we will see each other before I move) and we were reflecting on our "first friend date." We went to dinner at Applebees and saw Step Up. It is so hard to say goodbye to good friends! :0(

Meghann is one of the nicest, most compassionate, sincere people I know. She is a special education teacher in the same district I worked for and it is her true calling in life. She has such a passion for teaching children with special needs and I admire her so much. Even though she is relatively new to the teaching profession like I am, she is GOOD at what she does! The photo of us is from the Buddy Walk where we met the actor Chris Burke and we were both star struck. We were like giggling idiots waiting in line for him to sign out CD's. (Did you know Chris Burke from Life Goes on is in a band???..LOVE it!)

Anyway, I know Meghann reads this blog and I want her to know what a special friend she is to me. She has graciously said I can come live with her when I come back to Portland during the summer to take classes and that is exactly why she is so wonderful...she is always thinking about what she can do for others. Much love to Miss Meghann who is beautiful on the outside and the inside.

The first goodbyes...

Today after class I met up with my first grade team for lunch to celebrate my birthday. They got me some great books about Germany and a beautiful hot pink leather journal ( a great tool for keeping track of my experiences...maybe some of the things I don't want to post online!). We had a terrific lunch at the Paradise Bakery complete with delicious cookies.

I passed out the letters that I wrote them and asked them to open them at home. I had important things I wanted to share, but I was afraid of getting really upset by saying them out loud..so I wrote them down.

It was tough to say goodbye because these are women that I see more often and spend more time with than my own family. They have been my moms, my friends, and my mentors for the past three years and I will miss them dearly.

After our hugs and goodbyes I went to my school and met up with the teacher who is taking over my room. I showed her all of the curriculum stuff in the cabinets and what stuff is where. We spent some time talking about how things work in first grade and about what she might do in the room when she sets it up. One of the other first grade teachers I had lunch with had come to the school as well to work on setting up her calendar for next school year. When she was finished, she came in to say goodbye. I knew this was going to be the toughest one....

Linda was the first person from the school to reach out to me during the summer after I got my job. She took on the role as my official mentor and coached me through everything as I embarked on my first real teaching job. All three of the teachers I worked with were phenomenal and taught me different things about being a good teacher, but since Linda was the first one that I met, there was always a special connection. We sat in my classroom for about 45 minutes just talking...about the changes that are taking place in my life, about how exciting it will be...a little bit of everything. It wasn't sad, it was just nice. A conversation with a good friend and a great teacher. When we both realized we had to get home, we walked out to the parking lot together and she gave me a big hug. She started to cry and I knew that I was about to. I can hold up okay until the other person starts crying and then I lose it. I told her not to cry because I will be back to visit and it's not like I won't ever see her again. That seemed to make her feel better. It is pretty amazing to see experienced teachers, women with families, children, grandchildren and many life experiences crying because I am leaving. It makes me feel pretty proud of the co-worker and friend that I have been to them. It is a true reciprocal relationship that was special to each of us.

I will miss those three ladies so much, I can't even express it!