Wherever you go, there you are

Last night I attended the 8th grade graduation of my last 6th grade class at my previous school. Getting hugs from former students, colleagues, and parents helped remind me how lucky I am to have had the privilege of teaching there for seven years.

And while I loved being back there for that brief moment, I was also thinking how I don't miss it either. When I made the decision to leave, I knew it was time. And being back there last night reminded me that each place we are at in our lives leads us to the next place, which is where I'm meant to be. So while I celebrated with my former students and was honored to be part of the pomp and circumstance, I was glad to see that they still thought of me fondly, but just as they are moving onto the next phase of their lives, I realized that being there last night was the closure I needed to show everyone else and myself that I had moved on to the next phase of mine.

These kids are ready to move on to high school!

Slice of Life is brought to you by Two Writing Teachers

Graduations = Celebration & Reflection

This week we celebrated 8th grade graduation. So naturally this is a good time to reflect on what a wonderful school year it has been. It's hard to believe it's been almost a year since I announced I would be returning to the classroom as an 8th grade English teacher at my alma mater. This year has been everything I had hoped it would be. I had a wonderful group of students, my schedule was about as low-stress as it could be (I come in late morning, teach three English classes, and am home before 4:00), and I immediately felt at home in the community since this is where I went to school.

Since this was my first 8th grade graduation as a teacher at the school I attended, naturally, it would stand to reason that I would start to think back to my own 8th grade graduation 21 years ago.

This is a picture of me with one of my best friends from middle school and high school. Looking at this picture, it's so funny to see how much we've changed (check out my pouffy hair!) but in the few times we have been able to get together over the past few years where we can catch up over dinner, we quickly go into reminiscing mode.

Middle school and high school was an incredibly turbulent time in my family life, so having the support of such a stable, accepting school community helped bring some normalcy to my otherwise dysfunctional life. So to say I am now teaching in the place that helped give me that normalcy and accept me for who I was despite my struggles is a great privilege. When I look at this picture of me from 21 years ago, I see a naive little girl who doesn't have a clue how lucky she got in life. I could choose to focus on the things that make my life difficult or the things that didn't go right, but when it comes right down to it, I have been blessed more than most, and I recognize that more than you know. So despite my struggles, I'm here to say that life is pretty great. And every day is a celebration.

Celebrate This Week was established by Ruth Ayres