Letting Go

I have been keeping in touch with many of my former students via facebook. It has been wonderful for me to stay connected with them and their lives. I always said that I knew I would miss the students, but I wouldn't miss the teaching part.

Recently, I have begun to think that maybe I was wrong. a little bit.

First of all, I recently received an email from a parent telling me that the new principal and 8th grade teacher are not planning to take the 8th graders to 8th Grade Camp this year. She didn't write just to complain; she wanted me to give her some information about camp... the purpose, what the students have gotten out of it in the past, etc. I wrote her a long email in return, and I have to say... my heart is a little bit broken for this year's 8th grade class if they don't get the opportunity to experience camp. It's definitely one of those experiences that the students will remember forever.

Also, lately, the students have been writing to me complaining about drama class this year. It's BORING, they say. It's a DISASTER, they say. I do my best to take teenager complaints with a grain of salt (because, let's face it, complaining is pretty much an art form to them), but enough of them have written to me about it that I think they are actually unhappy. That also makes me sad because damned if I didn't sweat blood and tears to whip that program into shape while I was there.

finally... and probably most devastating of all... apparently the 8th graders aren't reading any novels in literature class. *gasp! *sigh. *tear. I know that the school is using an awesome textbook series for the first time this year which I know firsthand is chock full of wonderful short stories, poems, and plays.... but.... no novels? The teacher isn't having the students read any novels on top of what they're getting from the textbook? The horror.

Yes. I am clearly having a little bit of trouble letting go. It certainly doesn't help that the students are keeping me so well informed, either. I appreciate that they want to keep in touch. I just wish they were telling me how excited they are for 8th grade camp, how wonderful their drama classes are going this year, and how much they love the novels they are reading in literature class.

At the same time, I fully realize that I gave up the right to have an opinion on any of these topics when I handed in my resignation. Letting go is not easy, but I do believe that I made the correct choice by moving on.