Sweet sorrow, sort of.
Yesterday, in my penultimate class with the seventh graders, the teacher and kids kicked me out of the class for a few minutes and conspired while I waited in the hallway. I think they're plotting to make me a card or something and give it to me for my last class with them next week. (Either that, or they're making plans for a school takeover and have me marked as a stool pigeon).
What with now only having a week of classes left, I've been thinking about how to say goodbye to people at school. I'm not particularly good at goodbyes, but I think they're easier if you actually care for the person you're leaving and can honestly thank them for their company and say how much you've enjoyed getting to know them. Hugging optional.
I'm not too worried about saying goodbye to the kids, in this respect. Of course I've had bad days with them, frustrating lessons where I could have sworn that they took a vote beforehand to be really difficult that day ("I mean, really, guys - we actually listened to Katie's instructions last week, instead of talking amongst ourselves, and we participated in the discussion. She's going to think we're suckers."). There have been some really nice moments with them too, though, and I like almost all of them most of the time. And considering that this year has basically been me starting from nothing on the "knowing how to teach" scale and using them for practice, they've been pretty patient with me. So I think that the adieus there will go okay.
It's more the teachers that I'm worried about. I've complained before here about my frustration with not feeling very accepted in the teacher's room, and my final thoughts there are pretty mixed, more along the lines of:
"Well. If I were to say that I ever felt really welcome or comfortable among you, that would be a lie. I spent a lot of time last fall being hurt and bewildered because I felt like you were ignoring me, and because my attempts to initiate conversation were more or less politely rebuffed. But I got used to it, and I hope that I'm enough of a grown-up to recognize that you weren't being deliberately unkind - we come from different cultures and have different views on friendliness and the treatment of strangers. Your failure to meet my expectations is the fault of those expectations, not you. So, while I'm not sorry to be leaving, I thank you for the learning experience and wish you all the best."
I don't think Hallmark makes that sort of card, so I'll probably fall back on the desperate person's gesture and bring chocolate. A friend and I found a nice chocolate shop in my neighborhood, so I'll have to go there next week and pick up a box.
What with now only having a week of classes left, I've been thinking about how to say goodbye to people at school. I'm not particularly good at goodbyes, but I think they're easier if you actually care for the person you're leaving and can honestly thank them for their company and say how much you've enjoyed getting to know them. Hugging optional.
I'm not too worried about saying goodbye to the kids, in this respect. Of course I've had bad days with them, frustrating lessons where I could have sworn that they took a vote beforehand to be really difficult that day ("I mean, really, guys - we actually listened to Katie's instructions last week, instead of talking amongst ourselves, and we participated in the discussion. She's going to think we're suckers."). There have been some really nice moments with them too, though, and I like almost all of them most of the time. And considering that this year has basically been me starting from nothing on the "knowing how to teach" scale and using them for practice, they've been pretty patient with me. So I think that the adieus there will go okay.
It's more the teachers that I'm worried about. I've complained before here about my frustration with not feeling very accepted in the teacher's room, and my final thoughts there are pretty mixed, more along the lines of:
"Well. If I were to say that I ever felt really welcome or comfortable among you, that would be a lie. I spent a lot of time last fall being hurt and bewildered because I felt like you were ignoring me, and because my attempts to initiate conversation were more or less politely rebuffed. But I got used to it, and I hope that I'm enough of a grown-up to recognize that you weren't being deliberately unkind - we come from different cultures and have different views on friendliness and the treatment of strangers. Your failure to meet my expectations is the fault of those expectations, not you. So, while I'm not sorry to be leaving, I thank you for the learning experience and wish you all the best."
I don't think Hallmark makes that sort of card, so I'll probably fall back on the desperate person's gesture and bring chocolate. A friend and I found a nice chocolate shop in my neighborhood, so I'll have to go there next week and pick up a box.
posted by Q at
10:38 AM
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