Today I spent my last day as a "staff member" of Ogallala, and turned in my keys and said goodbye. It was bittersweet. Actually, today was really easy. It was yesterday that kind of hit me. My last period of the day yesterday was my concert choir, which generally is the students I have spent the most amount of time with in my 4 year tenure at OPSD. The period was quite hectic, as kids were in and out, making trips to their lockers, the guidance counselor, and other random places to get their check out sheets signed. As "chaos" ensued around me, I just sat back and watched. It was surreal looking at these students and thinking back on the great memories. After the stress of moving and summer school wears off, I will take some time to sit back and reflect even more on my last 4 years of education.
Just off the top of my head, I can say that I have grown immensely as an educator while being here in Ogallala. I have made my share of colossal mistakes and have had many opportunities to experience success. I don't think a lot of people truly understand what it means to teach, how it feels to teach. I am constantly second guessing and looking back on decisions I make. What I have REALLY come to realize in my time in Ogallala is that even though I make a decision for what I feel is the best for the students, not everybody else will agree with that. I am slowly coming to the realization that people are going to be upset with me. People are not always going to like what I am doing or how I handle a situation. Sometimes that is just life. What is important is that I constantly reflect on the outcome and how I handled the situation. I can also say that the past 4 years have helped me to realize how much I truly love working with youth. Their energy and personalities are so contagious and they teach me so much every day.
I also learned that sometimes traditions are good, and sometimes they are not so good. I have begun some "traditions" with the OHS Choir department that I am excited to see continue. I also know that if it doesn't continue, then the director had a good reason to discontinue them. And if his reasoning is not legit...oh well. I say that because I know exactly what it is like to have to make decisions that others may not agree with. One tradition that I started...and ended...was the signing of the wall. One day I just decided it would be cool to let the students sign the wall of my office. Below are some pictures of my wall, and it is amazing how a simple signature and message really brings out each individual personality. These small things are what really make a difference to me! I hope you enjoy reading the messages (if it is big enough) and for those students who read this, thank you for giving a piece of you to me the past 4 years...I truly appreciate it!
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