My Last Day of Teaching

All year, I’ve been looking forward to this: my last day of teaching. Now that it’s here, I’m pretty sure I’m not ready for it. How do you prepare emotionally for a 30-year career to end?

The day started with a Facebook friend request from one of my grade 12s. My normal rule is to not Facebook friend students until after they’re graduated, but, hey, I’m retiring and, besides, this young man is 18-yrs-old.

I went out for breakfast with 2 colleagues/friends. I asked, How do I commemorate my last day of teaching? One of these fellow teachers said, blog about it. Hence, this post.

Went to my mailbox as usual. Got my attendance -- there are maybe 12 names on the list. Only one of them reads “send to office” next to the name which means we don’t know why she was away… likely truant (I love that word :) ).

I compare this to my previous school where, on some days -- especially a day like this -- there would have been two pages of absence reports.

Made my way to my first period class: grade 12 College English/Literacy. One student there. We were wondering if that was it. We made small talk about Stephen King and Michael Grant’s Gone series. Over the next 15 minutes, another 8 of them wandered in. That’s still only half. And that’s probably because only half are writing the exam.

Helped a student with her practice exam essay question outline. Told her her thinking was great. She said she’d sleep better tonight.

There’s a student -- my only one in 3 classes -- who was in jeopardy of not getting the credit. Over the past few weeks, he’s been chipping away at what he still owes me. He brought himself up to a 47%. He’s currently working on a quiz which should get him to a 50%. My, how things have changed over the course of my career. Years ago, this kid would’ve been toast. Once an assignment had come and gone, there was no handing it in a few days after the fact let alone months later. I had a parent tell me several years ago that I was enabling her son. “Please fail him. You’re not doing him any favours,” she said. Interesting thought. It’s probably a matter of time before the pendulum swings from “success” to some form of tough love.

It’s 9:22 am. This is my last day of “teaching”. Tomorrow, exams start.

I’m looking around my room. I’ve gone mostly paperless, so my cleanup is fairly minimal. A couple of boxes. That’s it. Among my sundry items are books that I’ve been hauling around since 1987.  Books that I’ve maybe cracked open a half dozen times. I think that’s being generous.

The Norton Anthology of English Literature Volumes 1 & 2; An Anthology of Canadian Literature in English, Volume 1; The College Survey of English Literature.

I feel like I’m walking through a dream today. It’s amazing how slowly time seems to go when you’re trying to chronicle every moment.

Period 1, as it turns out, was kind of anticlimactic given that so few were here and by the end there were even fewer because several of them wanted to work in other classes on stuff they were behind in.  Oh well, I’ll see half of them tomorrow at their exam and say good-bye then.  Plus they’re in grade 12, so I’ll see them at grad.

Pd 2:

Grade 11 University English. 40 minutes into class, I’ve just done the attendance. Quite a few students away likely because they start exams tomorrow.

Most of these guys are studying for my exam. Their exam consists of 1 question, literary essay (3 choices), 2 hours. Pretty intense.

Not much going on. I helped a few kids with their study and graphic organizers. Handed back some work to students who haven’t been around. I’m not too stressed about the fact that some students are playing games on their computers and/or cell phones.

20 minutes left in period 2.

Here’s another strange thought. My email account -- after how many years? -- is going to be deleted. Thousands of emails. Poof! Gone. I suppose I could zip them and download them all, but why?

I told my students that I was blogging and that they were welcome to write in it. I didn’t think I’d have any takers :)

Hey Mr.MaiLOL

It’s Victoria, and Juan here! We have to admit that we were the ones playing on our phones and playing games. Don’t stress over the little things like that you can’t live forever. Have a happy retirement! Tom stop stressing.

Hey Mr.MaiLOL it’s just victoria now, you're an awesome teacher have a happy retirement!

Suhhhhhh dude, love your teaching style of teaching. Enjoy retirement, wish i would have gotten you for more of my classes. -Thomas

Its me victor this a nice laptop no lie real talk keep in touch you’re a swell guy thanks for all the help i’ll ask Mr. Gay if need any help with essay writing keep it real im outty pce ttyl brb gtg lunch bye night (y)

Silks? -Nick .V

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Hanging with my lunch-mates :) Jim, Eric, Luke, Darlene and Steve. Good times. We talked about the difference of students swearing at you vs students swearing around you. Some of us found this quite funny because we visualized a student running circles around us spewing expletives.

Period 3:

Just wanted to wish you the best of luck in the future! I really enjoyed your teaching style and willing to always help me with anything I was struggling with. Thanks for everything! :) -Owen N.

Just took a picture of this class: grade 11 University English. Very nice, very bright students.

20 minutes left in my teaching career. I have all kinds of marking that I could be doing as my students are “working” on their exam review, but I can’t concentrate enough to do any of it.

One of my period one students came in and asked if I wanted a Tim’s coffee. “Sure :}”

5 minutes left in my teaching career…

Done.

I’m alone in my room now with my final reflections. How blessed am I to have done something in the last 30 years, the best years of my life, that have been so incredibly fulfilling and hopefully meaningful in the lives of others. I once read that the best part about teaching is that it keeps you young. I’ve gotten to hang out with 14-18 year-olds for the last 3 decades. Say what you will about young people -- good and bad -- but what’s undeniably beautiful about them, is their optimism. Because life hasn’t beaten them down with decades of the bad and the ugly that comes with life, they tend to be hopeful and resilient. How can that not rub off on you?

I remember teaching Who Has Seen the Wind by W. O. Mitchell in my second year of teaching. It’s a novel about a boy growing up on the prairies as he encounters the mysteries of life and death. There’s a scene in the book where the main character, whose name escapes me, is in the principal’s office. The teacher wants him to sit down, but he doesn’t see the point, so he refuses and is sent to the office. The principal tries to explain the teacher’s side of it but eventually gives up because, in his mind, the child’s point of view is beginning to make more and more sense than the teacher’s.

I recall as a brand new 27-yr-old teacher going on a rant about keeping an open, youthful outlook on life as a teacher and never succumbing to the status quo… It was a rant and it was a long time ago, so I don’t know how it ended. What I do vividly remember -- especially because it’s only happened twice in my career -- is that when my rant was over the class applauded.

I tell this story for two reasons. If you’re a teacher, always listen to your students. They’ve got an emotional intelligence by virtue of their age alone that’s worth paying attention to. To any students -- especially my former students -- who might happen to be reading this, I’d say, don’t let the ensuing decades beat you down. Always remember the beautiful things in life. Reflect. Never stop learning. Bring the fullness of who God created you to be in every place you have influence.  

And lastly, read, write and love well :)