An Era Ending

I turned in my last project for this semester of graduate work today. I still have a take-home exame to do next week, but otherwise I'm done for now. I'm taking some time off, there's no classes between the end of April and June 3. Summer session I begins June 4, but I'm not taking classes, as I will be finishing up the school year and preparing to move during that time. I'll be back at it again in July, this time from our new location. So that's a (small) goal accomplished.

Meanwhile, Kevin "moved out" today. He may argue that point, but the reality is that "home" is now in transit. I'll continue to live here by the sea, while he begins the next phase of our life in DC. He'll be back here to visit on weekends, but somehow it doesn't feel the same. I feel like I'm killing time until I can make that move, too.

Fortunately, with our state's high-stakes testing in just 5 weeks, "killing time" means I'll be working like crazy. I'm torn there, too. It's the end of the school year, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel that is the last day of school, and yet I'm starting to feel a twinge of sadness at leaving this staff behind. I've been in the building 3 years and feel a sense of cameraderie with the other teachers, after the ups and downs and changes we've been through in the last couple years. Because I looped up with them, I've also taught most of my 34 students for TWO years. There's a connection there that's more than I've had with my classes in the past. I've seen these kids go from "just out of third grade" to "almost in sixth grade." Graduation will be an emotional experience.

So it's a reflective time. The end of this time in our lives and the beginning of another.