One of the positive things of job switching is the opportunity to do what ever you love most in the last couple of weeks. Nothing to loose only positive energy to gain.
After decades of teaching I found myself walking around in school full of energy and ideas, making everyone crazy in those last few weeks while children could call me their teacher. The kids in my class had been in primary school for almost a decade and were on their way to switch schools. They would find themselves in junior school in September. For all of us, those last weeks were filled with emotions and fun.
We made our goodbyes and looking back, we could smile and think: “it was okay”
What did we do?
- We yelled and screamed a lot. There is a lot of tension inside which has to find his way out. The children were chasing after each other a lot while making a lot of noise. I was loudly singing songs and running through the corridors. We couldn’t help ourselves … it was okay :-)
- We thanked everyone who had helped us to come this far. The children were used to give presents to their teachers of last year but I suggested to give ‘Thanks’ to all of the teachers in school in a simple and fun way. They liked the idea and arranged it by themselves. I thanked all of my colleagues giving them a leaflet with ideas of “creating your own happiness” together with a smile card.
- We SMILED a lot because we stayed close to those who we liked the most. We feel empowered because we know we are accepted by them. We still have to learn a lot, we have to change things and at the same time we can stay as we are; completely ourselves. I saw the kids hanging out with the children and teachers they liked most. I felt empowered being surrounded by colleagues who always knew there is a lot of positive and creative energy inside me in spite of everything.
Such a sensation of leaving in a positive and caring way. For the kids adding to their inner strength, their resources. It will certainly be helpful while adjusting to their new school culture. The same for me; it will be helpful to go back and feel the empowering warmth when my exiting new direction feels a little lonely and uncertain!
I hope all of ‘my kids’ will do well in their next school and in their lives over all. I’ve tried to make them see the importance of caring for themselves and others plus the importance of feeling empowered and working hard to reach your goals. For me it’s time to teach these important issues in a lot of other places!
Saying goodbye in a positive and caring way empowers us to move on into the future.
Smile, Ella
