The End. Of an Era.

Yesterday was my last day of teaching. No, not forever, but I'm certainly not going back next fall. I'll have three kids not in school (because I am apparently insane) and I figure I'd be working for about $20/day, if you subtract taxes, gas, tithing, and (oh yeah) daycare. So, I'd be making just enough money for someone else to watch my kids. Nah.

It was sad, and sort of anticlimactic. It was leadership day, which means I didn't get to teach but had to babysit random students instead. It was only MY last day, so there was no groupthink about summer vacation -- they still have three weeks plus today left. I didn't see half of my students on Wednesday, my other teaching day this week, so I had to have my closure day with them last week, but I still saw them around yesterday and Wednesday, so again, anticlimactic. Altogether, not a beautiful end to my days at Salt Lake Arts Academy. Not ugly, you know, but it was not the triumphal flourish with sobbing students that my glamorous career deserves when it's going on indefinite hiatus. (How's that for a vocabulary lesson of a sentence?)

What WAS great yesterday was that Lindsay was there. She's the other me this year, teaching Monday and Tuesday as well as alternate Fridays. She's my favorite other teacher, and since we were the same person, we almost never got to see each other. Talking on a Google Doc is not quite the same thing as hanging out at lunch, y'know? Anyway, she came to the leadership day yesterday, and we both went to the 8th grade program. Then they went on a hike. As I am 38+ weeks pregnant and she is 33+ weeks pregnant, we got lunch and talked in the staff room for about three hours. That was really nice, and sort of rounded out my year. Oh yeah, and the staff party is today, so that will be nice too. We had or will have four babies born this year (one yesterday, I believe), so it will be a fun baby party to compare war stories.

I'm not sure what's on the horizon for me, professionally. Although I won't teach next year at SLArts, I have applied for the Electronic High School, so that could be fun. I'd be teaching some classes online for a) awesome students who want to get ahead, or b) less awesome students who failed a class. Honestly, I like both types. Maybe it's the counseling background. Still, who knows if I'll get the job. I'd like to return to teaching in a few years, maybe when Sasha goes to school, or even wait until Baby Jemonis is in school. It's all up in the air right now, which is okay with me. Bring on the future! And the baby! Anytime now would be great.