Teaching Hope: Empowerment

Entry 150

This final entry of Teaching Hope resonated with me because I am such a sentimental (and emotional) person at heart.  I think that this is the only entry in the book in which a teacher doesn’t discuss one or more students specifically—rather, she is visiting her classroom two days after the school’s graduation.  This entry was so vivid that I almost felt like I was there, and I know that I will someday be doing to exact thing that this teacher was doing—taking one last bittersweet look at the past and preparing for the future. 

I have a hard time letting go of things, especially people.  I spent two months with a group of five-year old “Grasshoppers” as their camp counselor, and on the last day of camp, I (embarrassingly) bawled my eyes out when I watched them board the yellow school bus that brought them home at the end of each day.  I stood there waving from the gate looking like an idiot while all the other counselors gawked and poked fun at me.  After this experience, I can’t imagine what it will be like for me to “say goodbye” to students that I have spent nine months with, especially if they are seniors.  Thus, I know that this will be a challenge for me when the time comes to “let go.”  I hope that I can establish strong enough relationships with my students that will make them want to stay in touch with me after they graduate, even if it isn’t very often.  I hate seeing people that I have become close to go away knowing that I may never know where else their path will lead.  Maybe I’m just nosy.  But really I think I’m just emotional.

The good news?  This entry also reminded me that teaching is a never-ending cycle.  Every year brings with it a fresh start and whole new group of students to teach and inspire.  At the same, that means that every year must come to an end.  Hopefully this is something that gets easier with time, but something tells me it just doesn’t work that way.  It’s always hard to let go.