Our journeys in education can take us to a variety of schools and in a variety of locations.  I’ve been blessed to be both a teacher and a principal in the same school. Twenty years ago when our school opened, I was thrilled to be chosen as a member of the first staff.  Opening a school is a once in a lifetime experience. After 7 years, I took the opportunity to transfer to county school and from there I entered administration. My second placement as a principal is back at that same school that we opened twenty years ago.  One of the joys for me is to see some of our former students return to our school community as parents of new students.  

Yesterday was the last day before the Christmas holidays and throughout the day my desk continued to overflow with cards and gifts.  As I wanted to make the most of the day and spend as much time as possible with staff and students, I didn’t stop to open any of my gifts.  At the end of the day, I packed them all up and then when the house was quiet, I opened each card and gift.  They were all lovely and very appreciated, but there was one card that caught me off guard.

It was from a former student of mine, who is now a parent at our school.  Within the body of the letter she included that to this day, she can’t listen to the California Raisins without remembering the grade five phys. ed. class that I taught years ago.  I can remember hours upon hours of choreographing music to aerobic routines.  It’s nice to know that they were memorable.

As a teacher, we can never predict which lessons, which activities or which presentations will have a lasting impact on our students. Let’s hope that our impact is a positive one which brings happy memories to former students and that they take the time as adults to share those memories.