What I did at school yesterday: 6/12/13

This post is from last Thursday (about Wednesday). 

Yesterday was a difficult day.  The story actually began more than four years ago.  At the time I was working in Gloucester County as an ITRT (instructional technology resource teacher), and I wanted to be closer to home.  I applied for an ETF (educational technology facilitator) position in York County, and I was thrilled when they called me for an interview.  There are five elementary schools within a few miles of my home.  As luck would have it, the openings were at two schools in Williamsburg, a 30 minute commute on a good day and a 90 minute commute on a bad one.

However, despite the commute, I learned to love my schools, which means the people with whom I've been working.  Each is unique in its own way, and I learned to appreciate their differences. But when my colleague announced her retirement in March, I knew I had no choice but to request a transfer to her schools.  One is literally within walking distance of my house and the other isn't much farther.

The process has been more difficult than I anticipated.  First, it has been drawn out.  I would need to compete against others, and it was weeks before the opening was even posted.  Then, it was several more weeks before interviews were scheduled.  The interview went well, and I felt optimistic.  I expected to hear something by the end of last week, but as the weekend came and went, I started doubting my prospects.  On Monday, after a LONG weekend, both my principals and the ETF I would be replacing asked if I'd heard anything.  I began to suspect that this was no coincidence and they knew something.  Tuesday crawled by, but I was hopeful I'd get a call.  Finally, around 2:30, en route from WMES to MES, my cell phone rang.  It was someone from the SBO offering me the job (AKA transfer).

So, why was yesterday a difficult day?  It was a day to start saying my goodbyes.  Each school had its end of the year luncheon and recognized those of us who would be leaving.  MES gave me a beautiful painting of a tree with thumbprints for leaves and each staff member's signature.  WMES planned an orange themed luncheon (the color of one of my new schools), and put together a heart-twisting slide show. 

I will miss my friends and colleagues, but I am excited about the next chapter in my career.  And, I am thrilled to bid farewell to my commute.  Next year, the only delays I should experience getting to and from school should be due to oversleeping.