Good-Bye Teacher … Lessons from a Less Than Perfect Year

I put this post up a few days ago, my father told me it was a little too bitter, and jaded. He sometimes acts as my editor/conscience on certain things. Anyways the outside perspective is good to have because what we mean to say isn’t necessarily the same as what is heard or read. With that in mind, I’ve edited this post accordingly.

My vacation is officially over. I’m back to work now, at a new school, with new co-teachers. I had to go back to my old school last week to say my formal good-byes. We had an assembly where I (and other transferring teachers) said good-bye to the students. Next up was a lunch to say good-bye to some of the Korean version of the PTA for our school. The day ended with a supper for the teachers to say good-bye to each other. I had mixed feelings about leaving, over two years you get to know some of your students really well and see them develop and grow, which makes saying good-bye all the harder. On the other hand there was my partner teacher(s)…

I’ve already said enough about my experiences a couple of them which generally weren’t that good. Having finished the year, I’ve been reflecting on our time together and my time at my schools. What big lessons did I learn? Here goes…

1. Be more assertive.
This one is tricky. If you’re too assertive… things are worse, but I feel after reflection that I was not assertive enough in how I dealt with some things.

2. It’s OK to say no.
We occasionally get calls to do extra work. However, these days I’m studying for my Masters and my time is at a real premium. It’s OK to politely decline such offers.

3. Just let it go.
So my year was less than perfect. Although I was able to maintain professionalism with my co-workers and students, I found my feelings towards my co-workers had changed significantly from the previous year. I once joked that in my house we don’t hold grudges, rather we tuck them away into high interest-bearing savings accounts. Time to close those accounts.