As Tharini writes about the pain of a mother and child to bid adieu to a teacher, I am composing the complement to that post.

Today was my last day at this school I was working for the past 14 months. For personal reasons, I decided to quit this job. Where I will be working next is will be revealed in a future post.

Last day didn’t sneak up on me. I knew for the past one and a half months that April 30 would be my last day. I never gave it a second thought. I went about doing my things, giving formal resignation letter, complete formalities, preparing forms to be given in the new place…etc. Every thing felt normal.

Today morning as I was half-running-half-walking towards the classroom and I saw little faces peeking through the door. I quite didn’t notice it in my hurry to get in to the classroom in time. As I entered the classroom, all my kids yelled surprise and gave me hand made cards. The little ones peeping were scouting to surprise me. It was not just that, the kids had planned an ice cream party for me, which I found out later. The money for the ice cream party was from the bake sale the kids made last week. Parents dropped in to say bye. But I digress, the moment the kids yelled ‘surprise’… THAT was precisely the moment it struck me that the next three hours were going to be different.

Some of the kids, I have been seeing them since they were babies. I helped them transition in to school, by holding them in my lap as they cried their hearts out for their parents. Some, I hugged and comforted them as their little lips quivered with embarrassment when their bodies didn’t quite co-operate with the potty training routines. One of the dear girls, I have held her hands during every writing session, assuring that she can do it and felt so proud when she wrote her name all by herself, no mistakes, all letters present, no B->D reversals. I have taught them to spell, to recycle, washed their boo-boos, wiped their noses. Most of them, I have nagged endlessly to finish their snack and worn their ears out with my ‘no wasting food’ sermons. There is this little boy, when I tell him for the n-th time, ‘Eat, stop talking, its almost time to clean up’, stands up, salutes me and says, ‘Yes m’am’. Now, I am going to miss that or what?! I have taught these kids conflict resolution. To this day, they come running to me to when they get in to a row and say, ‘Teacher, we want you to meditate.’ 🙂 . These kids have teased me about my accent…more like rolled on the floor and laughed.

**Sigh**

This one day, I didn’t hurry to get out at my usual 12.15PM. I lingered just a little longer, precisely arranging their folders, sorting their homework, laying the mats for the kids who stay for the full day…..

Just then I remembered what a little dude told me as he left… ‘You take care baby’. I sure will bud, I sure will…..

To new beginnings….