One of a kind magic!

Here we are…the summer holiday of 2023 is a fact and I already managed to forget two appointments and believe me I did put them in my smart phone and reminders were send by the people who I had intended to meet up with. I guess that my body and mind are still absorbing the rather emotional and rather turbulent school year that we last Friday wrapped up. 

 Remember me saying that a school year resemblesrather a Jackson Pollock painting than a Seurat one? One look back over my shoulder and I can state that the past academic year made me end up with agigantic canvas spilled over with colourful splashes of paint. 

At the moment the major sensation is relief topped up with some bittersweetness. Yes, I am happy that the year is over but there is also a part of me that now feels a bit empty…. Lots of excitement goes on in the average school year and the educational hot spot where I teach is filled up with tons of unexpected adventures. It is one of the reasons why I do think that teaching is never dull. Plus that your students force you to keep up with lots of trends and your mind seems to age a bit less fast…or at least that it the impression that I have. 

Still…this year is one for the books and I can tell you that this lady had some very low moments in the last 10 months. Now because I refuse to be too dramatic and I also try to let go and give some of these rather intense things the place it deserves. So instead of the rather long and rather painful account of the past ten months I will try to keep it short and less painful. 

Here we go… Starting September 2023 I will have to get used to teaching and drinking coffee without my side kick U. Believe me that I am still dealing with the stages of grief that this bombshell news caused me. Last week we both hugged, cried, smiled, giggled and were reminiscing about our teaching journey. Yes, I got to opportunity to say official goodbye and thank you to her but still… I will miss U big time because after being rather forced to work together and even being a bit less enthusiastic I ended having the best coworker I could wish for. 

Oh yes, I do realise that there are quite a few unbelievable educators out there and you might even be one of them but the moment that you need to say goodbye then it only hits you that it will be rather hard to fill up the shoes that they have been wearing. Plus that in a sense that is something that is even a bit absurd. After all are we all unique people and does every single one of us come along with some quirks. The thing is that I got so much out of this work relationship that I just can’t imagine that it will happend fast again with anyone that end up working with. 

 No U is not moving abroad and she will remain my friend but still…it will be different now that she had packed up her bags and left the building. Yes, I did make a promise to her and that is that I will for sure take care of her ‘legacy’. Our Dutch curriculum has got her name written all over it and she can be so damn proud of it. The positive changes that she made to that document and the effects that they came along with them were very impactful. 

Oh yeah, I did question more than once that what she envisioned was something that would work effectively. A few years later I can state only that this fierce and very on top of things language teacher surely pushed our international students forward when coming down to learning a rather challenging language. Especially when it a one hour subject and that many students will likely forget already quite a few new words and sentences by the time we walk back into the classroom. I had alongside this lady very fascinating educational journeys inside and beyond the classroom. We taught, planned, discussed, brainstormed, created, baked and dressed up for educational purposes together. 

On top of that we bothtraveled to London for an amazing conference about Mindfulness and did we joined the Year 5 class group on their schholjourney to the Netherlands. Also she pushed me when it came down to those things that I do rather consider a bit of my least developed teaching skills such as crafts, cooking and drawing. That she now leaves due to needing more flexibly and pursuing those things she loves and adores besides teaching I totally understand. 

The thing is that I more and more realise that what we had is rare and that you can never be rest assure that it will happen. You do hope that you coworkers are people who you can get along and who won't make life harder than it already is. The thing is that life is unpredictable and even tough you do think that your lesson planning is waterproof there might still fall a skeleton out of the closet. It is a rare thing when it happens what happened between U and me. I do more than ever think that you need to be kind and caring about the people you work with and give the space to bloom. U her strength and super powers surely made my professional life also easier but honestly this individual her motivation, passion, ambition, eagerness, creativity, style and many more things she aced at I will miss for sure. 

 In case that you are blessed with a five star colleague then please take care of them. They are worth their weight in gold and before you know they leave…in my case I will struggle a while to get used to a teaching life without her and that will take some time. Fortunately she agreed to come and cover once in a while and also she still owns 50% of the coffee machine we have in our office. Guess she already got the coffee part covered…as always prepared this one of a kind teacher is! 

U, thank you once again for all you have given! Hereby I wish all these educators who retired or who left education for personal reasons the very best in their next chapter. You aced something that many have a very outspoken opinion about but many find also find out about that teaching is so much more than just cop&paste. Ask U she took teaching to a level that I rather label ‘magic’. Last time I did check U had no wand but I can assure that many magical moments were created when she was in charge of a classroom audience. 

 Please enjoy your summer break and for those who have decided to study education and becoming a teacher make sure that you take it easy the next couple of weeks because once we are back on you will wonder why Hogwarts is only a fictional school and why secret potions and spells are not a subject. Or wait perhaps that is what coffee is for…oh I now get is why U wished to still own a part of our coffee machine...pure magic...