The End of an Era

This week marks the end of an era. Thursday is the last day of school for Altamont students, and the last day we will be together as an Altamont family. Frankly, I'm having a hard time coming to grips with this transition. Me, who gets stressed about changes like getting a new entertainment center (seriously, I actually lost sleep over this one. It's because the new entertainment center couldn't hold as many of our framed pictures, so I was feeling sad. Totally not joking!). And here we are, what a year full of changes. Altamont closing. Teachers moving to city schools and new schools. Me without a job. Chris starting his externship. Moving to Medford. I'm not exagerrating when I say that I could quite happily teach at Altamont with these wonderful people for the rest of my life. It's no coincidence that people at Altamont have been there for a LONG time - it's because it's, hands down, the best staff in the district.



I have been trying really hard to not think about the whole situation. When we first realized that Altamont would be closing, we knew that we would all be split up. My coworkers are my best friends. My coworkers have been my family, my support system. They have been my teachers, my inspiration to become a better teacher. I have learned and grown, become a better person through my interactions with Altamont staff. As was quite aptly noted during happy hour a few hours ago, we at Altamont have had to be strong for each other, united against the poverty that plagues most of the kids at Altamont, and as a result have become closer than most staffs. And boy, have we had fun!

My worst fear is not being able to see these wonderful people every day. When something as wonderful and fabulous as Altamont happens, it makes for a difficult show to follow and live up to my heightened expectations. Regardless of what happens to our staff and our Altamont "family", lucky are those who come into contact with these kick-ass teachers!!! Thank you, Altamont, for being such a huge positive part of my life for these three years!