Final Decision

I have accepted a geography position at Westpoint Jr. High. Westpoint is about 10 miles from home, instead of 35, plus no insane traffic. A gal in my ward teaches there, she says she can leave at 7:30 and get there at 7:45(school starts at 8:10). Right now I wake up at 5:30 try to leave between 6 and 6:15 get to school around 7am. If I don't leave by 4 pm I am dead. I will say this bball season really did me in. I was getting home at 7 pm after being on the road for about an hour and half or sometimes longer, it sucked. After filling up for 4.00 gal something had to change.

I am excited but at the same time, saddened. I have been at Matheson for 5 years. I really like it there. We have great administration and faculty. When you get involved and get after it like I do, you get invested and really care about the kids and staff you work with. So for this reason I am sad to leave. As I told my friends at the school they reacted glumly. I can empathize a bit, when Bates left I was completely bummed. A few people broke down and cried, I was doing my best to hold it in at that point. I still have a week, so I don't want to get too emotional yet.

Marijean, our principal, was gracious and supportive. She then said it was still going to take her a while to get over this. Jared, the asst. principal, said of all the people(there is quite a few-about 10) leaving I would be the biggest loss for the rest of the faculty. Others said similar things. I was flattered by everyone's words and while I know they meant what they said, it is still strange to hear them talking about me not being there. I guess that is the strangest thing, after next week I won't be making that drive anymore, I will no longer be a part of the staff. No matter what it won't ever be the same.

I always tell students that life is about making good memories, you never know what will happen in the future, your world can change in an instant. Janalynn jokingly said that if I didn't get so involved it wouldn't be so hard to leave. Of course this is a fallacy, we must experience life. We have to get involved, we have to care and to love that is what life is about. If I left and didn't feel anything then something would be wrong. It was hard for me to tell people today because no one was excited for me, they were sad. That is how life is, bittersweet, when we leave we are happy to be moving on, but sad because of what we leave behind. Right now I am sad. Teachers are wonderful group because they care. Five years of relationships with some of the best people I know will be changed. The day to day interactions will no longer be what they are now. That's life. It is why carpe diem is such a powerful phrase. We must live for the here and now, but really live, not just go through the motions. "Everyman dies, not every man really lives." What more can I say?