The ghost in the classroom

I absolutely loved working at Mt. Mahogany Elementary. The teachers I worked with were excellent. I had a supportive principal. I was able to watch my students grow year after year. It was real hard for me to leave. But it was still the right decision.

After our wedding Brett and I stopped by Mount Mahogany so I could introduce him to that part of my life, that huge part of my life. That was the first time I introduced him as my husband, standing in front of the school. That was a good moment.

Because I put so much of me into that job and my room, I didn’t want to see it. I wanted to leave it in the past. But at one point as he and I were walking around the school saying hi to everyone, it was easier for us to cut through my room. We opened the door and turned on the lights and I stopped. I had to take a major pause. There were definitely differences, but so much of it was the same. My posters were all still on the walls. I covered that room. It was the strangest feeling. I couldn’t get over it. It was almost like I was still there, a ghost in that room. But at the same time, I was kind of glad that Brett got to see all of that too.

My first set of fifth graders are graduating this year. They are the ones who gave me the nickname Miss Giggles. Those students, all of the ones I had, had a profound impact on my life. I hope I impacted their lives as well.