Goodbye, English teaching

And just like that, it's over.

Today was my last day as an English teacher. The kids group-hugged me to death and drew me lots of pictures with hearts and I mostly wandered around with a plastered-on smile, ambivalent and a little stunned. No matter how much you know it's coming, ending an era of life is always a bit of a shock. In just a few weeks (three to be exact) I'll board a flight and go back to America, and a few more weeks after that I'll move to Boston to begin law school. Then, on some cold, rainy, blue-toned day in Massachusetts I'll lay down across my bed and lift my face up toward the dark sky and I'll dream of sunshiny Spain. 

Teaching English hasn't been a picnic by any stretch, but I've liked it for the most part. I've worked in three elementary schools over the past two years, and each one had their merits and drawbacks. The kids are cute, but they are also loud and whiny and inattentive, and did I mention loud? Very, very loud. Some days my job was fun because I got to engage with students on interesting topics and watch them actively learning. Most days it was frustrating and a bit boring, because I am not always in charge of the classroom and I'm subject to another teacher's whims and teaching/discipline style. Cultural differences are more alive and well in the classroom than you can imagine, and sometimes I still find myself absolutely baffled by the Spanish system and why things are done a certain way. No doubt, if they came to America they'd think the same thing.

But my teaching days are over and now I can live my life without the constant need to pick apart my language and examine it like a dissected frog. Now I'm free to admit that I have no idea why we say in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening and at night. I don't know why read (present) and read (past) are spelled the same way but pronounced and understood differently. I can't explain why the expression "catch up" has nothing to do with either catching or up. I love words, and language, and now I'm free to dive back into the art of it and let go of the science and tedious mechanics.

 I'll miss the coworkers and some of the kids, the nice ones who are smart and funny and work hard. I won't miss all the behavior issues and the millions of requests to go to the bathroom or get a drink of water. I won't miss sassy nine-year-olds or kids that just refuse to work but then complain to their parents that it's too hard. 

Overall, I'm so glad I've had this opportunity. I am 100% sure that I am not cut out for a permanent position in elementary education, but hey, that's what law school is for.