Flavor of the Month...

Unsurprisingly, I suppose, there has been a lot of crying in my school ... particularly in my classroom ... over the past week. You see, I have a 140 students on my roster. Of those 140, I would say 125 are consistently showing up for class. I have developed a very nice rapport with most of the 125, plus there are about a dozen students whom I actually taught 2 years ago when they were Freshman.

Therefore, when I had to tell them about the cancer recurrence and then ultimately my decision to leave teaching and not do any further treatment, my students took it pretty hard. One student told me that she cried for 3 hours. I hate that I'm putting my students through this much distress, but I also know something else - I am the flavor of the month. Don't get me wrong, I'm completely flattered by the outpouring of love that my students are giving me and I know that they sincerely mean every word that they say, but I also know that when they say "Oh, miss, you're the best teacher I've ever had", I do feel ever so slightly skeptical. You see, most of these students I have taught them precisely 3 weeks. Erm, yeah, it's almost impossible to discern how good a teacher anyone would be in 3 weeks. 

Therefore, it's a honeymoon period/flavor of the month/cancer combination that has them feeling such strong emotions toward my decision to leave and not pursue treatment. But it is also a further indication that quitting my teaching job -- much as I love it and think that I'm getting better at it -- is the correct option. If they are taking this news so hard now, what would it be like if I were to stay a few more months. No, much as I will miss my little cherubs and love them more than they will ever know, I know that my decision was the wisest that I could make. Next week, when I leave my school for the last time as a teacher, I will leave with a heavy and sad heart, but knowing that I'm doing the right thing for my kids!