May, as usual, has been a crazy, crazy month. And, right now, May is only half over! In our neck of the woods, May is the month that school ends. And, that means there is always hustle and bustle as all the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed. Wrapping things up, securing school items for the summer, preparing for summer activities, handing off past responsibilities to new people,  anticipating needs for the fall, easing the transition for students who are moving on. There is a lot, and I mean a lot, to do in May. My mind becomes so scattered as I try to keep up with all of the details to all of the different responsibilities that I deal with in May.

Here is a list of SOME of the things that we have been dealing with at our house in the 1^st 15 days of May: I won’t flesh these out with discussion, but just leave the list sitting there for you to examine.

• Planning and Rehearsing the School End of Year Program
• Developing a Commemorative Slideshow
• Regular Sessions of Physical Therapy to alleviate leg pain
• Daughter’s College Graduation – YAY!
• Organizing Margaritas for a party (I know, it's easy, but it was out of my comfort zone, lol)
• Uh Oh!  Visit to the Emergency Room
• Derby-gate (controversy over group betting with friends during Kentucky Derby- it's ok, we worked it out)
• Planning and Organizing Brunch
• Holding Parent/Teacher Conference
• Uh Oh, again! Unexpected Tooth Extraction
• Vet Consultation regarding End of Life and Rainbow Bridge, decided it's not time yet
• Car Repair -- Car's in the Shop!
• Pulling together various End of School Year gifts
• Planning for Birthday Events
• Cleaning school stuff out of my garage and then cleaning stuff out of my Classroom
• Uh Oh, again, again! Cracking my head open on a cabinet door - it's ok, stopped the bleeding, no stitches required
• Unexpected trip out of town to help out a friend and bring their cat back to OUR house for a few days
• Unexpected overnight guest who needed a place to crash after a late night flight; glad there were sheets on the guestroom bed!
• Nasty Stomach Virus
• Disinfecting the house after Nasty Stomach Virus

All that in 15 days! It's madness, madness, I say! I mean, girl, I need a minute. If I haven't returned your call or gotten back to you, now you know why. Things have been busy, busy, busy around here. But, the biggest thing in May is yet to come. I am eyeing the calendar every chance that I get.  I am counting down the days. Days left until The Big Event.  This event is so big, it eclipses everything else. It’s big, I tell you. Huge. So gigantic. Can you guess what it is? Can you? 

No?

Give me an R! R !!

Fun fact: did you know I was a cheerleader in college? Yes, I was! Let’s keep the cheer going…..

Give me an E!    E !!

Give me a T!   T !!

Give me an I!   I !!

Give me another R!   R !!

Ok, this is a long word-- yada, yada, yada, let’s skip on…........

What've you got?

Retirement !!   

Retirement !!!     

RETIREMENT !!!!!

I am retiring!! Woo-hoo!  Yee-Haw! Praise the Lawdie! Hallelujah! That’s what I’m Talkin Bout!

Ok, if you insist, I'll show you pictures of me in my cheerleading days, circa 1979.

Now, back to 2023.

Yep, boys and girls, this ole lady is hanging it up. Putting down the chalk. Closing the book. Shutting the cabinet. Turning in the keys. Saying Adios.  My teaching days are coming to an end. I will probably, like thousands of teachers before me, lend a hand, help as needed, fill in when convenient. But I will no longer be responsible for my classroom or my curriculum or my kids. The days of Miss Gwen’s class are over.

Do you think I’m excited?...........Well........Is the sky blue? Do fish swim? Is the Pope Catholic? Do vacuum cleaners suck? Do bears $$$t in the woods? Have you heard of Captain Obvious? That would be a YES.

I had a taste of how retirement might feel when my school was shuttered down during the pandemic. But, during that time I was still planning, still thinking of the responsibilities, still working on academic strategies for the future. I was still a teacher.

Now, in a few short days, I will be retired. No longer my concern. Not my problem. You non-academic types might laugh at my glee, noting that we are headed into summer, a time when many teachers are not working. True. But, the difference between a summer break when school is still on your mind and a summer break where you haven’t a care in the world? Let me experience that, and then I’ll get back to you and tell how different it feels. When I care not about the school calendar, how many days I get for fall break, when my Christmas vacation begins…. When I can ignore garage sales and stop scrounging around for used toys and academic tools that would complement my preschool themes. When I don't have to look for seasonal complements to my classroom decor. When I can wish the other teachers well and walk away. I am looking forward to it very very much!

As I have mentioned before, my job as a preschool teacher has never banked the family. Rob keeps us afloat in every way, shape, and form with his “real” job. But, I feel strongly, oh so strongly, about my worth as a preschool teacher--introducing these tiny little tykes to the world of education. Being an important adult, sometimes the 1^st adult who is not their parents, who guides them and loves them and teaches them. I hold them accountable for their actions, give them responsibilities, nurture them, show them how to work as a team, ignite their creativity, help them practice their problem-solving skills, and (hopefully) instill a love of learning that will stay with them throughout their academic careers. I will miss it, I really will.

I would like to say to all of my teaching friends and colleagues: Keep fighting the good fight. Thanks for all your dedication. Thanks for putting your heart and soul into the everything that you do for the kids. And, as I leave the classroom, I can wholeheartedly say: See ya! Wouldn't wanna be ya!!

This has been kinda high-energy. Maybe I need to go calm down a minute. Deep breath.

I am very excited about the next chapter of my life. I have many, many plans.

As long as I don’t, you know, run out of money……..