Atlas - the end of the chapter

8.22.08 "I am quite excited about being hired for the teaching position at Atlas...so many more lives to influence and children to love and bless."
I can hardly believe I have already come to the end of the Atlas chapter in my life. The past two years have gone by so quickly! I never would have imagined what an important role this school would play in my life. Through my time there I have learned soooo much about teaching, working with children of many different personalities, and some about working with difficult people ;) but through it I have also met a wonderful friend and of course without knowing Ms. Dawn I never would have gotten to meet Michael.
Each student there has come to mean so much to me - yes, even the difficult ones. They are all a huge part of my life and saying goodbye to them tomorrow is going to be quite difficult. Sadly its only a warm up for saying goodbye to my private students at their recital next week. I am thankful that some of them will take summer lessons so I don't have to say goodbye to everyone all at once but I know that it is only delaying it a few months. I have to keep reminding myself of what a beneficial thing it is going to be to move half way across the country, to get completely out of my comfort zone and have a fresh start. I know it will provide many opportunities for growth but I cannot deny the fact that leaving all of my students has been one of the hardest parts of making this decision. I will miss each of them tremendously but I will always treasure my time with them, their smiles and the lessons they have taught me.