Retiring from Teaching

May 23, 2012 was my last full day at Galesburg High School!  Now when people ask me what I do, I guess I'll say I'm a RETIRED teacher:)  I'll still be a teacher forever... grandchildren, cub scouts, Primary....
My last official duty was to hand out report cards for a half hour on May 24th.  Then I turned in my school keys and that felt very weird.  GHS has been my "second home" for 19 years! I will not miss the work load, but I will miss the people!

 This is me sitting in the "rocking chair" as two of my SPED dept. co-workers came up to talk about my history of teaching positions and the things I accomplished at GHS.  Rob came for the luncheon and took these pics.

This is me afterwards, saying thanks to the many fine people I have worked with over the years.  That's what I will miss about GHS - the people!





These are my co-workers in the SPED dept. at GHS.  This was the last half day when we were all cleaning and looking casual.  I can honestly say I liked every one of them!  They are dedicated to their jobs and to helping students.  Plus they are fun to be around:)

This is my good friend and next door neighbor at school, Jackie.  We've shared our ups and downs through the years and I will miss seeing her every day!

Jackie is the advisor for the future teachers club, so she did bulletin boards each month and one of the retiring teachers was the teacher of the month throughout the year.  I forgot to take a picture of mine in February, but this is from May when all 8 retiring teachers were honored.

We were also honored at the May school board meeting where we received a "golden apple" for our service.  The blanket is from GHS.  My co-workers in the SPED dept. gave me new books to take to my grandchildren, gardening tools, and a beautiful diamond necklace!

My friend, Andrea, gave me this Willow Tree of "Happiness."  It truly fits the occasion:)

So this ends another phase of my life, but there is so much more to look forward to!
I've begun working occasionally at Rob's optometry office and am looking forward to visiting Michael, Lea and girls and seeing their new home in Colorado, then visiting with Brian, Megan, and children and attending Education Week at BYU.

Life is good:)