Last school year, due to the budget crisis our school lost a wonderful vice principal, a counselor, and three teachers. Together we were a group that focused on working together and developed ways to help each other when in need. It was the hardest dealing with the last week of school and the last day of school was almost unbearably. I literally wanted to cry and had to hold back tears while saying good-bye. It was not the fact I felt I would never see them again but more because the bond was being broken. When you get use to working with certain people you begin to feel comfortable and then you are able to start building trust. Toward the end of the summer it was realized some of the cuts did not have to be made after all and a vice principal, counselor and one teacher were hired. It was too late to try and get the initial people back because they had already found jobs. It was hard getting use to the new people because they were new. In my mind I felt no connection.
I do know it makes it much harder to say good-bye to a group who is high performing. In my past experiences with unproductive groups, I could not wait to say my good-byes and hoped I never had to cross paths with them again. However, through it all, I am able to have had the chance to work with those colleagues and the chance to say good-bye.
When this program concludes, I imagine adjourning from my colleagues through blogging. I feel I have developed a relationship with many of my colleagues. I would like to formally say my good-byes from the program but not from each other. I have learned so much from my colleagues and would like to continue learning from their experiences.
