The hardest group I had to leave was at my former school. The pre-k grade level was abolished and I was transferred to another school. I was at my former school for over 15 years first as a Paraprofessional and then as a Teacher. I had formed a bond with my colleagues as a family. I did not want to leave and I did all that I could to stay. At that time I was ready to change my grade level if that meant I would stay at that school. I loved the fact that we were a small school that housed only grades pre-k thru 3rd grade. I loved the way the staff supported each other and I enjoyed watching the children progressed through the grade levels. I also loved the freedom to teach that we had at the school. My principal motto was to teach and give the children all that they needed to succeed. As I packed up my belongings and distributed supplies to the staff I felt almost like a kid leaving for college for the first time. Not knowing when I would see my friends and family again. To help alleviate the leaving process and the sadness that I and others felt we as a staff came together and went out for dinner and drinks. It was a wonderful "good bye" and a "hello" to new experiences.
I would hope that I would continue to keep in touch with my current classmates through our blogs or other forms of communication. I have "seen" several of the same people in many of my classes and even though we have not met each other we have in return become familiar with each other. I do not know what to expect for graduation day. So hopefully if we take the opportunity to participate in the ceremony we may get the chance to meet face to face finally.
Adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork because it is the time for reflection to acknowledge the pros and cons of the situation and determine what is the next phase. The next phase can be another opportunity to work together again or to simply part ways or in our case to see each other in future classes.
