Knowing When

Knowing when.

I knew after two weeks into the school year that it was time for me to retire. I was taking care of some beginning of the year bookkeeping duties, and my class was quietly working on an independent assignment. You could of heard a pin drop when it hit me. I had been blessed with another "good" class, infact the third good class in as many years. How was that possible? If you've taught for any length of time you know those challenging years are just inevitable. 

It was right then and there that I made the decision that it was time. It was year thirty-one, and I had reached the magic retirement number, and realized that I wanted to go out on a Super Bowl year, and I'm so glad I did as it was one of the best years of my life. 

My class was delightful, creative, smart, engaging, and so funny that I spent most of my time laughing that year. Deciding to retire when I did left me with no regrets. Knowing it was my last year I pretty much threw caution to the wind, and initiated some teaching methods that turned out to be some of my very best. 

Knowing when to move on can be tricky, but trusting your gut, even though it may seem scary, may not be a bad rule of thumb. I remember early in my career switching grade levels about every two years. Many times this decision was made for me because of changing class sizes, but it taught me early on that change isn't necessarily a bad thing.  

Several years later after moving to Frisco I spent six years teaching kindergarten. Even though I was feeling the need to change grade levels, I was hesitant to do so because I had spent so much time in one grade that I doubted I could do something else. This very fact bothered me so much that I knew I had to move on. 

Throughout my career I changed grade levels often, was a Reading Recovery teacher, and even taught Social Studies in Middle School. No matter what I did I always learned and grew both professionally and personally which all contributed to me being a better teacher. 

I read something the other day that clearly stated the idea of knowing when it's time to make a change, and understanding that you don't have to do anything forever. 

"Don't settle: Don't finish bad books. If you don't like the menu, leave the restaurant. If you're not on the right path, get off of it."

Chris Brogan