The Last Days

I live in the End Times. It is with great sadness that I write in my last day as a Biology teacher. The classes ended this week, and I gave my last exam in Marine Biology yesterday.

Today was a fairly good Talent Show, with school lasting only 2 1/2 hours, for that and a couple awards. Though one of the skits was scarily racist, most of the presentations were very well done. Meryem Benkirane played beautiful piano, and Amit and Anit did a sbut Indian dance. But my award goes to the one who did something I can't even begin to do. One girl, about 7, got up there and had the hula hoop going, jumping, kneeling, twirling about, for about 4 minutes total. I can do that reasonably for about 2 turns, if I'm lucky.

I had the pleasure of going into Adam's class to see what they are doing in religious studies right now. They are looking over some information on Islam, which I studied in grad school, and so is of particular interest to me. It was really fun. The kids, in 2s, 3s, & 4s, came up to me to ask about Islam and Christianity. (All from a purely academic point of view.) Some of them were very impressive in the knowledge they had of their faith. I got to share with them some of the differences between the two, and what a great respect I have for Islam, for I feel that I can learn a lot from the faith, for there is that of God in all people, including Muslims, and there is that of God in all faiths, including Islam. Particular to Islam I am singularly impressed with their commitment to their faith and the unity of God. I desire to be that committed to God myself.

Unfortunately one particular student was exceptionally ill-behaved.
It's what happens to students who only get a B in my class.

I'm going to really miss the students here. There are too many to name. Some gave me some trouble at times, some were excellent students, some were very sweet and kind to all they met. I'm going to miss them all. I'll really miss the teachers here too, and people I've built relationships over the past few years. I'll miss teaching Biology, and learning all the most recent scientific studies, and sharing everything with the students, and having them learn new ways of thinking. I wish I didn't have to leave.

And I'll really miss being a Biology teacher. Much of my identity has become wrapped up in that, along with teaching theatre. That's who I am. That's what I'm good at, at least to an extent. It was hard to give up the possibility of teaching AP Biology last year, and let Lisa take it, for I felt like Biology was "my thing". But I felt like it was best for me spiritually to let her take it. Perhaps it's good then to move on, to not see teaching Biology as my identity, but it's really hard.