the secret is out

A student came up to me today and said that they heard I was going to a new school next year. I was a little taken aback since I had made a point not to tell my students. I was planning on telling them on the last day of school when I wished them goodbye. I was afraid that announcing the news early could possibly lead to less respect coming from those that feel they are being left by their teacher, or perhaps those who think they can get away with murder since I won't be coming back. Instead of lying, I told them that it was true and that we would talk about it at the morning meeting. So, the dreaded talk came and I had to to explain about redistricting. A huge part of me wanted to scream THIS IS NOT FAIR! I'm a good teacher and I don't deserve to be leaving. Complain to your parents, tell the school board. HELP! But I knew it would do more harm then anything else. As the days go by, I've actually been having happy thoughts about leaving. Sometimes a fresh start is good. Please note, this is coming from me, the girl who HATES change. But, to be honest, I haven't been happy where I am. I've hated coming into work. I've wanted so hard to put in 110% effort, but have been so frustrated/stressed out/angry/tired/the list goes on this year, that I haven't been able to. I think back to my first year of teaching and remember how I loved it. It was honestly my favorite year and I'm hoping that my first year at a new school will be just as wonderful. I still don't know how my students found out. I guess gossip travels and it's kind of surprising that it took them this long to get the news. Hopefully I keep finding new things to be happy about. Only 16 more days and this chapter will end.