Good-Bye Sunshine
Aziz moved away today.
Earlier he had told me he was moving in Feb but as it turned out, he moved a little earlier than that. It was today. I had known for at least a week but it was only yesterday that it hit me like a brick. All day today I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. I wasn't quite prepared for him to leave.
Quickly this morning, I made him a card and got the class to write a note for him throughout the day. In the afternoon, he left for a trip so when he returned by the end of the school day, I gave him the card and a movie I thought he might like, as well as his birthday bookmark. Ms. Nic, who knew him since he was in grade 6, made him a banana cake. She adores him too. She had also taught his two brothers before Aziz.
I'm probably prolonging the hurt by doing this but throughout the day, I also took pictures of the class where he was in some of them. I want to post these pictures in the class bulliten and perhaps contribute them to the grade 8 year book.
I can't even express into words the anguish I felt of realizing that he was going and that there will be an empty seat from now on. I didn't realize that I got attached to him so much over these past few weeks. A few weeks! It's only been about 8 weeks since I started teaching here but it feels like half a year.
I know I said this before but Aziz is one in a million. He has the biggest heart and the deepest soul. He is a truly rare human being. I pray that the next teacher who is lucky to have him appreciates him and takes care of him and nurtures this quality in him. I hope that he stays on the right path and he doesn't meet any negative people or at the very least, let them influence him. I want him to succeed and be all that he is.
This is truly one of the hardest moments in teaching. You make these unexpected connections with kids and you realize this when you start to cry when they leave or get transfered. As in my case - as soon as the school day was over and I finished dealing with other teachers and kids, I found a moment to myself and started to break down. I couldn't hold it anymore. And felt like something was pulling at my heart-strings. And again when I mentioned it to Vick that Aziz left, I got teary. I just miss him. He was like a sunshine in my room. He brought a dynamic to the class that reached out to every corner. He was in a class of his own.
I'm going to be looking out for him in the future because he is destined for great things. I pray that I am fortunate and lucky enough to meet more Azizes in this world. They make life better and happier.
Here's a bizaare dream I had last night. I was in some place - it looked like a building. I was there with Ben and we were both leaving together, all the while, saying so long to some aquaintances. Then, for a moment Ben went off to say hello to a group of women. He was within ear shot so I heard him talking about me, "Yeah, that's my girlfriend. She's a teacher. But she's a teacher for the teachers." At the time, I remember thinking, "Oh, my gosh. Why did he tell them that?" And then the second thought was "That's such a lie about me being a teacher for the teachers." But in the dream, I was thinking he must have done that to give the impression that there's a distance between he and I. That somehow it was okay.
GW
Earlier he had told me he was moving in Feb but as it turned out, he moved a little earlier than that. It was today. I had known for at least a week but it was only yesterday that it hit me like a brick. All day today I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. I wasn't quite prepared for him to leave.
Quickly this morning, I made him a card and got the class to write a note for him throughout the day. In the afternoon, he left for a trip so when he returned by the end of the school day, I gave him the card and a movie I thought he might like, as well as his birthday bookmark. Ms. Nic, who knew him since he was in grade 6, made him a banana cake. She adores him too. She had also taught his two brothers before Aziz.
I'm probably prolonging the hurt by doing this but throughout the day, I also took pictures of the class where he was in some of them. I want to post these pictures in the class bulliten and perhaps contribute them to the grade 8 year book.
I can't even express into words the anguish I felt of realizing that he was going and that there will be an empty seat from now on. I didn't realize that I got attached to him so much over these past few weeks. A few weeks! It's only been about 8 weeks since I started teaching here but it feels like half a year.
I know I said this before but Aziz is one in a million. He has the biggest heart and the deepest soul. He is a truly rare human being. I pray that the next teacher who is lucky to have him appreciates him and takes care of him and nurtures this quality in him. I hope that he stays on the right path and he doesn't meet any negative people or at the very least, let them influence him. I want him to succeed and be all that he is.
This is truly one of the hardest moments in teaching. You make these unexpected connections with kids and you realize this when you start to cry when they leave or get transfered. As in my case - as soon as the school day was over and I finished dealing with other teachers and kids, I found a moment to myself and started to break down. I couldn't hold it anymore. And felt like something was pulling at my heart-strings. And again when I mentioned it to Vick that Aziz left, I got teary. I just miss him. He was like a sunshine in my room. He brought a dynamic to the class that reached out to every corner. He was in a class of his own.
I'm going to be looking out for him in the future because he is destined for great things. I pray that I am fortunate and lucky enough to meet more Azizes in this world. They make life better and happier.
Here's a bizaare dream I had last night. I was in some place - it looked like a building. I was there with Ben and we were both leaving together, all the while, saying so long to some aquaintances. Then, for a moment Ben went off to say hello to a group of women. He was within ear shot so I heard him talking about me, "Yeah, that's my girlfriend. She's a teacher. But she's a teacher for the teachers." At the time, I remember thinking, "Oh, my gosh. Why did he tell them that?" And then the second thought was "That's such a lie about me being a teacher for the teachers." But in the dream, I was thinking he must have done that to give the impression that there's a distance between he and I. That somehow it was okay.
GW
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