Thank you for all the thoughtful gifts.
Now I present to you all my top 10 reasons
for saying farewell after 30 years of teaching:
10) Parent's Night for me has become a reunion of former students. It's a trip down memory lane, a nostalgic schmooze fest. I'm retiring before it gets out of hand and I teach a grand child. My former students are now my bank teller, car mechanic, genealogist, grocery story clerk,...I hope I was kind to all of my students especially to the physician who may be taking care of me some day.
9) The students are asking me if the picture on the hall of fame wall is really me…..Wow you look different now Mrs. Thompson.
8) I can now take red pens off my Wal-mart Shopping list, I won’t have to worry about AR Points, Scholastic Book orders, Field Trip Money, and wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day.
7) My drug store reading glasses aren’t strong enough to check student papers. And dear Mr. Cook is gone….so taking Monday afternoon for an eye appointment won’t be necessary any more.
6) I’ve tried really hard to remember all my student’s names…..but I still have students who tell me Mrs. Thompson….I’m Ali not Carlie, my sister, who is now in high school. I don’t really even look like her do I?
5) It's time to pass the baton to a much younger teacher. My ideas have come and gone….the Internet has taken over with anything and everything you ever need!
4) My daughter is always in need of an expert with her job…..I seem to fit that bill well and will have lots of time to be of assistance to her now.
3) The plan to visit the best new cabin in Utah….my son and daughter-in-love are in the finally stages of finishing this beautiful cabin (Bigger than my home)! Being able to go in spring, summer and fall whenever the moment hits me will change my life forever. Can you imagine how relaxing that is going to be?
2) The number 2 reason to retire is that early incentive package is probably on it’s way out with the economy…….I need the money now!
1) The number one reason why it's time to retire is that about everyone I see in the community asks me, “Are you still teaching?” “How long have you been at West Clinton?” The answer is I’ve been there since the day it opened….I’ll still visit but only on my schedule now!
Education will never be far from my heart and if you ask my family I’m sure they will tell you “She’ll always be a teacher and she’ll always have the correct answer!”
Thanks to all of you for the well wishes, each of you have been an instrumental part of a wonderful career.
Now the flowering plant is maturing into a nice globe artichoke. They are one of Ali's favorite vegetables. I did some research and found that they are actually one of the world's oldest medicinal plants. The ancient Egyptians placed great value on the plant and in Europe, the artichoke was favored as a food by royalty. The globe artichoke has a long history as a diuretic, an aid to digestion, and a good way to lower blood sugar.
I don't believe Utah is their favorite place to grow, but the experience has been fun and spine tingling.....! The spike little things, probably related to thistles! However, they add very unique foliage to the garden and take up lots of space where weeds would want to be growing. I sure hope after we pick this "One" and only "One" artichoke it will be as tasty as it looks. If not, we'll just enjoy the 3 or 4 feet of beautiful green foliage.
