Well, I’ve been retired from teaching for almost 6 months.  I suppose it’s time I posted a few pictures of my retirement party.  As I’ve told you, I didn’t retire at the normal date for teachers due to some unexpected medical issues.  I retired 2 weeks after school ended last year, July 9.  So I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye formally.  And retiring and moving across country seemed a bit final to not get a chance to work my way up to these farewells.  So when I heard there was a school board party for retirees in November it seemed like the perfect time to have a small school gathering as well.

Luckily my department head Mark understood my preference for small and simple gatherings.  I flew to Ottawa on November 3, stayed 4 nights and 3 days during which time I had a retirement party, retirement dinner, brunch with some friends, time with my daughter and dinner with more friends.  Oh and I managed to get an aquafit class in there too along with a bit of shopping at Giant Tiger!

The school party started with a greeting at the door and a corsage.  I had my own paparazzi for the event and the pictures turned out great.  We had some lovely appies, a bit of wine, a lot of hugs, a few kind words and a souvenir plaque for me with the coveted school letter.  Traditionally, teachers get a goodbye gift paid for by their colleagues’ donations but I don’t feel quite right about that.  So I asked that any donations be given to a local cause which helps students financially as they complete their high school studies.  It’s a small thing but I am glad to leave a bit of a legacy because after all, the students were my main focus for 17 yrs at the school.  The other focus was my co-workers.  I loved mentoring, collaborating and learning from them.  This is the part of working I will miss most.

The school board dinner was quite lovely as well.  Ariane was my date for the evening.  I had a chance to sit with some of my former colleagues who had also retired in 2015.  We were all given a lovely parting gift, a watch from Birks jewellers (our version of Tiffany’s).

The last of the 3 dinners was super fun with the ladies all getting together, 6 of us, 3 of whom were recently retired.  We had a great time with girl talk and teasing Patty who is looking so young as she undergoes Botox treatments for her severe migraines.  She told us all about it. It actually sounds quite painful, but the results are a beaming smile!

The whole trip was very short and went by so quickly.  It sure was memorable and exactly what I had hoped my retirement celebration would be. Thank you to my friends, family and colleagues.  I miss you all.