last dance

Saturday morning was graduation for our class of 2014.  The ceremony was packed, with our students' families eager to celebrate this important day.  We heard excellent speeches from our students and an alum, diplomas were received, pictures snapped.  Fifteen minutes after the ceremony, I stuck my head into our auditorium and as you can see, our "Boys in Blue" and cleaning crew were already on the job breaking everything down.  Less than an hour after graduation ended, the lights were off and everyone was on their way home to start the weekend. 

If high school graduation is the end of an important life chapter  and life is the Song of Fire and Ice series, I hope that Saturday was the end of book 1, Game of Thrones, and there are plenty of books and adventures in the future for the class of 2014, though with a lot less blood.  As our salutatorian Paul Reggentin  explained, it's not that life thus far hasn't been important.  High school is an incredibly important part of our lives.  It's just that there's just so much more to do. 



On a personal note, this blog has been an important part of my life in the past year.  It started as an experiment in September.  I wanted to see what I could do.  I tried to explore writing and see what it meant to work in an area that is well outside my comfort zone on a regular basis.  I knew it would take discipline.  I wondered what the hell I had to say.

Fortunately I work at a place and in a profession that gave me plenty to say.  Everyone has an opinion and this forum gave me the chance to express mine.  It also allowed me to share my passion for teaching and mathematics and share some of the stories of life behind the closed doors of a classroom. 

I have loved talking to so many of you on Facebook, here at the blog, and in person.  More than 20,000 page views tells me that somebody out there was reading what I wrote.  I am humbled and exceptionally grateful.  Thank you so much.

I never intended to do this for more than a year.  When I tell people I am going to stop writing, some folks seem surprised.  Others look relieved, perhaps grateful that I will finally shut up.  To be honest, I don't really know what to do.  For now, it's summer, and I have other adventures planned.   Time off will allow me to think, to consider the possibilities, and to choose a path forward.  Maybe this the end.  Maybe this is the beginning.  Maybe I have six more books to go, Game of Thrones style. 

Whatever happens, here's hoping for a lot less blood.