Every exit is an entry somewhere else. – Tom Stoppard

It’s really hard to look at an exit, or an ending, as an entry or a new beginning, but that’s what it is.  At least that’s what it is if you have the right perspective.  For the past two years, I’ve worked with an amazing group of kids at the school where I teach.  I’ve watched them grow and mature, make some poor decisions and some pretty great ones, and in the end, I got to watch them walk across the stage at graduation accept their diplomas and go out into the world.  Graduation day was very bittersweet for me because these kids that I had grown to love were moving on.  I could have been sad (and part of me was) but instead of wallowing in that sadness, I celebrated their growth reveled in the chance they had to spread their wings, and I welcomed a new group of kids.  The bonds aren’t as strong, but they will get there.  The experiences I will have with these kids won’t be better, they won’t be worse, they will be different, and just as amazing in their own way.  It’s not an ending, it’s a new beginning, and I’m going to celebrate it.