Today my department held a goodbye party for me at work. They brought in sandwiches and crumbl cookies. And there were donuts as well. The food was great.
But it was the people that mattered. A number of people in my department came by for a while to chat. And there were also a few from outside the department that came by as well. Eric from psychology, Joe from english, Ted from art, Natalie from CNEW, Carla from math (who was hired the same year as me), and Crystal and Laurie from institutional research came by as well. Cody from engineering even came by and he left last year for another college. The other surprise was Cindy who retired last year came by as well. All these people from other departments mean something to me in their own ways.
Joe and Eric taught me early on how to be a better teacher and how to learn from my struggles in class and how to use that to help my students learn more. They taught me what it truly meant to be a scholar of teaching and learning. I am always learning from my classes and they helped me learn how to do that better. Eric was also super helpful in getting my in touch with ASU to then get my daughter the correct diagnosis she needed to get the help she needs at school.
Ted is honest and nice to be around. He is also very helpful. He aided my kids with their pinewood derby cars on year when they needed them cut in a very fun way. And the iron pours at school were always amazing fun.
Natalie has been very helpful with the owning of a tarantula. Always willing to help watch it when we are out of town and willing to give roaches to feed her when I need them.
Carla has been a friend since we started teaching together. She is kind and caring and we have talked about life and kids and family many times over the years. It was very nice seeing her there.
Crystal and Laurie I have gotten to know more this last year while on an assessment committee. I have enjoyed our conversations. I have learned form them how to look at data better. Crystal was great earlier in the year when she helped “A” with her girl scout silver project. SCC has a “calm” room and that was something “A” was trying to setup at her Jr. High this year. I told Crystal that today was the first day of “A”‘s school having the calm room open to students and she was so happy and said that it was going to go in their end of year action report.
Cody was a good man while at SCC, and it was nice seeing him after a year of him being away from the school.
I was very surprised by Cindy coming by. I have worked with her on committees for 8 years now i think. She is very smart and cares about students very much. She also always wanted SCC to be a better institution. She was great and gave my kids a gift. That was so special. It was full of games and snacks. Knowing that moving is hard and car trips can wear on families. It was a complete surprise and it made me feel so special (and my family as well when I gave them the gift).
Then there is my department friends. They were all there: Merry, Kirticia, Patty, John, Rebecca, Mitch, Phil, Betsy, George, Eric, and Relindis. It was so kind of them to come. We talked some. They even got me presents and a card which I wasn’t expecting. The school got me a very nice looking bell from “Consanti Originals”. I will hang it with love at our new house. (crap starting to cry). Then the division got me my own “Idaho Bell”. And my department got me some very nice physics socks. And a bag that said, “Well, it isn’t a puppy.”
What can I say about these people?
George I have known for a while as an adjunct and as our OYO in astronomy the last year. He is a wonderful man that wants students to succeed.
Relindis was my first mentor when I started at SCC, and my office was next to hers for my first 8 years. She always has a smile on her face, and is pleasant to talk with.
John and I had a nice conversation today and we have talked a little over my time at SCC. He asked me today to make sure I took wildlife photos while in Idaho and send them down to him (wildlife biologist).
Mitch teaches chemistry and while I don’t know him well he has always been willing to talk if I had a question for him. He is very dedicated to student growth and that showed in his words.
Patty teaches Geology and to be honest I haven’t gotten to know her too well over my time at SCC. That is on me. We each have supported each other’s kids with swimming or girl scouts. She is always kind and says hi whenever we see each other.
Patty and Rebecca are also both biologist. Patty has been the division lead for a bit and that is how I have gotten to know her. She always asks me about my wife and kids whenever I see her. Rebecca and I have served together the last few years as co-leads on the Scholar’s Academy committee at SCC. She is also a great person and we have our Christian faith in common so that would come up in conversations.
Phil teaches chemistry and used to teach physics. So we would have conversations about that at times. And his love for students and his family was evident in they way he talked about them. It has always been a pleasure to talk with him.
Kirticia is the other full time physics (now only) at SCC. She started just this year with SCC. I have known her though since she and her husband moved to Arizona. We were at church together, and we were in a small group together for a while (pre kids). It has been a joy to work with her this year. We bounce ideas off each other. We ask each other for help. We talk about life. I was really looking forward to years of that collaboration when we hired her last year. Oh well. She is an amazing person and again really cars about how her students are learning.
Then there is Merry. (crap more tears) I got to know her well 8 years ago when she convinced me to join a new committee called the Scholar’s Academy. I thought I would give it a try and see what came of it. It was amazing. I learned so much. I learned the importance of cross-discipline learning. It was so great I never left the committee (I was the only original member). But she was more than that. She always looked out for me as a person. She started inviting me to the end of year get together that were comprised of her SCC friends. I met Eric, Joe and Ted because of her. She was a co-worker and a friend. We talked kids and vacations – we both love national parks. She was department head when I started at SCC and when I asked to make a major change to the way physics was being taught at SCC she was all for it. And it changed things for the better. She was willing to try things to see if they would work. She backed the idea (that Kirticia came up with) of having me stay on this fall at SCC to teach 2 classes. The school would get fined for it, but she went to the administration and asked for it and explained the positive of keeping me around during this transition time. She didn’t need to do that.
And here is the card they got me, it is so Merry:
They care so much. I am going to miss them a lot. But I still get to work for SCC in the fall and I will get to interact with some of them, maybe, on and off with that. Who knows what the future hold. I look forward to what it hold. I want to keep being there for SCC if I can and I hope they need me. They are amazing people.
Thank you all for today (and all the time before that). It meant a lot.