Final payslip

Today, I received my last payslip as a teacher.
Well to be precise, my last email notification of my payslip.
I should probably be happy right?


No more grumbling about how much I disliked how certain things were done.
No more complaining about how schools expected teachers to devote non-working hours to the job.
No more frustration over parents calling or messaging at all hours.
No more travelling all over Singapore during competition periods with CCA teams.
No more early morning national anthem and pledge taking.
No more rushing of paperwork because of audits or filing purposes.
No more anger over days that started at 7am and ended at 6 pm or later.
No more reporting to different levels of management - all with a different agenda for me to fulfil.

But you know what?

I'm going to miss teaching.
I'm going to miss the interactions with the kids.
I'm going to miss coming up with witty retorts to whatever comments they have.
I'm going to miss blowing my whistle as I send them out for their physical activities.
I'm going to miss celebrating their birthdays.
I'm going to miss managing all the little crises the students get themselves into.
I'm going to miss the looks on their faces as we broaden their experiences.
I'm going to miss looking at them when they are Secondary 4 and remembering them when they had just stepped into the school.
I'm going to miss the camaraderie amongst my colleagues. (PE colleagues are the best!)

I'm walking away from a job that I love despite its many imperfections.
That has given me the freedom (no, not going to use the cheesy line about 'moulding the future of our nation') to partake in so many dreams - to see so many futures brought to life.
That has given me a peculiar perception of time as I follow my ex-students via social media as they journey through life.
That has given me the resources to comfortably feed and nurture my own family.

I'm walking away but I have nothing bitter to say about teaching.

At the end of the day, it was all worth it.

I would undertake the same journey all over again if I was just starting out.

Throughout my time in teaching, I was innundated with quotes about teaching but then as now, I still find myself affected by the one I'm going to end this post with.