Miss Walsh

 I have lost count of the dedicated folks with whom I have had the privilege of working with here at my school. This little urban oasis of education. Every so often, at the end of the school year, as we struggle through those last days of cleaning and boxing up to prepare for what is to come after two months away, I make the rounds to say farewell to those who are departing. For one reason or another, not everyone has the same trajectory I do: A straight line. Off they go into the world to seek their fortunes elsewhere. I give them this same advice: "There are no ex-Horace Mann employees, only recovering Horace Mann employees."

Then we have a good chuckle, a handshake or a hug, and we set off into the future with whatever it holds. 

This is different. Miss Walsh, our stalwart veteran of the Second Grade is packing up this week, ostensibly on maternity leave. She's done that before. And then rushed right back to her post. A dedicated partner at home has worked with her to make this first child work alongside her dedication to her job. Sometimes that meant baby came to crawl around on the rug while mom set up her room. Sometimes that meant leaving a little early to be there for a doctor's appointment. But there was never a question about where her focus was. Her second graders were her kids. Their care, feeding and continued progress through the education system was her primary focus, just behind that of her own flesh and blood. 

Well, now she has chosen to dip back into the parenthood pond, only this time she is planning to take some extra time away. She wants to be able to spend some real mommy time with her children. Not the ones in her classroom. The ones she feeds and talks to and puts to bed each night. She is leaving to be a part of their lives and not just the lady who takes over from day care. She will be day care. 

Which leaves an island size hole in the second grade that will be nearly impossible to fill. I can remember when Miss Walsh came to us as a pup, full of excitement and enthusiasm. Years of study, meetings, parent conferences, early mornings and late nights have helped to shape a model educator. We will strive to find someone to take her place, but we won't replace her. She is that grain grain of sand that after nearly a decade of irritation has emerged as a pearl. We have been fortunate to have her. 

And her children, here and at home, are lucky to have been under her care.