A couple of days ago, after my last official day of work, I wrote a goodbye letter to the school where I have spent almost five years teaching and being taught. By the time I got to the end, I realised it was more a goodbye letter to my career than just my job, which is why I’ve titled this post Dear “Ma’am”. But as I point out, this is Aufwiedersehen instead of goodbye.

Dear DSP

I came to you when my mind was a-jumble. A new relationship had swept me into new routines, new ideas, new life. COVID had forced me to question what mattered. How cliché. My commute doubled in length, and my trusty little Polo Vivo was where I began to spend hours of time.

We had a shaky start. Teaching remotely for my first few weeks meant my students were voices on a Teams call, and when they did arrive back in class, their masks were literal and metaphorical. But as we walked the many, many hours together, you warmed to me, and I to you. As we walked, you gave me colleagues to share and laugh and complain with. You gave me mentors who allowed me the freedom to grow, and trusted me to just “do my thing”. You gave me students who challenged me and students who inspired me (often simultaneously). You gave me a classroom to love.

Dear DSP, from you I learned more about a language I thought I spoke. I learned to say “no” – perhaps not enough, but just enough to keep me (mostly) sane. I learned to say “yes” to that which matters to me. And there’s a lot that does. I learned about the Abitur and visas, classbooks, Engage and Chromecast. I learned about difference and sameness.

These (almost) five years have been interesting ones. And they mark the end of a journey of nine joyful, deeply fulfilling years in the classroom. In this time, I have taught hundreds of students, but I am the one who has probably learned the most.

Dear DSP, right now it feels like I’m silencing my teacher voice and retiring the red pen – and I have cried many painful tears over this. But I know that that’s not wholly true, because in my heart, I will always be a teacher, googling unusual questions, and teaching whoever is patient and polite enough to listen. I will always be open to discussions about things that matter to me – even if it’s the placement of a punctuation mark. In my heart, I will still hear the call of “ma’am”, and the ringing of a school bell, and know that the teacher life chose me because it was where I needed to be. And so, I’m not going to say “Goodbye” – I’ll hold on to the red pens. Instead I’ll say “Aufwiedersehen”, because I know I’ll see you again

24 September 2025