t - 7 days....

I remember starting another post with a "T-___" title... and it feels the same way today. It feels like little by little I am reaching a point of no return. The end of the beginning of my career. I feel like I can't breathe, but at the same time happy that things are finishing up nicely. I feel overwhelmed, and a little bit light. I feel tears swelling up, but a sigh of relief coming right behind them.
My kids have begun asking me about my plans, requesting my presence at activities next semester and asking me to fulfill promises I might or might not be able to fulfill... I am heartbroken because I have to let go and answer vaguely when really I want to give them "Yes! totally! for sure! I will be there!"-type answers...
I hope I have made an impact. I hope to hear from them in 5 months, 4 years... see where their lives take them. I see some amazing children about to become adults... and some adults on the verge of being college students who are eager to learn and get out in the world to see what it holds for them. I am excited for them. Very excited.
I am also proud of myself, though. This endless*seeming-unpaid-trapped in four walls for 8 hours a day or more-job has been one of the MOST rewarding things I have ever done. I am proud of myself for waking up at 5 am since August 7th, for getting to school on time (almost) every day, for teaching not one, but THREE classes on my own, for learning how to create a teacher/student relationship, for being able to figure out what I want to get out of students, for creating an image of what my classroom will look like once I get my dream job... I am proud.
I am amazed at the things I can create on my own, and the things I can accomplish with a team of teachers. I am very impressed about the impact I had on the WL department, and I feel partly responsible for the bond that now exists among the teachers.
I am almost done, and I feel more accomplished RIGHT NOW than I did the day I graduated from College, or High School... could it be that this is really what I was meant to do? :)