Retirement Address to My Students

The seniors write graduation speeches for Mr. Muldowney’s class. As an honorary senior I’ve written one too. I promise..I haven’t mentioned EasyBib or works cited lists even once!

One of my favorite quotes is by William Butler Yeats. “Education is not about filling a pail. It is about lighting a fire.” When I was asked to speak to you, it is the first thing I thought about. I was wondering how to get that message across when I turned on the final Oprah show. I was astounded to hear her say exactly what was in my heart for all of you. I can’t do better than Oprah – so I will quote a large part of her farewell speech:

Oprah says:

What I [know] for sure … is that we are all called. Everybody has a calling, and your real job in life is to figure out what that is and get about the business of doing it. Every time [I talked to] … a person who is a success in their life, …they spoke of the juice that they receive from doing what they knew they were meant to be doing…Because that is what a calling is. It lights you up and it lets you know that you are exactly where you’re supposed to be, doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing. And that is what I want for all of you… To live from the heart of yourself. You have to make a living… But you also have to know what sparks the light in you so that you, in your own way, can illuminate the world.

Each one of you has your own platform. Yours is wherever you are with your own reach, however small or however large that reach is. Maybe it’s 20 people, maybe it’s 40 people,  your family, your friends, your neighbors, your classmates, your classroom, your co-workers. Wherever you are, that is … your circle of influence. That is where your power lies. In every way, in every day, you are showing people exactly who you are. You’re letting your life speak for you…

Nobody but you is responsible for your life. It doesn’t matter what your mama did; it doesn’t matter what your daddy didn’t do. You are responsible for your life. … You are responsible for the energy that you create for yourself, and you are responsible for the energy that you bring to others. …

Now I will speak to you in my own words.

I have been blessed to spend 40 years following my own calling. Anyone who knows whether a book has been published in England, Hong Kong or Singapore by its wonderful smell has found her calling in being a librarian. I have followed that love for reading and research for 40 years, 30 of them here in Gananda. But it is not just books and reading. It is finding the spark in students and helping them connect that spark to what they read and study. I have loved every minute of it. I have loved the students.  I have loved my “lunch bunch”. And I have loved Gananda’s wonderful teachers and staff.Thank you all for the years of fun and support. You are more than friends – you are my second family. I have been especially blessed to work with Mrs. Marlin for 11 plus years. We have had a wonderful time.  What on earth will I do without YouTube Friday? There are not enough words to thank her for all she does every day, and for being my friend. Gananda is truly a special place. I will miss it every day.

Please remember. Every one of you has energy, fire, and light inside you. Find it, honor it and honor the light in others. Your teachers have followed their own calling. They figured out what it was that lit up their lives, and they decided to share that spark with others. Listen to them. Honor them. Yes … it is a teachers’ job to show you WHY what they teach is important. WHY you need to learn it. But it is also YOUR job to hear what they are teaching and find the connections to your own calling in life.It is your job to think!

We are all part of a puzzle. We each have a piece. It is only when we work on the puzzle together that we see the beautiful picture emerge.

So…this is what I want for each of you. I want you to find that light inside you, and show it to the world. Each of you is special and can save the world. Follow that light. Be happy and you will make others happy.

I wish you all the best. Thank you. God bless you. Namaste. The light in me honors the light in you.

Thank you from the Super Senior!

My friend and library partner-in-crime organized a fantastic retirement shindig for me Saturday Night.  My family was there, along with many, many colleagues from work and many non-library friends, including a few special former students.

Buying my dress, walking so I could fit into the dress, finding accessories for it etc. etc. has kept me entertained all year.  And it was all worth it.  What a terrific night of fun – full of Uncle Guido jokes and more!!  You will recognize Uncle Guido at the podium.

The best part of the night was the memory scrapbook put together by faculty and students.  I will treasure it and all my wonderful memories forever.  Thank you everyone, from the bottom of my heart.

In addtion to the pictures below – here is a link to my retirement speech.

I have been silent for the entire summer.  “Interesting times”.  The big news?  I will be retiring at the end of June. Actually, I am officially retired right now, but am returning under special circumstances for one more year.

GET THE T-SHIRT HERE!!!

A retirement  incentive came out at the beginning of the summer, but I was so busy with family, that I did not get a chance to read about it until July 5th. I’d planned to work 3 more years, so you can imagine my surprise to see that the Teacher Retirement System incentive offered 3 more years credit towards  retirement. The heavens were obviously speaking to me.

Still…I was incredibly torn. On one hand is my passion for this profession.  On the other hand is the knowledge that life is short, and my hubby and I would like to work on our “bucket list” together while we are still (relatively) whole and functional.

So, I found myself in the superintendent’s office (looking a bit like a deer in the headlights) telling him, “You have NO idea how surprised I am to be here right now”.  As it turns out, he was equally surprised, and I think a bit dismayed.  In any case, after it had been approved by the board of education, and I thought all was a done deal, the superintendent threw in a little “tweak”. So, now I get to officially retire, but come back for an additional year to tie things up a little, mentor our new middle school librarian, and plan a big blow-out retirement party.

My friends are calling this year “The Jacquie Henry Magical Good-bye Tour.” Not sure when the t-shirts will be on sale.  I will keep you posted.

I am still feeling a bit “gob-smacked”, to use a favorite phrase of my English relatives.