Walking Away

July 12th and I've accepted an invitation to attend an event to mark the retirement and departure of a number of teachers where I used to work. It's a year since I stood in the same hall and delivered the same sort of speech that I'll hear tonight before bowing out after 20 years working there.

I listen to speeches some mercifully short , others rather long, some eulogies others genuine messages of thanks , I reflect on the past year. In the past twelve months,much has changed around the place. Not in terms of structures, the sports hall is still not complete, but the faces are altering fast. The institution has moved on and I now feel I have.

I think I have now finally detached myself, both from the job I did and education in general. I'm now the first to admit that I didn't realise it would be to leave it all behind. Last July when I stood in the hall I felt I could walk away, but it wasn't that easy.

I've just written a card to someone who I worked closely with congratulating them on retirement, in it I wrote "don't look back", but frankly over the past year it's been hard not to take the occasional glance.