School and Community Fall 2023

Find the Magic in the

Michelle Turner retired from the School District of Washington in 2021. She taught photography and broadcast journalism as well as various art and English classes.

L ate May in Franklin County can be like spinning a roulette wheel. Will it land on hot and humid? Maybe the gamble will result in a bone-chilling rain? Imagine my surprise when on May 25, 2023, the weather was near perfection as I walked towards the football field at Washington High School. The walk felt familiar because it was just two years ago that I retired from the School District of Washington. It’d been my home for 23 years of my 25 year teaching career. To be perfectly honest, I attended and worked so many graduations that by the time I was packing my classroom for the last time, they’d lost their luster. It felt like just another “thing” I had to be at. While I have peeled the Band-Aid off, I may as well admit it wasn’t just graduation that had lost its shine for me. Case in point: Homecoming! With a dance, coronation, spirit days, parade and football game, this felt like a never-ending series of “things” to attend. And, of course, it always seemed to hit just when I needed to finalize first quarter grades and deal with what some schools call midterms, but my school called “quarterly assessments.” The thought of attending anything extra while also trying to prepare for the arrival of first quarter grade cards and parent-teacher conferences felt overwhelming.

Was I happy for my graduating seniors who were about to get their diplomas? Of course! Was I excited for the kids who were on Homecoming court? Absolutely! However, I didn’t enjoy the time I felt it was taking away from me and what I had to do for my classroom as the years went by. That’s one thing I really dislike about how I felt during my last few years of teaching. I got to where I didn’t see the magic in the traditions like graduation, Homecoming and even (dare I say it) Prom. So, now that I have publicly confessed this, readers may be curious why I would attend another WHS graduation after retirement if I had been so jaded. The answer is simple - this was my daughter’s moment to walk across that stage. I only have one child and like to joke that I am not a royal, so I have no spares. This was the only senior year I got to experience as a parent. From finally getting a driver’s license to her senior Homecoming and Prom, Karlene always wanted me along for the ride. She has never liked shopping for clothing, so she put a lot of faith and trust into me as I helped with her Homecoming and Prom attire. Watching her get dressed up felt surreal at times. Prom was especially dazzling. I noticed that beyond all those pre-Prom photos, Karlene really wanted to get a photo at the event with one of her

BY MICHELLE TURNER, RMSTA MEMBER

10 | FALL 2023 S&C