Gratitude and a “good goodbye” for educators
[Shared via newsletter June 9, 2026]
Dear Fellow Travelers,
Goodbyes are difficult for me. I have a wounded patterning within to run, to move so fast as to not allow the gravity of the experience to catch me. To not fully feel or allow myself to celebrate that moment.
I have been -- and continue to -- research new possibilities to practice "good goodbyes." Here is an example of this practice.
Our family is experiencing a major milestone: our child is graduating fifth grade and leaving her elementary school. Her Kindergarten began online during the pandemic and is ending with capable, caring students who lived through--among many things--the terror of our city being occupied by our federal government this winter.
These fifth grade students recently held an exhibition of personal research projects. It was an incredible collection of topics and they all embodied the IB Learner Profile that is a foundation of this beautiful Minneapolis Public School, located near George Floyd Square.
One of the things I was ignorant of prior to becoming a parent was how parenting a child allows one to deeply re-parent oneself. I don't have many positive memories of my elementary school experience.
I mainly recall an indoctrination into competition, comparison and elitism. Suffice it to say, my own elementary school experience was lacking these beautiful values I see being woven into our child and her classmates.
These values are called The IB Learner Profile. They are concepts and definitions shared within the entire school community that become culture. It's alive. It's how the people within the school interact with one another both inside and outside the building. I have them up on our fridge, taken from a school newsletter. It reads:
IB learners strive to be:
Inquirers - naturally curious, asking questions, seeking to learn
Communicators- expressing ideas and working in collaboration with others
Knowledgeable - exploring themes with global importance and relevance
Caring - showing empathy, compassion, and respect toward others
Balanced - keeping physically, mentally and emotionally fit
Thinkers - thinking creatively and critically to make reasoned decisions
Risk-takers - having the independence to explore new roles, ideas and strategies
Principled - showing integrity and honesty with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of others
Open-minded - appreciating their own culture and personal history, and respecting views and traditions of others
Reflective - considering their own learning in a constructive way
Thank goodness that we are life-long learners! And that regardless of whether we are a parent or not, we can re-parent ourselves with compassion and embody new ways of being.
An invitation to reflect…
What are virtues within the IB Learner Profile that are strengths for you? Growth-areas?
What are your reflections of how you experience goodbyes?
What would a “good goodbye” look like for you?
In celebration and honoring of my child's Minneapolis Public School teachers and staff, I offer:
Free End of Year Gratitude for Educators 25 minute poem and guided meditation link on spotify here
Please share with the educators in your life. (It may also resonate with you if you aren’t an educator but serve in a way that intends to be in service of the wellbeing of people.
Goodbye for now. So say we all.
With love, care and courage,
Amy