So if you have been paying attention, you’ve noticed that for the past year and a half or so I’ve been employed. (I know, I was shocked, too.) I’ve been earning my bones to make my bread as a techie/librarian/general knower of all things, in an awesome school located somewhere in the vicinity of New York City.
And it’s been, in a/my favorite word, awesome.
I’ve worked with some of the most amazing conglomerate of kids, faculty, staff, and librarians that anyone has every thought to push together in one building. I’ve tried new things, learned so much more than I’ve taught, and managed not to set anything on fire for long enough to be considered moderately competent at my job.
Go forth, young Tau'ri
After tomorrow, I’ll be leaving that building and those kids and those people– that family– to start out on the next leg of the journey. It’s exciting and nerve-wracking and bolstering all at once. But it’s also sad and painful and sorrowful in a lot of ways.
I’ve come to see the teens as “my kids,” and when I bring them up in conversation I feel pride and love for them and their accomplishments (there are so many) as well as their flaws. I’ve been so fortunate to get the chance to work with amazing people and friends, learn from some of the best in the business (word to the InfoWitch, yo) and spend time with one of the most fantastic librarian teams this side of any line you want to name (Jedi Master InfoWitch, the amazing ReadingRants, fabu MyTweendom, awesomesauce Jesse-why-don’t-you-have-a-Twitter-handle-come-on-man-look-at-the-amazing-superlative-I-just-gave-you.)
I’ve been so fortunate– so absolutely dumb-lucky to have the chance to do what I’ve been doing and do it with the people I’ve been with. Leaving is simultaneously exciting and heartbreaking (there were a lot of tissues in my office on the kids’ last day– who was cutting all those onions?) But it’s also an opportunity to take another step– to try something new and to take the knowledge and the experience and the love I’ve gathered at this place and add to it; to build on top of the foundations this school has helped me set and make something beautiful.
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.*** I’m excited for this new beginning and this new chance, and grateful for the chances I’ve been given so far. At the end of the day, I think that’s really all any of us can say about pretty much anything.
That and, y’know, live long and prosper.
*SPOCK FINGERS*
*Working titles for this post included but were not limited to: “Journeys end in librarians meeting,” “The Time War Ends: Everything Must Come to Dust,” and “Chevron Seven: Locked.”**
**Damn it, I totally should have gone with the Stargate reference. Oh well. Now I’m going to throw in an SG-1 picture to compensate for that missed opportunity.
***I just “Closing Time”d you. That’s like late 90′s Rickrolling.
But in the end, the decision was made for me. Because as I walked in, someone was holding up a book and saying “futuristic teenaged girl mafia don” and everything good inside of me went “THAT. GET THAT NOW. KNOCK DOWN CIVILIANS IF NECESSARY” and it was on. Which, Dear Reader, leads me to All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin.
About a year ago, I was appointed to YALSA’s Teen Tech Week Committee. 
