Saying Goodbyes in International Schools. A Personal Experience

The school year is coming to its conclusion and it is the time of year when teachers reflect on all those months with their students, and on the bonds that were created during this time.

Teachers and students grow fond of each other. It is sad to say goodbye. It is even sadder when those students may not return at all for the next school year. This is a reality for the International schools.

I attended an International school myself. I was one of the local students. I grew accustomed to receiving new classmates from all over the world. We created bonds, friendships, learned and worked together. I can remember a long list of names of people that came and left. Some stayed for a few years, others for a shorter time. But parting was always sad. I remember countless farewell parties, tears, hugs, and goodbye letters. In those days, goodbyes were goodbyes. You would probably never see that person again, even if he or she wasyour best friend.

But they say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. This certainly did. Yes, it was sad, but soon you’d realize, you would move on and create new bonds and meet new friends. You came to understand that it was not the end of the world, and that just like you, your friend would also find new ones and create new bonds. We would still be happy. We would survive!

I also came to understand that in order to succeed, you should develop your own skill set. During my school years, I needed to build up my character, my independence, have my own drive. With people coming and going constantly, it was necessary to rely on your personal abilities, and you learned very quickly that this was the best way to reach your goals.

So here I am, fast forward many years from those school days, reflecting on the closing of school year and already thinking about the next one. Yes, goodbyes are difficult. But they are part of life. Plus, today, with all the technology and the social media available, you really do not say goodbye for ever. You may follow the other person where ever they go, you may talk to them or even better, you can video-call them too! Of course, friendships are true when face to face and on a daily basis, but you can always keep in touch with your dear ones. Social media is a huge plus we have today, which did not exist in my days. There is no need to lose friends, rather you gain more and more. Social media is so powerful, that today, I can say I have reconnected with many of those school-day friends that left one day. How amazing can that be?

So, teachers, children and parents, goodbyes are a normal thing in life, they are a normal thing in international schools. Even parting from your Homeroom teacher and classmates is a normalcircumstance. It might be sad at first, but you will soon realize that instead of losing people, you will be adding more and more to your social network. Today, the world seems to have become smaller than before. It is easier to reach out even to the farthest corner of the earth. Keeping friends and dear ones close, even if thousands of miles away, is an easy thing to do today. Let us embrace technology for these good purposes and let us learn to say goodbye. Because what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger!