Farewell to Union Middle School

In June of 2007 I interviewed at Union Middle School. I was looking for jobs after graduation at UVU and there was not much to be had in the Nebo, Provo, and Alpine districts. My next best options was in Salt Lake County in the Jordan district. There were two science positions opened at the time at; one at Indian Hills Middle School and the other at Union. I applied for both. Shortly after I found out that my colleague that I graduated with, Jen Muir, just been hired at Union. She let the principal, Mary Anderson (best principal in the world by the way), know of my interest and put in a good word for me before my interview. The interview went great and I was hired before I even left the room. Thus began the first four years of my career. There have definitely been ups and downs. What could you expect from young teenagers?

There were pros and cons to be at Union. The greatest cons were the drive and the insurance. Living in Springville, Union is about 40 miles from home, making the daily commute 80 miles total. In a school year I would commute 14,400 miles. The drive took nearly 45 minutes each way. This totals 270 hours worth of driving in a school year. The insurance premiums were very high, $455 to cover my family for medical insurance. It was a hard decision, but I thought it best to find a school closer to home rather than move closer to Union.
Cleaning out my room was filled with the memories of the past. These walls echo the voices of students and teachers. The oo's and ah's of science demos, the excited looks followed by "I get it now!", the laughter from a teacher's goofy personality. In this room lives have been changed, hearts have been touched, and courses altered.
As I sit in my chair and look around this room, tears start to fill my eyes as I know I will never see it again as the teacher. I think of my hundreds of students that have passed through here, some that still come back to visit and declare that I was their favorite teacher. My heart will always long for them and wish them the best success in their lives. I am now a part of these walls, posted as if a piece of a collage with all the other teachers that have served here, and with their legacies, forever a part of this school.
My time here now has ended and a new stage of my life has begun. I will be now teaching at Mount Nebo Jr. High in Payson. But for now, this is Mr. Deming...room 709...signing off.