Everything will be alright in the end

Everything will be alright in the end.  If it's not alright, it's not yet the end. - John Lennon

Recently this quote has been made famous by the film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which I watched last week after being told by many that I should see it as I'm moving to India.

As I'm coming up to the end of my time in Switzerland I'm reflecting on this quotation and certainly hope that it is true.  I think that over the past couple of years I have been instrumental in bringing in a new vision of how technology can improve learning and this has been validated by teachers who are constantly asking me "What are we going to do without you?"  (My response - you will be doing all the things that I do - you are empowered - you don't need me anymore).  Many are sad that I'm going and at times I'm sad too that this didn't end up being a great experience for me.  I still deeply regret all the things I haven't been able to do, the time that has been wasted in looking backwards instead of forwards.  I'm still working hard on forgiving both myself and others for the wasted opportunities.  I'm looking forward to working at full capacity again in a community of reflective practitioners focused on the needs to 21st century learners.

Over the past 2 years I've also been contacted by quite literally hundreds of people who have told me that my blog has been an inspiration to them.  Last week I was approached by Worldwide Education at Microsoft who want to feature me in their Heroes for Education Worldwide.  It's an honor to read that I am considered one of the "people who have embraced enhancing education as a core facet in their lives."  I've also been approached by the IBO to write for their Journeys professional development series - this book to be Journeys to Communities of Practice and dealing with professional inquiry.   When I reflect on this journey what I see is that over the past few years my experience here has led me to reach out and build up a community of practice that spans the globe.   Sometimes it's hard to imagine that what I'm doing in a little part of Switzerland with a few hundred students can have an impact around the world, but in weeks like this I have come to see that it is true.  When times are tough you grow as a person.  I have grown a lot from this experience and know for certain, that while I am closing a chapter this is not the end of the journey, actually the journey is just about to become a whole lot more interesting.

Photo Credit:  Untitled by Alex, 2009