Thanks!
To my students at FHHS:
I want to begin by saying thank you. Thank you for making my first teaching year, and my first year in AZ, absolutely excellent!
Not everyone showed up for the last day of school, and so I didn’t really give the end-of-year speech I wanted to, but here goes (with something extra later.)
I really learned a lot working with everyone about teaching, different personalities, and myself. I have a tremendous collection of great memories that I carry with me. I was just yesterday reading all of the comments in my yearbook. It made me smile and laugh a lot. All of you made me feel so welcome at FHHS when I knew nobody. Students who didn’t really even know me invited me to eat lunch with them. When I needed help after school with projects in my room, many of you volunteered without hesitation. You all worked as hard as you could in class and rolled with the punches that came like champs. All of that together made this a really remarkable and memorable year. I got to know many of you beyond class by talking at lunch or at after-school events, and that led me to discover the amazing amount of talents you all have in so many different things—how cool! Thanks for sharing all that you have with me, and for allowing me to share my ideas and interests with you. I would just again like to say thank you to all of you—each one of you, whether you know it, believe it, or not, have taught me something of value that will help me
This summer has been very busy for me, as you know I am getting married at the end of July, and I am currently with family back in MI. But as the summer was busy, it just got even busier for me. Over the last couple months, I have given a lot of thought to what I want to do with my life, how and where I want to live it, and how I can reach my personal goals. I have decided, that after getting married, I want to set up roots closer to family. My fiancee, Janice, has decided the same. Althought we have enjoyed the people we have met in FH, nothing can replace family in the long run—and family is something very important to me.
So, I have to let you know that I am leaving FHHS and Arizona altogether. It is NOT because I was fired. I am leaving on my own choice, and it is definitely NOT because of any student, parent or other individuals. So don’t listen to rumors—I wanted you to hear this from me. This is the truth.
I have been offered a job teaching chemistry at a high school in Michigan and I have accepted the position. The school is called L’Anse Creuse High School North and it is about 20 miles north of Detroit where I grew up. I am looking forward to the opportunity, but I am sad to leave FHHS. As I said before, I really enjoyed all of the students and other people I got to know as well as the time I spent there, but I will be moving on next year to a new experience. So, I am sorry to say that when you return in August there will be someone new in my classroom. I don’t know anything about who that person will be, but I hope that they will be great too and that all of you will make them feel just as welcome as you did to me. I will miss every one at FHHS, but you can feel free to keep in touch with me as you wish. My email address is, and always will be, gabud.fhusd@gmail.com So, feel free to write, keep in touch, ask questions share things from this next school year, and I will try to do the same.
I don’t know if our paths will cross again, but maybe in the future we will meet—it’s a small world after all.
But as I end my good-bye note, I have to ask you to do two things for me:
1) I need you to fight the good fight against becoming a “DGAF” and give school your absolute BEST try! You will be glad later that you tried in school, trust me.
2) Keep an eye on the freshmen for me…they may need some guidance to stay out of trouble.
Anyways, take care, best wishes, and thanks again for everything!
GAbud
PS: For one final laugh, I have made a youtube video that I want to share with you, peace:
