What I Learned About Travel After Our Teacher Quit

A surprising way I learned about travel was when my 6^th-grade teacher quit midyear. No, I didn’t have a total breakdown, but we were all shocked.

It turned out to be such a memorable time in my life. This led me to be more curious about exploring the world. 

I’ll tell you what happened and what I discovered. You’ll see how this influence sparked the wanderlust in me!

An Unconventional Travel Education

So it’s said that every cloud has a silver lining. But I’d say this was more than a little ol’ positive effect.

I remember it so clearly when our teacher quit mid-year. It was a surprising event that put us in a state of uncertainty for days. But we ended up learning something no textbook could give us.

Our teacher had a big announcement to make a couple of months into the new school year. He stood at the podium and had our attention.

Mr. Herman started working at this place way before I enrolled in preschool. He had seniority and rank, a veteran teacher of over 25 years.

Learning was serious business in his class, and the clowns dropped the buffoonery when Mr. Herman cut his eyes at them. 

Our Rockin’ Teacher Quit

Before making his announcement, he stood for a minute as if debating whether to break the news. Then he lifted his chin and gripped the podium.

“I’m leaving… I will no longer be your teacher,” he said.

We looked around the classroom at each other. A couple of students dropped their jaws. 

A few students sounded like their favorite team just fumbled the football in the last seconds of the game of the season, “Awww…”

Then, a kid raised his hand and asked, “Where are you going?”

“I got a job at the post office,” Mr. Herman said. He peered over his glasses for another question.

“Oh, cool!” someone yelled.

“But why?” another kid asked.

“I’m not going to teach anymore,” Mr. Herman said. 

He fixated on the back wall as if all his teaching memories played before his eyes—like a lengthy Hollywood movie that had become distressing to watch at some point. 

After raising his eyebrows, he loosened his grip on the podium. Then he eased into his chair as if he had just purged his hardened war story.

He clasped his fingers before his lips and watched us return to work. No one said a word as he rested his elbows on the centuries-old desk.

Pencils scribbling on squeaky desks sounded throughout the room.

We Were Happy for Him, Sad for Us

As big, bad 6^th graders, we didn’t know what to do. We were the top of the food chain at this elementary school, and the little kids came to us for all the answers.

But this crushed us. We were now teacherless.

His announcement shocked me more than anything. Then waves of dread interwoven with excitement rushed over me. 

Mr. Herman landed a job at the post office, which seemed like a cool place to work. He was a mailman now. 

But he was tasked with leading us into the scary middle school years. He was priming us with his ‘You’ll be fine’ and ‘You can do anything you put your mind to’ quotes.

Then I had to wonder who pushed him to this point? Jenny. She was always talking too much. She’d cause anyone to quit.

Or Charlie. He never did his work, and this made Mr. Herman roll his eyes.

Surprisingly, no one had a total breakdown. You know when shock hits you so hard, you’re just numb? I think that’s what it was.

Did Mr. Herman seem sad? Maybe.

He was his stoic self, but in a way, I could see the dark in his eyes. It was as if deep down inside, he felt the despair of someone snatching his firstborn right out of his arms. 

We finished our assignment, and later that day, we said ‘goodbye’ to our teacher. That ended an unforgettable school day for us and a long teaching era for him.

The New Teacher(s)

Right after Mr. Herman left us, a bright-eyed young lady soon replaced him in our classroom. She had just graduated from college and was green, fresh-cut. 

Her long, colorful skirts went with her personality. Abstract and nice…

But nice won’t cut it in the classroom. Especially when you have students like Jenny and Charlie in here.

She ran around with her brows furrowed and sweat running down her neck. We’d hear her cry and whimper down the hallway all the way to the bathroom. 

Then, she would collapse over Mr. Herman’s old desk. I saw her burying her head in her cupped hands a lot.

She’d whisper to herself, loud enough for us to hear, “This isn’t for me. Lord help me.” This was a Christian school, so prayer was allowed.

To her credit—she tried. But she didn’t last long.

In no time, our principal became our teacher. She blamed us for running the other teacher off. It was mostly Jenny this time.

Well, this wasn’t so great because our principal was downright mean. Just like Mr. Herman, she ran a tight ship, but she wasn’t cool like Mr. Herman.

Between lessons, she stepped outside the classroom and snapped her fingers at students wandering the halls. 

She mad-dogged us real hard for the first few days. This was going to be a long, awful year.

What We Learned About Our Principal

In a few days of taking over our class, we learned who our principal really was. After she established dominance over us, she relaxed a bit.

Besides being the head honcho of the school and a force not to be reckoned with, she had this other side.

She was a world traveler and loved to talk about her adventures. Can you believe it?

When we had history lessons, she told us about her firsthand accounts of traveling to these places. 

Of course, Mr. Herman did a great job showing us where history was made on the maps and the globe. He was a history buff.

But our principal brought all of this to life with her travel stories. Exploring was a vital part of her life, like eating and sleeping.

She showed us real pictures that were developed from her camera and printed off (and glossy) because this was before camera-phone times. 

She stood in front of statues and landmarks. Those were much more interesting than the stock photos in our history books.

What My Principal Taught Me About Travel

Her explorations overseas amazed us. She fought for Civil Rights around the world and told us how she was bringing about change.

Traveling to foreign lands I couldn’t pronounce, she fed the hungry and spoke to the discouraged. She was a beacon of hope for the hopeless.

We found out that she would spend her summers traveling solo and with women’s groups. This certainly dispelled the myth that our principal lived at the school and had no life.

I went from fearing her to admiring her. She made me curious about the world and sparked cultural awareness. I learn what it was really like in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Europe.

These places were more than shapes on the world map we had to memorize. They were destinations you could visit.

People spoke different languages, ate different food, and had different customs. The world was huge, beautiful.

She had made friends all over the world and showed us the souvenirs and gifts they gave her. She answered our questions, no matter how silly they were.

Sure, I had already traveled at a young age, but she exposed me to much more. Oh, the possibilities!

I yearned for more! I wanted to see all these places in the flesh, just like her.

The Valuable Life Lessons

Adults can influence children in many ways, especially those who work in education. I learned a lot from this situation, which created deep, lasting roots.

First, I did run into Mr. Herman at the post office after he quit. His new job granted him a new lease on life—and it showed.

We never knew why he quit like that, but I admire him. He taught us that life is short and if it’s just not working for you, it’s time to move on. 

I respect his decision and applaud him, and he didn’t ruin our lives because he quit teaching mid-year. He went for the open door and new opportunity, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Our principal taught me so much about travel and opened my mind. As a lifelong student of the world, she created a purpose for herself.

She was a true historian, a lover of people and culture. I learned to be curious about the differences in the world, not to fear them.

All my teachers contributed to my unforgettable 6^th-grade year. It’s okay to pivot and try new things. 

They taught us to be bold and do what we want in life. 

And years later, I ended up venturing where I’d never dreamed of going—solo, just like her.

Final Thoughts

What we thought started out as a bad situation turned into an event that influenced my life. The travel insights I gained from my teacher quitting will always be in my memories.

Sometimes the best experiences can come from the most unexpected places. And that’s how life is. 

More About Travel

I have more related posts on my blog. You may want to check them out.

• Would you like to know how to meet people while traveling?

• Here are the good reasons I take time off work for travel.

• Read how I evolved from a minimalist traveler to overpacker. 

I’d love to hear about your travel stories.

Originally published: August 1, 2025