Cannata Resignation

November 29, 2022

Dear Dr. McDowell,

As I draw ever closer to the end of my nearly 30 year career as a teacher in the Colchester School System, it is
imperative that I recognize those that contributed to my life long memories spanning the past three decades.

I would like to thank the Colchester Board of Education for providing my employment and their dedication in
managing and supporting a vast school system. I am thankful for the many administrators that I have come to
know. They believed in my capabilities to teach as well as my ability to lead others. They have granted me
numerous leadership roles and seats on committees involving our grade level, our school and our district thus
allowing me to contribute beyond the classroom. Collectively administration has completed a substantial
amount of stellar evaluations which comprise my Personnel File. Although I have earned such evaluations
through my dedication and hard work, I am grateful for the time they put into these documents; a keepsake that
I’ll have forever.

To my esteemed colleagues, it’s difficult to put into words the positive impact that you have had on my life both
professionally and personally. We have laughed together and we have cried together, but most importantly we
have grown together. The collaboration we shared helped us through some of the most challenging scenarios
and I am a stronger person because of you. I could have chosen any district to teach in, however the
Colchester district was my first and only choice in which to begin my teaching career. As a Bacon Academy
graduate, I wanted to give back to the school system that gave me such an amazing education. I wanted to be
part of a dynamic group of educators for which I admired and respected and I wanted to teach in a school with
great morale in a welcoming setting. I am truly blessed and grateful as those dreams became my reality
because of you!

To all of the parents and guardians of the approximately 600 students I have taught over the years, I thank you
for sharing your most precious blessings with me. I thank you for your trust in my abilities to enhance your
child’s life both socially and academically. I thank you for the many ways you supported me, my students and
our classroom. Through your dedicated time spent as parent volunteers, the generosity of supplies you
donated and the bonds that were made, collectively had such a positive impact for all involved. Through the
years I have remained connected with so many former parents, your support and friendship are priceless!

Most of all, I would like to thank all of my former students. You are the ones who filled my days with love and
laughter. You are the ones who gave me the most incredible career. To my students; thank you for learning
along with me, thank you for working so hard to become your own individual best and for accepting the
challenges I presented to you. I always believed in you, supported you, and were always so very proud of you.
In first grade, with your perspective class, we had so much fun. You demonstrated such great teamwork and
created the most loving classroom environments where we truly came together as a classroom family. I am
blessed for the wonderful memories we shared, you will always hold a special place in my heart. And one
more thing for my students, please always remember our class mantra: “If you Believe it, You can Achieve it!”

I am grateful and blessed to have had such an amazing career. It was an honor to take this journey with you!

It is with great sadness that due to my serious illness, I state the following: Please accept this letter as my
formal resignation from my teaching position with the Colchester Board of Education.

Respectfully,
Pamela Cannata