*************************
Watching students graduate can sometimes be the most heartbreaking moment in a teacher's life. Yes, this is the moment we've prepared them for. No, they are not our actual children. Of course, we'll get another batch the next year. Certainly the years all run together. But, in actuality, at our school, you create bonds with these young people. You see them mature from little tadpoles into full-grown adults. You watch them work hard, appreciate each other, learn how to persevere, solve problems and make their way into the world. I know they all move on, and their high school teachers become just a distant memory, a quick "remember when Mrs. So and So said" but to the teachers, those children ARE our children in the most devastating way. Because with my own three children, I can expect them to come back and share their lives with me. While our relationship will indeed change, it won't disappear. But, with my students, I know that the moment we had with them is completely over. They never really come back. This particular class, the class of 2010 had some very special characters who spent much more than 40 minutes in my classroom. They were there in the morning, in the afternoon, during lunch, and always kind, always respectful, always sharing a laugh or sharing their lives. I've had other students like them who are now gone into their own lives, so I know this feeling of loss is real. I know that I'll have more students who mean as much to me. But today I mourn for the friendships that I'm losing today, because I know this really is goodbye. Good luck and Godspeed Class of 2010.
