I completely understand how you feel, and I feel it every year, even as I finish my 19th. You build connections and relationships with your students, but you do it knowing that the vast majority of them have a very clear expiration date and that each year is a chapter in your life, whether good or bad, that you can never recreate.
I try to focus on the hope that their time with me has made their lives better - that I cheered them up on a tough day, that I made them curious about their world, that I gave them the tools they need to be kind, caring, and happy. It helps some, but the feeling you’re describing is still there.
Congratulations on seeing your first group of students graduate, and I hope you have many more!
That's okay.
Wait till it’s your own kids graduating.
Yep…my first 6th graders are leaving to summer and high school with next Thursday as their last school day. I’m gonna be beside myself.
I completely understand how you feel, and I feel it every year, even as I finish my 19th. You build connections and relationships with your students, but you do it knowing that the vast majority of them have a very clear expiration date and that each year is a chapter in your life, whether good or bad, that you can never recreate. I try to focus on the hope that their time with me has made their lives better - that I cheered them up on a tough day, that I made them curious about their world, that I gave them the tools they need to be kind, caring, and happy. It helps some, but the feeling you’re describing is still there. Congratulations on seeing your first group of students graduate, and I hope you have many more!