A Teacher In June

Oh, end of the school year...how conflicted you make me! I love that the school year is almost over and things slow down a bit (even if I am working all summer...seriously--last day of school is Thursday, in-service from 9-5 Friday, CPR training from 9-3 Saturday, in-service Monday from 9-5, and then the summer program starts on Tuesday...not much of a break, I'd say!). But at the same time, I hate this time of year because it means saying goodbye to my kiddos--some of whom I've had for two years in a row! I definitely personalize my job. I can sincerely say that I love each and every one of my kids. Their successes and failures are my successes and failures and I feel like a large chunk of my heart is leaving. I pour myself into those kids and they mean the world to me. I may not have any biological kids yet (hint, hint, God), but I feel like I've got 26 kids that come pretty darn close. They're my family during the school year. How do you say goodbye to 26 members of your family all at once and then just open your heart up to a brand new batch?
I guess that's just the nature of things. All the same, I'm going to be a basketcase for the next few weeks. Guess that's how I know I love 'em. For those of you who aren't teachers, this may sound like crazy talk. But some of you might understand. Man, sometimes I wish I worked in an office where there was minimal personal interaction and no major yearly changes. Oh well, enough emotional blah for now. I've got to give them up to the Lord and trust Him to watch over them.