Praise God for Loving Students

I'm not a stranger to goodbyes. I have moved, switched schools, and had loved ones pass on. Nonetheless, saying goodbye to a class is a whole different type of farewell.

My alarm went off at 5:45 this morning for one last day of getting ready. One last day of driving 45 minutes. One last day of walking into my classroom. One last day of being greeted by T1. One last day of seeing my students, and one last day at Shoreline Christian School.

With mixed emotions and my thoughts going every which way I sat at my desk and began to work on some assignments. Students filed in and right away I immediately received hugs as well as "I'll miss you" and "I don't want you to leave." One girl even said it was the saddest day of her life.

It's funny you know, how attached a person can get to 13 people in just 8 short weeks.

The clock ticked as I watched my minutes at this school slip by too quickly. The teachers all had a potluck lunch for a fellow student teacher and I. It was delicious, but the company was even better.

12:45 came and it was time to do an official goodbye. T1 had all of the students gather in a circle and say something about me they were thankful for. We then grabbed hands and they all prayed for me. Eleven 8-9 year old voices praising and thanking God for the fact that I had been part of their lives. By the end of it my heart was full and overflowing. God chose this classroom for me, and I couldn't be more thankful. I hugged each of them goodbye as they walked through the door to make their way to art class. I took a deep breath and began to clean up my things. All the pictures and cards that they had made me through the course of my time there couldn't compare to how loved they had made me feel.

T1 came back, hugged me, and said "I'm happy to call you my friend." With another hug we said our goodbyes and I was off. Down the stairs I walked, in my comfortable teacher shoes and corduroy jacket.

I sat in my car for a bit thinking about the experiences I had had and memories that were made. With eyes that matched the rain that tapped upon my windshield, I pulled out of the parking lot and made my way home.

Although I am sad to leave this school, I look forward to the excitement that my new school will bring. Different teachers, different students, and best of all an ESL classroom. It will be a whole new adventure, don't worry though I'll be blogging about it too ;).


Before I left T1 said, "As a teacher you are never at a loss for love." I couldn't agree with her more.