As teachers, we put our heart and soul into the kids we teach. We nurture them, build relationships with them, and after some time, we grow to love them. We spend endless hours creating lesson plans that are engaging and lead to not only deep learning but also a love of learning. We generate lesson plans that are individualized, meeting kids where they are. We listen to their stories, wipe their tears, and laugh with them. Then, after one hundred and eighty-seven short days, we say goodbye, sometimes forever. This poem reflects how I feel at the end of every year as I say goodbye to those I have grown fond of. Photo: AI generated from my description