saying goodbye

It's never easy to say good-bye, especially when you know there's a small chance of ever crossing paths again.  I'm sitting here at 1am being super emo kid.  My 3rd graders had their graduation ceremony today.  In a few weeks, they're going to be in high school.  I know I've only been their teacher for 4 months, but saying good-bye to them was a lot harder than I thought it would be.  These girls definitely took me by surprise with their quirky, yet sweet personalities.  It was crazy seeing them all sitting together in the auditorium.  The last time I saw them sitting together like that was the first week of school for the Centennial Ceremony.  I looked into the sea of faces and had absolutely no connection with them.  I didn't know who they were, I didn't know their names, I didn't know what their hobbies were or who they're favorite pop stars were.  Today, I looked at the rows of beaming faces, and knew exactly who they were.  They were all my beautiful students.  I've spent a semester being a part of their lives, teaching them English while they gave me such a fresh and vibrant perspective on life.  I'm really going to miss them.  As a teacher, I wonder if you ever get used to saying good bye to your students.