Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6, NIV

We don’t talk much about this part of teaching—the part where the end of the year sneaks up on us, and suddenly it’s time to say goodbye.

And the truth is—it’s hard.

Hard to say goodbye to the students we’ve prayed for, taught, laughed with, and sometimes cried over.

Hard to let go of the daily rhythms, the inside jokes, the classroom family that’s taken shape over the months.

Even the kids who were tough to teach—the ones who had you asking God for patience on a regular basis—somehow end up being the hardest to let go of. You’ve seen them grow. You’ve prayed for them. You’ve invested so much time and energy that it feels strange when the bell rings one last time and they just…walk out.

Sure, we might be ready for summer (and we are ready), but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to let go.

But here’s the good news: God’s been in it all. Every hard day, every small win, every moment we wondered if anything we said or did really made a difference. He saw it. And He’s not done working—in their lives or in ours.

We may not get to see how their story unfolds, but we CAN trust that the time we had with them mattered. And that the seeds we planted will keep growing in ways we may never see this side of heaven.

If you’re looking for a way to close out the year, try this:

• Take out your class roster one more time.
• Slow down.
• Pray for each student by name.
• Thank God for the story He’s been writing in each life—and entrust them to Him again as you hear that last bell.

Lord, thank You for the gift of this school year—even the messy, exhausting, beautiful parts of it. Thank You for each student You placed in our classrooms. We release them into Your hands, trusting that You love them even more than we do. Use what we offered this year and grow it into something good. And when our hearts ache from letting go, remind us that You’re still writing their story—and ours. Amen.

Copyright Morgan Preston.

Morgan is a former middle school language arts and social studies teacher. She is currently Christian Educators’ Marketing and Communications Coordinator and serves her middle school students and teachers through First Priority.