I just dropped off homework, next to an empty parking lot and quiet sidewalks. I set the girls’ folders next to folders with their friends’ names— friends they haven’t seen in weeks. I finally let some tears fall over the loss of this. For them. For their teachers. For this school I love so much.

RELATED: Dear Students, We Didn’t Even Get To Say Goodbye

I used to be a teacher and here is the thing: August through December, you and the students are getting to know each other. You’re building rapport and setting boundaries and sticking to your guns so that order can be established. You are spending that time making sure everyone feels safe and heard, because only then will they start to learn anything. January and February, you’re just trying to get everyone back on track after break, you’re scrambling around snow days, and preparing for state testing.

But March through May? It’s the golden time to be a teacher and a student.

You’ve become a weird little family; you know one another’s quirks—you know when Josh needs to go to the bathroom every day and you know when Sarah just needs to stretch her legs a bit. You laugh before the punchline because you already know one another’s jokes. There are trips and fun projects that have been saved all year because finally—FINALLY— these students are really YOURS.

It’s the sweet spot.

And this year, all around the world, teachers and students are missing out on this long-awaited payoff.

RELATED: The Sadness is Real: An Open Letter To Teachers

Everyone is still doing the best they can for their students, but they don’t get the daily life that has become so comfortable for them at this point in the year.

I haven’t taught for seven years and I STILL miss March through May with students. It was a magic you can’t understand if you’re not an educator. Every fresh August, I would miss my previous students and wonder who the imposters were sitting in their seats . . . but then I would remind myself to hold on, to invest in the new ones, to put in the time, because March was coming.

So when you hear teachers say they miss their students, they really, really do. In their very guts.

And they are grieving losing a March-May with this group they will never get back.

Sure, they will get it again, but not with this group. Our kids will be fine. Sure, they’ll be a little behind on a few things and lots of review will be necessary, but they will be fine. I’m not sad about them missing out on some math problems. I’m just sad everyone is missing the magic.

RELATED: Dear Teachers, Thank You For Loving Our Kids As Your Own

So if you’ve thanked your child’s teacher for the work they’re doing to still educate your child, that’s good. Do that.

But also? Thank them for loving them so much that losing March-May with them hurts.

This post originally appeared on the author’s Facebook page

 
 
So God Made a Mother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A MOTHER available now!

Order Now

Check out our new Keepsake Companion Journal that pairs with our So God Made a Mother book!

Order Now
So God Made a Mother's Story Keepsake Journal

Kelsey Irwin

Kelsey Irwin is a former English teacher turned stay-at-home-mom of four kids. When she isn't beating her husband and children at Candy Land, she loves to study and teach the Bible with other women, explore nature, and write about anything from grief to parenting to the mold growing in the back of the fridge. Someday her bio will say she's written a book, but for now it will say she is raising four kids to know and love the Lord, and that's good enough for her.

I Didn’t Know Anxiety until I Knew Grief

In: Grief, Living, Loss, Motherhood
Woman crouched on ground by waterfront

If you had known me for the first 45 years of my life, you would say I was an extrovert. I loved going places, meeting new people, and striking up conversations with all ages. I talk a lot, often sharing too much in the way of being transparent. It’s been said that I have never met a stranger. Yes, I will admit, I am that woman you see in the grocery store line starting up conversations with the people around me. A few years ago, my life started changing, and I struggled with becoming introverted. Though I had once loved...

Keep Reading

We Built a Rock-Solid Foundation in Our Little Home

In: Living, Marriage
Couple on front porch

I found my brand-new husband, sitting on the floor of the only bedroom in our brand-new house. His back propped against the wall, muscular legs extending from his khaki shorts, bare feet overlapping at the ankles. His arms were crossed in a gesture of defiance and there was an unfamiliar, challenging scowl on his face. Plopping down beside him on the scratchy harvest gold carpeting, I asked, “What’s wrong?” “This is it?” he mumbled. “This is what we used our savings for?” I stood up, tugging on his bent elbows in a vain attempt to get him to his feet....

Keep Reading

I Am an Adult with Autism

In: Living, Motherhood
Mother and three children in wildflowers, color photo

Thirty years. That’s how long it took for me to get the right diagnoses. Thirty years. Of struggles. Of shame. Of depression and anxiety. Of bullying. All without knowing the true causes and what was really going on. I never would have believed you if you told me a few years ago that I was autistic. It wasn’t until all three of my children were diagnosed with autism that I started to see the similarities and begin to question. At first, I thought there was no way. Wouldn’t I have known by now? It just can’t be. So I threw...

Keep Reading

I’m Thankful for the Community We’ve Found

In: Friendship, Living, Motherhood
Community on street having a picnic

It was the end of the school holidays, and the return to school after Christmas was looming. The children had had two weeks at home. The general sense of routine was lost for the boys, with late nights and relaxing days watching YouTube while playing their Switch. I was eager for routine to make a reappearance through school. As we headed into the weekend before the start of school, Josh had a cough and then a fever, and it became clear this would not be the week I had envisioned. By Monday morning the boys appeared more lethargic than usual,...

Keep Reading

Kate Middleton Reveals Cancer Diagnosis

In: Living, News

After weeks of speculation about her whereabouts, Kate Middleton has surfaced with a shocking announcement: she’s been diagnosed with cancer. In a video released Friday, Catherine, the Princess of Wales sits on an outdoor bench and speaks directly to the camera about her diagnosis. It follows a “planned abdominal surgery” announced by the Royal family in January. At that time, the Palace said Kate would not resume her Royal duties until Easter. At the time, Kate says, the procedure was believed to be for something non-cancerous. After the surgery, it was determined cancer was present. The type of cancer has...

Keep Reading

Invite People Over, It’s Always Worth It

In: Friendship, Living
Family greeting friends on front steps of house

I meticulously vacuumed and mopped, water streaks practically mocking me with the contrast of dirty to clean. Tending to the floors was always my least favorite chore, but now that people were coming over, it was a necessity I couldn’t ignore. I obsessively worried that crumbs would stick to guest’s feet during dinner and that thought alone sent me into round three of detecting those that were camouflaged. When the new couple arrived, I was relieved they were wearing socks. I had set the table with extra linens and placemats to which my perplexed children inquired, “What are these?” as...

Keep Reading

Find True Friends and Hold on Tight

In: Friendship, Living, Motherhood
Friends walking away with arms linked

I’m a mother of two young boys, ages three years old and three months old. Since the recent birth of my youngest son, I’ve transitioned from therapist and social worker in the workplace to stay-at-home mom. I’ve come to realize I’m no expert on parenting and there are many things I’m uncertain of as a mother, but there is one thing that I’m completely sure of . . . we all need the real mom friends in our lives. The real mom friends are the ones who show up authentically for you in your life and provide you with the...

Keep Reading

My Aunt Is the Woman I Want to Become

In: Faith, Living
Woman with older woman smiling

It’s something she may not hear enough, but my aunt is truly amazing. Anyone who knows her recognizes her as one-of-a-kind in the best way possible. It’s not just her playful jokes that bring a smile to my face, her soul is genuinely the sweetest I know. I hope she knows that I see her, appreciate her, and acknowledge all the effort she puts in every day, wholeheartedly giving of herself to everyone around her. When I look back on my childhood, I see my aunt as a really important part of it. We have shared so much time together,...

Keep Reading

To the Family with a Loved One in Jail

In: Grief, Living
Woman with head in hands

At first, I wanted to hide. I didn’t want to face people anywhere, not at the grocery store, not at work, not even at church. I was ashamed, hurt, and humiliated. It was after that day not so long ago when one of my sisters called me, sobbing so hard I could barely understand the awful message she was telling me. He’s been arrested, she was saying. We need to go tell Mom. Oh, God, no. Please, please, no. How can this even be real? But it was real. RELATED: Tragedy Changes You, But it Doesn’t Have To Ruin You...

Keep Reading

What Daniel Tiger Taught Me About Standing up for What’s Right

In: Living, Motherhood
Two young girls climbing a tree, color photo

On a beautiful, sunny morning, I was with mama friends and all our kiddos. Between the five of us, we had two to four kids each, the oldest at six years old and the youngest had just learned to walk. I had my daughter in my lap as I sat squished in a toddler chair at a small table. She was picking up Goldfish crackers one by one, and I was talking happily with my friends. But then someone brought up a recent Daniel Tiger episode with a tang in her voice that concerned me. I recalled the exact episode she...

Keep Reading