As stressful as this year has been for me and my co-workers with all of the expectations from the state bearing down on us daily, I am still not looking forward to saying good bye to my students today.

But when I think of life as a story being written by God, the author and perfector of my faith, it makes days like today seem a little easier.

Ending a stressful chapter is sometimes more dramatic than ending a not-so-stressful one and yet there is a beauty in the closure.  Maybe it's realizing I didn't quit when I wanted to run and knowing the students pulled through and accomplished so much even when they were tired, overwhelmed, or discouraged that makes today hold such significance.  It's like we have reached a finish line and the prize is summer vacation!

We've all had good days and bad days this year.  I'm sure you have too.

I've seen lots of tears, mediated many disagreements, tried to encourage many who were down, and did what I could to help kids discover the beauty deep within them even when they didn't feel so beautiful.

At the same time, I've allowed the kids to see me as a real person with my own set of worries and fears (even of mice).

It's been a two-way street in my classroom, and maybe that's why closure is so difficult.

I'm going to miss these students.

They've taught me a lot about myself.

They've reminded me that even though their generation faces a lot of struggles I didn't have to face as a kid, they are still amazing human beings at heart.

My prayer today is that with the closing of this chapter every character in my life story has learned a little more for the next chapter of theirs, because good stories move characters along in ways that deepen them-making them better equipped for the next difficult situation, the next big decision, the next opportunity to grow.

As a teacher, I want all of my students to know this:

I love you with a love that comes from above.

Unconditional, filled with grace, and never-ending.

I'm still here to point you in the right direction.

I'm praying for you and believing that He Who began a good work in you

Will be faithful to complete it.

One day a week this summer I am committing my blog to the adventures of Susan (so-named by my one of my classes), my desk figurine who weathered the year with us.

Even though her year ended with head and feet broken off, she is in recovery at this very moment in the art room.

And I will be taking her along on some trips so that you will know that even though Mrs. Nischan is on vacation she hasn't forgotten that she is a teacher at heart........

Hopefully, Susan will teach us all a few things about life.

I'm excited to see where we end up in the next few months!

So today, a chapter ends.

The class of 2015 wraps up their freshman year.

Olivia says goodbye to middle school.

It's a day of closure.

And a day of new beginnings.

Your life may not hold a dramatic goodbye today, but truthfully, that's the thing about life - we never really know if a chapter is ending on any particular day.

Life is fragile.

How powerful would our relationships become if we treated each day as if it were the last?

I'm praying that today you can embrace everyone around you in a way that says, "You matter to me because you matter to God."

And whether you are starting a new chapter, living somewhere deep within the middle of one, or watching the last few pages of a chapter unfold, I pray your day is a day of significance.

I love you all,