Broken Teacher Heart

I am one of those teachers that forms very strong relationships with my students, and I have had several moments of teacher broken heart over the last few months. I have found out that 4 of my former students dropped out of school, and each case breaks my heart. They were such smart kids, they just needed the right structure and right teachers in their lives to encourage them on the journey. One is considering going back, but still it breaks my heart. Tonight though was the topper on my broken heart. I received a Facebook message from a former student telling me of their move to another state. For some reason he has convinced himself that because he is not in Texas anymore that he won't be smart in school. This is one of those students that was super bright and I just knew that he would go far in life. He has a brilliant mind, and it broke my teacher heart as I watched him write about how inadequate his abilities will be in the NYC school system. Teacher broken heart! So this begs the question with me - how do we convince our students they are worth something no matter where they are? How do we convince them they are smart when there are outside factors telling them they are not? This is my teacher broken heart. I love all of my kiddos past and present, and I don't like it when their heart is heavy. This is one part of the job that is difficult - I don't know how students can come and go from your classroom and you not get attached and feel a part of their lives. Have you ever experienced teacher broken heart?