Graduation has always been a special time for everyone involved no matter how many times you have attended one over the course of your life, but the ones that I have participated in as a teacher of the graduating class are the ones that I truly treasure and remember the most.
This was not the first 8th Grade graduation that I attended that had my former students participate in the ceremony, but it was certainly the one I would never soon want to forget. Seeing my former students again after a year away from them was bittersweet, but that's the way life is sometimes and I realized really quickly that I just have to do the best to take advantage of new opportunities as they come along and I really have over the course of this past school year.
As for the students, some of them have come a long way from the depths of despair, personal tragedy, and broken hearts/dreams to become strong, confident, and successful young men and women. Some of them I knew when I had them in 7th grade that they were going to be okay if they stick to what worked for them and some of them just needed a little swift kick in the rear end to get them going. However, I knew that all of them had the potential for success if only it can be channeled and motivated in a way where they knew that much is expected from them but at the same time, they knew that they can do it.
Words cannot describe the feeling I have about the graduates. Proud is so overused and I don't like to overuse or overstate words and phrases. I guess the best way to put it is saying that the ultimate thought or moment for any teacher is to see a former student of theirs graduate and become successful at something. This is why teachers become teachers. This is why teachers teach because teachers cherish and hold on to that thought or that moment no matter what happens. Even if the student does not see that thought or moment, it is the teacher's obligation to give them that direction to become successful and graduate.
And for those that fell short, I don't feel bad for them at all. Like me, they will find new opportunities to become successful, but if I had one piece of advice for them, I would tell them all of them that fell just short today that don't let others tell you how to define success, do what you can with all the talents you have to redefine it for others. Hopefully, they can redefine their definition by the end of next week.
As for the two individuals tagged in this note, Mr. Tsang is a beacon of stability. He is a true professional at what he does and is the embodiment of what an urban school teacher should be. I only wish I could have been half as good as he was.
Ms. Goncalves was my next door neighbor and someone who would bother me for everything even for a ride home from work. I'm just kidding there. She did not bother me, but she was able to keep me from going crazy (yeah, middle school students will have that effect on anyone) and I was really able to debrief everything I felt about the school day to her because we both always ended up staying way way too late after school prepping for the following day or grading papers or making copies. I'm sure she feels the same way.There are many others that helped, but they are either not on facebook or they are on facebook but have been friended yet (and I don't do that stalking thing).
In closing, I am not sure whether or not I will get back into a classroom teaching middle school students again in the future. I have been away from classroom teaching for a year and I feel I have grown up a lot since last year. I just wonder now if the world has more to offer to me than just teaching middle school or even high school students in an urban public school setting. I will hopefully find out what the offer is sooner or later, but wherever I go next or I end up doing next, this year's 8th Grade Graduation will always have a special place in my heart and something that I would cherish for the rest of my life.
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