That Time of Year

As a high school teacher, I love this time of year.  Not just because it is summer, but because it's graduation time.  This year is the first year I have seen my students begin high school as newbie freshman and morph into mature seniors.  Unfortunately because of some politics at the beginning of the year, I wasn't able to see them all the way through to graduation because of the change in schools.  I did, however, get to see my "little" brother graduate.  I watched him and all of his friends walk across the stage at Brighthouse Field and accept their diplomas from their principal.  My brother graduated summa cum laude and will be attending FSU in the fall on a baseball scholarship.

Anywho, back on track to why I love graduations.  I love all they represent.  Being a teacher in this day and age, I get to experience what people in other fields do not.  I get to watch children enter their awkward teenage years and blossom into mature, young adults...for the most part.  There are some who still need time to mature and there are others who never will.  I get to see students who struggled all throughout their school career pull through and get that diploma with tears in their eyes because of the major achievement they accomplished.  I get to see their families, who have been there through their struggles, clap, cheer and fist pump as their students walks across that stage and take that diploma.  I LOVE it when they then put that diploma in the air as a sign of victory.  I love greeting them after the ceremony is over with hugs and high fives.  Sometimes I am introduced to parents that have begged and pleaded with me over e-mail or the phone to accept a late assignment or some extra credit.  I love getting the thank yous for pushing my students to a high level of achievement that they may not have experienced in any other class.  I love to see the tears in their eyes over the bonds they have made with their peers who will be moving on to other things. 

Graduation is a time where one chapter ends and another begins.  To the class of 2010, you did it!