Commencement

I attended a graduation ceremony this afternoon for one of the schools that I work with. This school does a number of things differently than the traditional school, and it was a sight to see the way they usher students out into the world.

One of the unique factors of this ceremony is that they allow any student who wanted to, an opportunity to speak. There were 6 or 7 student speakers who had thoughtful and appropriate graduation speeches and received some special coaching from their English teacher I'm sure. I noticed in particular how each student spoke to their peers in a heartfelt manner, how each student recalled times of struggle and many talked about how they didn't ever think they'd actually make it. Several students began crying during their speeches, as if they were realizing, for the first time, how important the day really was.

As I sit to reflect on the event now -- I was reminded of two things I've read:

1.) Frank O'Hara writes, in one of my favorite poems, "It is even in prose I am a real poet." This experience reminds of me of this line because I think it could be just as easily said, "It is even in how we let students leave that we are real teachers." The craft of teaching demands a lot from the men and women who embark on the journey. They give their hearts and souls -- the bleed for their students, laugh and cry. And unlike their parents who watch over them through each stage in their lives, at the end of the year -- teachers cross their fingers, hold their breath, and say a prayer that they've made a difference. . . .and they get ready for the new students to come.

2.) I remember "and they will know you by your love." -- which is one of those phrases from the bible that I call upon from time to time. I began thinking about how much our actions matter and how they represent who we are and what we believe in. And they will know you by your love -- and for educators you can tell a lot about a school by the way they do their business. This ceremony was intimate. Every student was known by a caring adult and every student acknowledge the adults in their lives in a meaningful way. The adults and students spoke respectfully to one another and demanded greatness from each other. They shared in a celebration that they will all remember for many years to come. Anyone who saw this graduation, would know this school by it's love, and for many of the students who walked across that stage today, were able to do so because of the love of their school family.

It truly was a Commencement.

Congratulations class of 2010. But especially, congratulations to the teachers, administrators and staff members who pour out their lives, day after day, so that young people can have the best possible future they can make.