We are here in Atlanta for my youngest nephew's graduation, and last night was the Baccalaureate ceremony where each senior's advisor wrote and delivered a tribute to the graduating student. It might have been excruciating to sit through so many remarks about people one doesn't know, but there were only 40 or so graduates (as well as a 250-word limit), and I found myself surprisingly engaged.
First, as an educator, I was interested in how each teacher framed their remarks, and I wondered how I would approach the same task. Next, as an auntie, I was very moved to hear how someone else saw and appreciated my nephew as the great guy he is.
As the ceremony commenced, one by one each student and their families and supporters were asked to stand as the senior's character and accomplishments were acknowledged, and I craned my neck to see the honorees and their proud loved ones as they were celebrated. The families were universally thrilled and the graduates were silently fascinating: their wardrobes a range from wacky to traditional, their facial expressions a mixture of stoic discomfort and delight.
And in their faces and the words of their teachers, I saw traces and heard echoes of so many of the kids I have taught over the last 30 years, and I felt their hope for the future and joy at a job well done.
Life Lesson: You're doing a good job. Don't get too down. The world needs you now. Know that you matter, matter, matter, yeah. ~Alicia Keys "Good Job"
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