Thirty-three years ago, I was preparing to deliver my high school graduation speech. I'm sure it exists on VHS tape somewhere, but I have no idea where. Thank God for that! I'm not particularly proud of that event.

My graduating class had a reputation for being trouble makers. What was worse, my class was sandwiched between two "high-achieving", very well-behaved classes. It's safe to say, the faculty was celebrating our departure, and I know that we were celebrating departing. We were very resentful of the comments made by our teachers and admin about how amazing the other classes were and how challenging we were. And so I vented that resentment in my graduation speech.

My angry remarks highlighted how immature and non-reflective I was. I had just turned 18, and my adolescent brain still had some growing to do. For there I was, at the culmination of an era, surrounded by the wonderful people that traversed that path with me, and I chose to focus on how we were wronged.

I didn't celebrate the teachers who went above and beyond (My geometry teacher who came to my house every day to teach me that day's lesson while I had chickenpox.).

I didn't celebrate the deep, lasting friendships that were formed (90% of the kids in my class went from Kindergarten to 12th grade together.).

And I didn't celebrate the parents who showed up to every basketball game, track meets, and school plays (To be fair, there wasn't anything else to do in that town!).

At the end of our K-12 journey, I focused on hurt and disappointment and cast blame where I decided it belonged.

This week I will deliver short remarks at Esperanza's promotion and Hope's graduation. Thankfully I have grown up a bit and will celebrate what should be celebrated. I look forward to recognizing:

The students who, despite their learning and relational differences, have hope and excitement for what is next.

The parents who, despite the complexities of their lives, made it to celebrate their child.

And the teachers who, despite the above challenges and the pandemic challenges, showed the kids what healthy relationships look like and proved that in-school learning could be fun.

As we all move forward, reflect back on this past year and celebrate the things that matter—the relationships you made, the growth that you made, and the connections you made. 🎓

Leadership and Learning