One of the great joys of being an educator is graduation season. Though I’m no longer in the classroom, I keep in touch with many of my students and their families. During the month of May, I was able to give best wishes to the class of 2025 at ceremonies, receptions and parties all over town.
This is a crew that I taught in fourth grade, sixth grade and seventh grade. There are some graduates whom I’ve known since they were born. There are some who were never on my roster, but I encouraged them on the playground and in hallways, on the volleyball court and on auditorium stages.
While it’s commonplace to worry about — and even grumble about — future generations, I come bearing good news about this group ing the adult world.
They are resilient
They were in seventh grade when COVID-19 hit. When we said goodbye before spring break in 2020, we didn’t know that it was goodbye for the whole school year. They adapted to virtual learning and social distancing while becoming teenagers, and while watching the world seemingly fall apart.
They are altruistic
So many of these graduates have logged more than 100 service hours in the past four years, ing nonprofits including the Miracle League, Minnie’s Food Pantry, Feed My Starving Children and Bed Start. They purchase and donate canned goods and hygiene products to help peers in need. A few have started their own organizations, advocating for orphans in India or supplying free feminine hygiene products.
They are ambitious
They plan to change the world by performing classical music, discovering cures to diseases, protecting the environment, caring for animals, writing songs and novels, defending our shoreline. One of my students plans to attend aesthetician school and help clients feel confident. I wish you could see the way her face lights up when she talks about why it’s the perfect path for her.
They seek balance
In the fall, I ed dozens of other Frisco professionals who volunteered to interview high school juniors and seniors. These students were practicing “soft” skills before launching their search for internships. Almost every single student I spoke with asked about work-life balance, a concept that I didn’t know existed when I was 18. They want to know how to fit in their ions while pursuing their careers, how to schedule downtime, how to raise a family while working or how to make decisions about when to do each.
They are curious
They ask questions and actually pause to take in and process the answers. They listen to podcasts and watch TikTok videos not only for entertainment but for tips on how to navigate the world. Many of them read books for fun. One of my students set and met a goal to read 1,000 books during high school. Some have no idea what they want to be when they grow up — nor should we expect them to — and they’re open to wherever their journeys take them.
They are grateful
My former elementary school hosted a breakfast and reception for graduating seniors, welcoming back the kids who once played freeze tag on the playground, jumped rope in the gym and gathered on classroom carpets to listen to read-alouds. Students, parents and teachers congregated in the library, where the seniors marveled over how small everything looked and recalled favorite moments from their childhoods.
This class, more than others I’ve worked with, expressed genuine appreciation for their education and the opportunities they’ve had. They were reunited with peers after the natural drifting apart that comes in middle school and high school. The dramas that once separated them dissipated, if only for that morning.
They love ‘big’
They greet their friends and loved ones with big smiles and open arms. They celebrate their friends’ accomplishments with effusive social media posts and strings of emojis. They reflect all the love that’s been poured into them, and I can’t wait to see how that love changes the world.