I Was Thinking... Commencement

It is that time of the year for caps and gowns and commencement ceremonies. Most families plan gatherings of family and friends to honor the graduation of their child. It is considered a milestone of passage. Those same parents also are amazed on how fast those 13 years flew past. It seemed just a while ago they were sending that same little child to their first day of kindergarten.
From the time I went to my first day of school in my one-room country school to the day I retired from my teaching career, I experienced over 50 first and last days of school. Each of them had similarities as well as differences.
To many, each first day of school was an opportunity to achieve and do better. Each new year offered potential for success and growth. To others, each first day was just one more day to endure. School was not easy or pleasant for them. Despite special programs and dedicated teachers, for some, then and now, school was difficult.
But no matter what their experience, graduation will open up a new unique chapter in their lives.
For most of those graduating, commencement is seen as the end of a long journey. After all, most of their lives thus far have been spent in school. But to those of us who can look back on our 30, 40, or 50-year class reunions, we know commencements are just what the word implies, a beginning.
Many of the seniors may not realize that graduation is the last day they will all be together, and it is probably also the last time they may ever see some of their classmates. By looking at the post-graduation plans outlined in local papers, these young people will quickly be scattered to the four winds. Different colleges, trade schools, armed forces and jobs will disperse this once closely knit class.
That is why it is important for them to keep their senior annuals.
At those graduation parties, the most common question posed to the graduates is — “so now what are you going to do?” Some of those seniors have it all planned out and have a design laid out to achieve it. Others come up with an answer to the question with a lot less conviction, and others don’t have a clue and hate the question.
But despite the route these 18-year-olds have laid out, seldom if ever do they work out as planned. Even those who graduate from college with a degree often end up in jobs that have nothing to do with that degree.
While your high school career is a baseline that is ground zero for your future, it does not define you for life. Being the valedictorian, the star athlete, or the most popular kid in the class doesn’t guarantee you will always be in the spotlight. If you were shy, a nerd, or lost in the crowd, it doesn’t mean you won’t shine in your next chapter. Many blossom once they leave the confines of high school.
Everyone will be encountering new people, new situations, and circumstances so they will develop and mature in their own way.
In high school, your peer group is defined by geography, you all lived in the same community. Once you graduate, where you go, who you meet, and what you do will create a whole new set of social connections. My closest high school friends I rarely if ever see anymore. My closest friends now are people I never knew existed when I left high school. So, to the many graduates of the class of 2024, I give you some advice — “Enjoy your graduation celebrations because it will never be the same again.”
Did You Ever Wonder? — If we learn and improve from our mistakes, why did they mark them wrong in school?