Weekly Blog #8: Another One Bites the Dust

Weekly Blog #8: Another One Bites the Dust

“Don’t start that AGAIN! Lance Hunt wears glasses, Captain Amazing DOESN’T wear glasses.” – The Shoveller

            Well it was the final week of school for the seniors this last week, and boy was it rough. It was really, really difficult to get them to do any work or really get them to do anything besides fantasize about the brand new world that was about to open up for them. They spent all day talking about what schools they were going to next year or what kinds of trips they were taking this summer. Planning return trips and roommate situations already, even though summer hadn’t even started yet. In a way it was a real challenge to keep them focused for just one, two, or three more days, but at the same time, it was relieving to know that so many students made it and to know that I played a small part in it. A really small part, but a part nonetheless. That was both the low side and the highlight of the week.

            I also attended the graduation ceremony, I grouped students into their walking order and helped to hand out diplomas after the ceremony ended. I watched 467 seniors take pictures with families, turn in their robes, and flee like they were never coming back to this town and it was quite an experience. Helping to set up and clean up from the ceremony was a lot of work. Making sure that it went according to plan was a lot of work. Making sure that it was a special day for those seniors who worked twelve long years to get to this point was a lot of work. The thing I noticed most during the whole thing was that not once did any of the teachers complain about it. They put their heads down and did everything they possibly could to make sure that it went according to plan and that it was a very special day. They ignored the things that normally would have made them freak out and they shook hands and hugged the students that they normally might not have engaged. This made me feel very differently about teachers. It was one of the many moments so far in my placement where I realized that teachers have a very expansive dedication to the students and that they work very hard for all of them, even though very few of the students recognize it and fewer still acknowledge it. But that is the life of a teacher, dedicated to hundreds of kids who may not ever truly know how much work was put into making sure they could succeed.