Graduates

I blinked and another year passed.  

I watched 35 high school graduates cross the stage today.  Birds leaving the nest . . . I am torn between pride, relief, mourning, and anticipation.  Their success or failures are my mirror.  Their lives are the summative assessment for an educator.  Should the state develop a competency test to determine if I am proficient at preparing parents, workers, and citizens; would I pass?

What would be on the test?

Did you prepare each to make a contribution?  Will they search and struggle until they determine what they have to contribute?

Can they love someone more than themselves?

Will they embrace babies, love, death, and taxes?

Are they able to distinguish between having a closed mind and having integrity?

Will they build a world of compassion; yet, stand up for what is right?

Can they harness technology while having the wisdom to soak up every moment with their children?

Can they design our future while nurturing our elderly?

What did I give them of value?

Will they seek a life of value?  Do they realize their worth?

Oh my, oh my . . . the world is so big.  Fly little birds, fly!

PS  Don’t forget to drop by the nest and see this old bird once in awhile.

When Kids Act Like Kids

As I wrestle my toddler, admire the work of my preschooler, recover from last night’s eighth grade slumber party, and supervise my son and his buddy as they analyze how to make it to the next level in Harry Potter; I am struck by contentment. Nothing produced by Hollywood can compare with with the fun I had watching the girls learn to make chocolate cake in Mason Jars, listening to Monster Queen tell about the card the Tooth Fairy left, or becoming soaked when WJ learned to project his bathwater with a kitchen spoon. As we prepare our children for their next stage in life, let’s not rob them of the joy of this stage.