Today was a special day at my school. It was 8th grade graduation. The kids were in full cap and gown, the teachers and parents were in fancy clothes, and the younger children lined the halls to cheer as the graduates paraded through the building on their way to the graduation ceremony. It was beautiful.
Now, I am originally from Minnesota. In Minnesota, we do not celebrate 8th grade graduation. I vaguely remember my parents taking me and a few of my giggling girlfriends out to dinner on the last day of 8th grade, but I assure you there was no party, no cap and gown, no celebration whatsoever. So the fact that I am saying today's graduation was beautiful, is quite a change of perspective for me.
When I moved to Illinois and became a teacher, I thought people were joking about 8th grade graduation. Surely they were kidding when they said there would be such pomp and circumstance for an accomplishment that should be expected and exceeded. In my mind, I thought it should be a pat on the back and I'll see you in 4 years when there will really be something to celebrate.
Well, like all things in life, there is always room for the mind to change. Because it was when I became a middle school teacher in the Chicago Public Schools that I came to understand why 8th grade graduation means so much to students and their families. And, it was then that 8th grade graduation became something that means a great deal to me.
8th grade graduation is important because it is a next step. A passage, a marker in time that means something. About 75% of our 8th graders have been at our elementary/middle school for 9 years. They began in pre-kindergarten and have stayed all the way through 8th grade. Their elementary school has become a second home, their principal, teachers, and fellow students like a second family. It is important to celebrate all that has happened in that place and to wish our 8th graders well as they head into their high school experience.
I have learned that 8th grade graduation doesn't have to be only about celebrating the accomplishment itself, it can also be about celebrating the time spent in a special place and a charge to go forward with all that has been learned. A moment to realize all the growth that has happened, all that has changed over the time they spent in our school. Students in the Chicago Public Schools do not all go to the same high school. At my elementary school, students will head to 15-20 different high schools, meaning 8th grade graduation is also a time of saying goodbye and thank you to people they will not see next year.
If you had asked me 5 years ago if I would cry at an 8th grade graduation, I would have laughed. I would have told you that was silly and overly dramatic. Again, life is funny in the way that it moves and teaches us things we never expected. Because this afternoon, as a group of 8th graders I love more than I can ever say crossed that stage for their diplomas, I sat and cried silent tears.
I cried because I have known these stellar individuals for 4 years. I knew them first when they were 4th and 5th graders talking about pokemon and angry birds and I've watched them grow into young men and women who can move mountains. I cried because I have sat with them in their toughest times and I have celebrated their successes. I've watched them learn to make important decisions, to be good members of a community, and to stand up for what they believe in. I've watched them become who they are today. What a gift.
This group of kids made me laugh every single day, taught me not take anything too seriously, and to always aim for the top. They accomplished amazing things in the 4 years that I knew them and I have no doubt they will continue to do so as they move into high school. They've made me a better teacher and person, and I could never thank them enough.
8th grade class of 2014, you are one in a million and you have left a permanent mark on my heart that will live there forever. I am so glad that I got to celebrate your 8th grade graduation, you deserved every second of that celebration and more. It mattered. It really, really mattered, and I'm so glad I was there.
...I also ran such a fun, inspiring triathlon this weekend, but will be back later with a race report. For now, I am sending all my love and best wishes to my beautiful 8th graders. And that's just about all I can handle right now before I fall dead asleep at 9pm. Goodnight!
