Friday, October 25, 2013

Another year 12 bunch through.

One hundred thousand pageviews later, Head of Maths/Science and another class delivered into the big world.  They're a great bunch - the inspiration for many articles, and my group of yr 12 students will be missed.

A few anecdotes spring to mind about them..

"I'm sorry that I missed you today... but I'm in ER.. had a few chest pains earlier this afternoon, but it's all ok."

"Hahahahahaaa sir, said we'd give you a heart attack!"

The dark cloud, the cattle wife, the quiet one, the vacant/bright eyes, the two vying for no.1 and both achieving it, the firebrand, the crazy one, the one that missed every period 1, the tryer, the 47-50%ers, the ones that drive you insane and the ones that you would do everything for and they still struggle.

I loved the fact that the girls always dressed as young ladies and rejected "skank" as the dominant dress code.

The student that cried any time I was near in the last week.

There were so many of them that could have dropped out and the ball was picked up by someone to get them through.

The boys that succeeded despite many obstacles in ways we could not have expected.

They are a part of a digital world that we have no part of.  The valedictory speech was inspired by a google search, their music is too loud, they don't know what they want and that's ok - it will all work out.


Students are innately respectful, it may take hindsight sometimes for them to find it.  Now is the time where we let them go, our work done and now they can take their vision of the world and craft it, like we sought to do at their age.  It will take too long and happen so quickly.

It's a hard time of year in that we have to disengage from students we have sought to engage for up to 6 years.  Today, we walk away from each of them and that student-teacher dependancy is gone in a farewell never to return.  Others now take up the banner and mentor them forward.

Congratulations class of 2013.  Stay safe, enjoy life, find ways to do good.  Drop in and say hello sometime.  I'll wear my tie presents with pride remembering a group that were a pleasure to teach and that will change the world.