This past Friday I attended my daughter’s graduation from middle school. This ceremony was a bit more special than your average graduation. I say this because in most middle schools, the children move on together to high school. But my daughter attended a K-8 school where they are all going separate ways.
These kids grew up together since either K-4 or kindergarten and so they had developed a very special bond. I think it’s a huge part of the reason that my daughter had so few problems in middle school.
When we arrived at school, we were handed a pamphlet. Usually these tell you what you can expect to happen, the schedule of what is to come. But to my surprise and delight, instead the entire pamphlet was filled with a personalized note to each student (she was in a graduating class of 28).
These weren’t general notes, either. These were well thought out paragraphs that personally addressed each child. It was clear the principal truly knew the students. I believe this is a real rarity.
Most of the ceremony was taken up by 13 students who expressed the impact that their school had made on them. It quickly became clear that they felt they belonged to a family, not just a school. Even the teachers expressed this and some had a hard time holding back the tears.
The slideshow presentation was a tear jerker and then the students handed out carnations to those adults who had positively impacted their years at school. My daughter gave a carnation to both my husband and I. It all ended with the students walking across the stage and receiving their 8th grade graduation certificates.
The feelings were a bit overwhelming. I watched my daughter walk across that stage and I thought about how quickly these years have flown by. I can hardly believe that she is starting high school in the fall.
It was a difficult day for her, saying goodbye to her graduating class. Only three other students are attending the same high school as she is. The rest are spread out across other school districts. But I know that she will never forget her years being at our neighborhood K-8 school.
When we got home, she wanted to be alone. I understood why. She had a lot to process and work through. Up until that point, she had not been excited at all about high school. She was complaining about where she was going, how none of her friends would be there and so on.
But after an hour of being alone, she came out of her room and asked if we could pick out her high school courses. As we sat down to look at what was available, I saw the excitement in her eyes. She couldn’t believe how she was able to make so many choices. I think it gave her, her first taste of the freedom you get in high school…especially compared to a K-8 school.
She was very excited to pick a couple of art classes and saw a club that she was interested in joining. Middle school is done and now she has a bright future ahead of her.
As a mom it feels bittersweet, bitter that she is leaving behind childhood so quickly, but sweet because she is growing up into such a wonderful young lady.
Did you have a child graduate this year from middle school or high school? How did it make you feel as a mom?
Related Articles:
A Shout Out to All the Great Teachers
Photo by Bilal Aslam in Stockvault