We have learned this week that nearly no seniors will march across the stage this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
I have a high school senior. This does not seem to bother him. In fact, he may be pulled a little the other way, relieved to be free of the pomp and circumstance. Time will tell whether this sentiment holds, but it seems genuine enough now.
I was not an especially sentimental adolescent when it came to considering my future. I did it with insufficient vigor, mainly. However, I still remember my high school graduation very well, and particularly the chills I got when I moved my tassel. My older son believes he doesn’t care that he won’t have that. Seems uselessly inflammatory to try to convince him otherwise, so I won’t.
His mama, though. Oh, his poor mama. Mama’s not happy. And there’s not much to console her on this particular count. For those feeling like she is—students, parents, teachers, or other interested parties—I’m sorry.
I offer a characteristic that may ultimately be a bonus, though. We all long for there being considerable, and hopefully even unique, novelty in this situation. (As in, annual viral pandemics that disrupt the entire world don’t become a thing.) It’ll be intriguing indeed to follow the Corona Kids, turbo-blasted into adulthood in an unprecedented way, throughout their lives. They will have graduated into a severely damaged economy, but one which should heal quickly as the uncertainty fades.
Maybe this will be an interesting mark—dare I call it a charm?—on these men and women.
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Here is an excerpt from my urgent shift to online teaching – I sent a letter to all my students about how I was going to run my classes, but I included this. I think it is pertinent.
“This is a dynamic situation, and even the best laid plans may have to change. However, we are all in the technology field or aspiring to be. This IS what we do. We can use this experience to learn how to adapt, continue to be productive, and perhaps invent new technologies that keep the world running in the face of challenges.”
I am super sad and have a rarely cries teen crying a lot. There are so many final events she will miss that are heartbreaking (graduating w her best friend she has been in school w since 1st grade, her last community choir concert that ends w the same song she has sung since beginning in 3rd grade to name a few and starting me crying again). My Mom just turned 80 this month and Robin is her 1st grand baby to graduate. I really wanted to celebrate both our babies’ graduations. It just seems like yesterday we were bring them home from the hospital.
I’m really sad for all of you; that’s a lot of loss for young people and their proud parents to deal with. I know that things could be worse, but by golly they could be a whole lot better too. My grown daughter is hanging in there, but it’s tough to watch – she’s graduating from college this month, and that’s hard to miss, but somehow high school is just bigger – the kids are younger, the life changes are more dramatic, and you’ve all worked so hard to get to this point. I wonder if they couldn’t have an end-of-summer ceremony before everyone heads off to their futures. I do hope to still receive a graduation announcement! Take care, all of you. You’re in my heart.