Following are excerpts from my graduation remarks to the Class of '24:
I want to thank parents for sharing your children with us. This is a superb and talented class, and we have been honored to work with them!
I will acknowledge that we didn’t always get things right for
the Class of ‘24. There are some things we got wrong; we
made mistakes along the way. Oh, for sure, there were a lot
of things we got right; but a 13 year journey is long and,
inevitably, we fell short one way or the other. We didn’t
always understand or get your kid. I admit: There were
missed opportunities.
For example, your children, the members of the Class of
‘24, only received a half day of Kindergarten, and now
everyone has a full day Kindergarten experience! And
remember just a few short years ago during the
pandemic we separated your kids into two main groups:
Remember the Blue Days and Gold Days; a week on a week
off? Remember emailing me to tell me how unfair it was
that the Blue kids had more time in school than your Gold
kid, and what was I going to do about it? Yeah, for sure, the
COVID experience wasn’t a highlight of your son or
daughter’s education.
There were also times over the last 13 years that some
members of this class didn’t feel they belonged because of
their race, their learning style, their religion or sexual
orientation; sometimes their classmates were just plain
mean to them and we, as educators, may not have
responded as fully or as quickly as we should have. Our
actions were well intended but sometimes inadequate.
Now, to be fair, parents make mistakes, too! Mom or Dad,
you know what I am talking about. I mean, as the father of
three daughters, I have an unpublished book entitled:
“Fatherhood: A Blueprint for Screwing Up the Lives of Your
Three Daughters as Reported by Your Three
Daughters.”
It’s just the way it is; whether you’re raising children or
teaching them, it’s inevitable you’ll get it wrong
sometimes. I mean, there were those times you put
pressure on your daughter’s grades or your son’s
homework and that backfired, right? Remember how you
compared siblings? Or how you micromanaged a play date
or regretted saying something in anger because you were
exhausted and frustrated? What about the time you
rescued them instead of letting them figure it out? We’ve all
been there. Raising children - teaching young minds - is a
complicated and messy affair.
The reality is parents and teachers have developed a
partnership of sorts, a sometimes awkward alliance of
imperfect but loving adult caregivers who have guided this
awesome Class of ‘24 and watched them win
championships, display sportsmanship, perform on the
stage, create magical pieces of writing and art, accumulate
untold academic honors, speak out against injustice and
become powerful voices in their community. This class has
done all of that and more.
So, congratulations, parents and teachers! The act of
nurturing human beings, these young people, has been
challenging, for sure, but joyful nonetheless. Take great
pride in what you - what we - have accomplished. They sit
before us eager and prepared - and they, like us, remain
unfinished and imperfect. Unfinished but caring human
beings whose energy, creativity, wisdom, and spirit will
conquer a world that desperately needs their innovation,
civility, justice, and love.
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| Members of the Needham High Class of '24 toss their caps into the air! |