On June 27th our youngest child, Gabrielle, will graduate from public education. This marks the final celebration of educational pursuits on a K-12 journey for our children. Here are a few things I want to share with you.
6480 is the number of days our 3 children have spent in a classroom - assuming 180 days of school for 12 years. This equates to 42120 hours immersed in a variety of intellectual, social, emotional, artistic, physical and spiritual awakenings.
If we average 4 teachers per year per child – that means that our children have received direct instruction from 144 teachers. If we consider that each teacher has, at minimum, a 4 year University degree, then they have had access to 576 years of post-secondary education (mind boggling isn’t it!)
Through their school experiences our 3 children have been involved in hockey, dance, drama, travel club, community service, band and on and on. If we average 1 hour a week for their accumulated school careers – that works out to 1296 hours of extra curricular activities supported by teachers, administrators and a variety of other dedicated school staff. It is partly through these “extra curricular” opportunities that our children learned about the value of being spiritual human beings. social activists and change agents.
Our three children learned the importance of working as part of a team, not giving up when it got tough and how to balance school with a healthy social life. From Christmas Concerts, spring recitals and musical theater to various other performances and activities – you were there for our kids. Because of exceptional teachers, supportive school boards and dedicated administrative teams, 2 of our children have experienced cultures in Japan, Europe, New York and California.
As teachers, administrators and various other school personnel you continued to attend professional development (often at your own cost). You continued to pursue Master’s degrees, after degrees and take specialty courses in new ways of teaching, thinking and being with kids. Thank you for making it a part of your own professional growth plans to learn and grow (often on your own time).
Gabi, Shea and Trent challenged you. They arrived late, didn’t hand in their homework, failed to achieve passing grades on assignments and could be stubborn. You never gave up. You never quit on them. You phoned, you e-mailed, you sent notes home. You had parent meetings, provided report cards and sent a variety of updates so we would know how they were doing. In the event that I forgot to say it each and every time I corresponded with you - thank you.
When our youngest daughter Gabrielle walks across the stage on June 27th it will mark the end of our kids attending K-12 public education. It will mean you made a difference in the lives of our children. In the big ways and in the small ways: in the halls, the classrooms, the libraries, the counseling offices, the band rooms, hockey rinks, theaters, lunch rooms, art rooms, busses, playgrounds, churches and on field trips.
To every janitor, lunch lady, office assistant, educational assistant, teacher, school administrator, counselor, trustee, central office staff who have contributed to my children on their first 12 years in school (kindergarten and preschool of course) – Please accept our deepest gratitude and heartfelt thanks.
....And that's what makes me smile today.
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