There was a growing trend going around the United States to leave the stadium lights on tonight for 20 minutes. It started at 20:20 military time (8:20 PM) and it was to honor students in the Class of 2020, many of whom will have lost the chance to play their last game or participate in their last activity. In Ohio, the announcement was made just today that K-12 schools in the state will not reopen before the end of the school year.
Although I am not teaching any seniors myself this year, you can’t be a high school teacher without having emotions about what that means. Surely the decision is one that leaves many of the kids trying to figure out their immediate future. What will come of all the traditions and experiences that they were planning to continue? Will they even have a graduation? That thought made me think about that special day itself.
Having attended probably twenty graduations in my life, I have always been struck by the different volumes of applause for each student when their names are called. There are three distinct types: The quiet kid (meager applause), the popular kid (loud hooting and cheering coming from the fellow graduates themselves), and the kid with fifty family members who show up (loud applause in the stands and probably two of those novelty airhorns).
Now that last type of kid? That’s the one my heart hurts for the most on a day like today. There are no winners here and I feel awful for all the graduates, but that one in particular just breaks me. After all, there is usually a reason there are fifty family members. They might be the first in their family to graduate high school. They might not have been sure it was possible even one year ago, when they were right on the fence about whether to stay in school or drop out. They might have a baby of their own already, or one on the way. The challenges they have faced are massive, and they found a way to overcome them. You’re darned right it’s time to come out and cheer! ::horn sounds::
Here’s the other thing that makes me so sad about that last group, though: often times, that is the last graduation they will ever have. I heard once that for many employees, the last time anyone ever stood and applauded them was their high school graduation. These kids have worked hard for the chance to be recognized in their special way, and that chance might be evaporating. Many are headed to the workforce, and this type of opportunity won’t happen again from a college graduation.
So tonight, although it’s early, I celebrate the Class of 2020 for everything they have accomplished. I celebrate them all, but especially the ones who might not be going to college. I celebrate the graduates who faced the biggest struggles and were on the verge of falling apart. I celebrate the ones who were looking forward to this moment as the biggest day of their lives.
May you treat this unfortunate ending to your high school career as just another stumbling block on the road to success. You have overcome so many so far that maybe by comparison this will just feel like another speed bump. If we have a graduation, I hope that fifty family members will safely yell and scream from a proper distance, and I hope that the airhorns are more well-stocked at the store than the toilet paper.
If we don’t have a graduation, then we should all steal a line from Brad Paisley. “I’d end by saying have no fear; these are nowhere near the best years of your life.” It might not feel that way right now, but it’s in your hands. Believe that things will be better soon, and that you are the ones who will cause it to be that way. You’ve got this. Make it happen, Class of 2020.