Today is Why I Teach

Today was graduation. Yes, at 11 am. No, we didn't have caps and gowns. There was no orchestra playing pomp and circumstance. No silly string, beach balls, or balloons. Just parents, graduates, teachers, social workers, and the other 40 or so students in the school. Oh, and there was cake, and corsages. Honestly? It didn't matter that it wasn't as formal as graduations typically are. What matters is that I had TEN KIDS graduate. Kids that it took five and a half years to graduate. Kids who are in DCF custody, kids that have struggled EVERY. STEP. Nothing came easy to the class of 2013. There were learning issues, mental health issues, family issues, school issues. Three students stood up and gave speeches. I bawled through every one. They said they thought they would drop out. Work at McD's. Be homeless. And yet, they all got to finish with the most important line; "I DID IT. I GRADUATED!" The pride in our gymnasium was palpable. Many of the staff were in tears, and many of the students. No matter what path you take to climb the mountain, when you are at the pinnacle, the view is the same.

And this is why I teach. Why I work with the kids that I do. And I wouldn't have it any other way.