RHS Commencement Speech

My speech for commencement went fantastically! With a racing heart and approached the podium, asked the graduates if this 'honor' was due to the fact that my class was so hard - and began reading: "Chapter 1". Of course I was kidding, but I needed them to laugh so that I could relax at the podium and begin.

After the evening was over, many came up for hugs and pictures - which is fun, but the gesture really brings it home that they are leaving. Goodbyes are hard. I wish them all the best.

Here's the speech. If I'm able, I'll post the video as well.

Rogers High School Graduation, 2007

Commencement Speech

Graduates! It is with great pride and appreciation that I speak to you all tonight. Yours is the FIRST class to start and complete your entire high school career at RHS!!! And for that I congratulate you. As you know, I was fortunate to teach most of you as freshman and again as seniors. Few teachers are afforded the opportunity to spend that much time with their students. It has to be said, your class is one of compassion, sophistication and tolerance. You made teaching fun – you gave me the will and a reason to try my hardest to educate, impress and to be myself. Your charm, your wit and your sense of humor made it an absolute pleasure to be in the classroom! Thank you!

Graduation is the perfect opportunity to take pause, look back, make sense of life, and frame the future. In doing so, we quickly realize that lessons in life exist everywhere. This thought is wonderfully encapsulated in a poem I came across recently. Last year, while living in Scotland, a good friend passed away. Majorie was an educator too. At her funeral, she asked that a brilliant and beautiful poem, entitled “Ithaca” be read. “Ithaca”, is about a journey to an island, or metaphorically, any destination. It is about the enjoyment of the journey over the destination AND that maturity of the soul is all one can ask for.

The following is an excerpt:

When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,

pray that the road is long,

full of adventure, full of knowledge.

Always keep Ithaca in your mind.

To arrive there is your ultimate goal.

But do not hurry the voyage at all.

It is better to let it last for many years;

and to anchor at the island when you are old,

rich with all you have gained on the way,

not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.

Without her you would have never set out on the road.

She has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.

Wise as you have become, with so much experience,

you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.

Tonight, I would like to share with you three lessons I picked up on the way to Ithaca. Hopefully, they demonstrate that our journeys are much richer than they may first appear.

During my time at the University of St. Thomas, professors and classmates taught me that life, like politics, which was my major – is filled with conflicts but that we have the tools to solve them and that we have more in common than we might think. Having a sense of humanity is essential, strong relationships are paramount and scholarship is your guide. These notions were exemplified by my life in the dorms with my roommate Brian, the consummate Republican. He and I, the idealistic Democrat, would argue for hours over just about everything; eventually the arguments became discussions, and as our friendship, trust and minds grew, we found ourselves in agreement. On the surface, I earned a bachelor’s degree at UST. At a deeper level, I learned that differences give us an opportunity to come together, not stay apart.

Several years later, I found myself working along side an extremely diverse group of educators – older, younger, all races, gay, straight, parents and non-parents, introverts and extroverts. And though we shared many laughs and celebrations, we had heated discussions about students, work ethic, philosophy of education and teaching. This heterogeneous group of people was in charge of evaluating my progress and I theirs. Essentially, my St. Mary’s University cohort reasserted the notion of how much we have in common as well as the difficulty but importance of recognizing diversity – of perspective as well as race or creed or gender. I left the program somewhat less idealistic, but not any less hopeful about the world. I earned a master’s degree in teaching and learning. Moreover, I learned how to successfully work with a disparate community of people, and transferred that knowledge to my classroom.

Two years ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to take a leave of absence from teaching high school, join my partner in Scotland, and teach for a university study abroad program. It was a leap of faith. I left a job I was comfortable in and a life I loved and stepped into an 18^th century palace to live with 60-some coeds, professors and staff. For four semesters, I facilitated a cultural colloquium. To witness the daily epiphanies the student’s were realizing because of their travels and experiences abroad was phenomenal to say the least. In addition to teaching, I too continued my formal education at the University of Edinburgh. I studied international relations theories, social movements, foreign policy and human rights along side some of the brightest students from all over the world. My peers – though they possessed different ideas than mine on the nature of power, the concept of human and legal rights or globalization – weren’t “right” or “wrong” any more than I was. Accentuating the values we shared and all that we had in common was what was important. I realized that the world is full of many extraordinary, open-minded and socially aware people that, on any given day, if you listen – are working to better humanity. First and foremost, I earned a master’s degree in International and European Politics. In turn, I learned that answers to problems lay within each of us, in every home, classroom and country, and in order to access them, we need to listen.

In your 18 years, the world has presented you various people, situations and opportunities. Time and reflection cast valuable light on just what was important and why. To end this evening, I’d like to take a quick trip through memory lane to demonstrate this notion:

Kindergarten brought you to a new world; both scary and exciting.

1. Coloring was your favorite part of the day.

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2. Teachers were great – sometimes better than your parents.

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3. You were not sure WHY they had you do the things you did, but you WERE sure that you loved doing it MOST when it involved glue, scissors and smelly markers.

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As Third Graders, the world brought you rules; having to follow them made school a little less fun, but you still gave it an enthusiastic chance.

1. Science was your favorite part of the day.

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2. Teachers were helpful and friendly people.

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3. You were NOT sure why you had to stand in straight lines all the time, but you WERE sure that chocolate milk was the bomb, and standing in line was worth it.

As Fifth Graders, the world brought you decisions to be made; you developed interests in your favorite subjects and hobbies.

1. Recess was your favorite part of the day.

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2. Teachers were sort of helpful, but increasingly LESS friendly

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3. You were SURE about your best friend and sleepovers, but NOT so sure about the opposite gender, and why you couldn’t hit or tease them.

As Seventh Graders, the world brought you some autonomy – traversing from class to class. Receiving your first ‘tardy slip’ reminded you how fleeting that feeling was, however.

1. Your favorite part of the day was passing time and, although you resented rules and traditions set by those before you, you obeyed them religiously as to not stand out too much.

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2. Teachers were necessary, but they didn’t actually seem to like you very much.

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3. You were NOT so sure about your body and all that was happening to it, but you WERE sure you didn’t like it.

As Ninth Graders, the world brought you choices but sometimes forgot to include the maturity to make them wisely. On one hand, you missed things like recess and being a kid, and on the other hand, you wished your parents would treat you like the adults you THOUGHT you were.

1. LUNCH was your favorite part of the day.

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2. As for teachers, you started respecting them again, but that’s only because you had a new enemy – upperclassmen.

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3. You were SURE you were too cool for school but NOT so sure on how to exhibit that without standing out TOO much and drawing criticism; what to wear, who to talk to and what parties to attend weighed heavily on your mind.

As seniors, the world brought you wisdom and closure, like the ending to a great movie.

1. Lunch was STILL your favorite part of the day, and your favorite class was the one you could either sleep in or be late to without getting in trouble.

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2. As for teachers – well, you’re respect for them waned again, but that’s because by now, you are smarter than them; a sense of entitlement kicked in, and you start thinking to yourselves, ‘how dare they put us in a seating chart and talk at us about supply curves or poetry or logarithms… are we ever going to use this?” And JUST WHO DOES this Economics teacher think he is saying things like “here’s the quick and dirty” or on Fridays, announcing T.G.I.F. “Thank God I’m Fabulous”.

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3. Finally, you were not always sure HOW to create the rules and traditions that you resented in junior high – but you were DARN SURE you were going set them because A) you knew what was best for the underclassmen, and the rest of the school for that matter, and, B) it was your year to celebrate and leave your mark.

And here you are tonight; ready to take the next step of your lives. From 1000’s of people and experiences, you will draw on valuable lessons for many years to come; thus, my central message this evening: as you walk in this world, as you live, worship, love, cry, lead, follow, confront and succumb, at each step of the way, I want you to reflect on the situations that befall you and the people you meet and always ask yourself: What is the world bringing to me? Is there something beyond the façade? Is there an underlying message?

The important ‘informal’ lessons I described to you today – on the way to my Ithaca – that disagreements are not barriers but opportunities, that we need to be willing to at least entertain if not accept a multitude of perspectives, and that listening is more important than speaking – I picked up on my journey. For this, I am eternally grateful.

Do not seek solely the destinations of achieving a high-paying job, or owning a new car or buying the “perfect” house. You see, with each destination, from start to finish, lay a myriad of lessons that should not be underestimated or undervalued. Ask yourself, as you meet people on your journey, what are they trying to teach me? You will be richer for it.

Congratulations graduates, the class of 2007!!

I wish you the all the very best!