Well, not as much babies as they were headaches.  Yes, the 8th grade graduation took place yesterday afternoon at the University of the District of Columbia.  Here were some highlights that made me very uncomfortable and actually angry as I sat on the stage:

1.  Two students – both from my campus – showed up at 4:30pm for a ceremony that started at 4:00pm.

2.  The keynote speaker, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, had no idea where she was as she read her canned speech – she misnamed our schools many times over and with many different names.

3.  During the diploma reception, it was like watching Showtime at the Apollo.  The hooting and hollering, arguments between parents trying to get their photos with their cell phones, it was a mess.

4.  It was not a formal ceremony as planned, it turned out to be as casual as a backyard cookout.

Maybe I am just holding too high of expectations for the system, the students, and certainly for the families.  I began the ceremony by reading the expectations of behavior to the parents [insert chuckle here] so everyone knew where to go for the best photos and what was expected of them to maintain a safe and celebratory environment.  Well, it was read and listened to quietly but did that matter?  No…

So they are gone – yes, they are gone.  Officially…even though I had given them the last few days off just to get them out of the building….er…I mean, to give them time to get ready for their graduation ceremony!

Six days left of school with the students, all of them half days…I can’t wait for this summer!  Many good things are in the works for next year!  I have my entire staff set for next year which includes a young man finishing his PhD this year in History, someone who just graduated with a master’s from Harvard this past week (I was able to woo her to DC now that our salaries are extremely generous and highly competitive), a few exciting members of the Teach For America corps, and a fantastic transfer from another campus.  All of these including the strong staff members who have been asked to stay on – they will create the starting line-up for our teaching team and we will be strong on many fronts.

So, that was my consolation sitting on the stage and watching the graduation ceremony unfold into the afternoon.  Last night LC and I ate some chinese food, drank some wine, and just talked late into the night – and now I’m ready for the next batch of students to move on.