I've been to a lot of graduations in my life. Mine, Deb's, Tova's, Jesse's, family, friends, and ofcourse as a professor. Graduation is many things. All the typical cliches: an ending, a beginning, transition, growth, accomplishment, potential, ...
The most common question I've gotten since I started this whole process is 'Why?'. Why move? Why find a new job? Why leave your friends? I try to answer, but I never really seem to find the right words. You might as well ask a salmon why it is swimming upstream or a bee why it is making honey or a tornado why it is causing destruction. Because that's what it does. That's really the only answer.
Would you ask a high school graduate why they are leaving home to go to college? A college graduate why they are leaving to go work? A bride or groom why they are leaving to go start a family? A military enlistee why they are going to defend our country? Why? Because its time.
Would you ask them to stop? Won't you miss your friends! Don't go down that road! You don't know where it will lead! You will lose what you already have here! That misses the point entirely. I would never say to a student 'Why are you leaving MV? Don't you like us? Aren't you happy here?' It would be silly. Totally ridiculous.
And while my transition isn't as typical or as presumed, it is for just the same reasons. In many ways, I started down this path 5 years ago when Deb passed. And to a lesser extent, even farther back than that. Even if I didn't know I was on this path at the time. It's just taken me this long to get to this point. But now, the waiting is over. It is time to move on.
I've spent the past 6 years preparing my students for the next stage of their lives. Helping them grow and flourish. Encouraging them to think more broadly. To look forward and see the potential that lies in front of them. To seize the opportunity. Now its my turn.
It's graduation day.
The most common question I've gotten since I started this whole process is 'Why?'. Why move? Why find a new job? Why leave your friends? I try to answer, but I never really seem to find the right words. You might as well ask a salmon why it is swimming upstream or a bee why it is making honey or a tornado why it is causing destruction. Because that's what it does. That's really the only answer.
Would you ask a high school graduate why they are leaving home to go to college? A college graduate why they are leaving to go work? A bride or groom why they are leaving to go start a family? A military enlistee why they are going to defend our country? Why? Because its time.
Would you ask them to stop? Won't you miss your friends! Don't go down that road! You don't know where it will lead! You will lose what you already have here! That misses the point entirely. I would never say to a student 'Why are you leaving MV? Don't you like us? Aren't you happy here?' It would be silly. Totally ridiculous.
And while my transition isn't as typical or as presumed, it is for just the same reasons. In many ways, I started down this path 5 years ago when Deb passed. And to a lesser extent, even farther back than that. Even if I didn't know I was on this path at the time. It's just taken me this long to get to this point. But now, the waiting is over. It is time to move on.
I've spent the past 6 years preparing my students for the next stage of their lives. Helping them grow and flourish. Encouraging them to think more broadly. To look forward and see the potential that lies in front of them. To seize the opportunity. Now its my turn.
It's graduation day.
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