"Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun and I say it's all right."
-George Harrison
You, my graduating class of 2022, have been through a metaphorically long, cold, and lonely winter. Covid has pushed us into a dark and unfamiliar season of life, and demanded that we struggle through a harsh and unforgiving storm. But as teenagers already facing the considerable challenges of growing up, you more than any of us have been walking headlong into the wind of a raging blizzard and may, at this point, feel frozen beneath heavy drifts of accumulated emotions.
It has been a rough couple of years for you.
But change is in the air. No, I don't mean that Covid is anywhere close to over, or that our world will ever go back to what we used to call normal.
What I feel is a warmth, a hopefulness, a new sense of optimism for my young friends and former students who now step boldly out into the world as this year's high school and college graduates.
Sun, sun, sun; here it comes.
It's been several years now that I've made my graduation cards the exact same way. Why mess with perfection, amirite? For a full-blown tutorial, check out this post.
^ The youngest of three sisters who studied math with me, Natalie is graduating from a Texas college with a degree in public relations and heading off to Romania this fall to support international college students there. This week, she was in town and dropped by with her sister to do a bit of catching up with me. Thank you, Natalie, for staying in touch!
^ Luke found my lessons on YouTube and since last spring, we've been video chatting weekly to talk about the glories of trig, physics, and Star Trek. He's Texas born and raised, and makes me smile every week with his "Yes ma'ams" and "No ma'ams." He's off to college in the fall, ready to walk in Stephen Hawking's shoes as he conquers the world of theoretical physics.
^ Once upon a time, Audra was a tiny little girl who studied art, history, and science with me and I was forever entertained by her quick wit and fresh eyes for seeing the world. Though it's been years since I've seen her, one glance at her graduation photo tells me that she's grown into just the determined and fierce lady that I had always expected she would become.
^ Oh, of all the math students I've had, not a single one has ridden the wild roller coaster of algebra like Jayla. Her natural intelligence and aptitude for math has been rock solid and steady all along, but the dark days of the pandemic sent her on some loop de loops for sure. . But Jayla is one tenacious and determined lady, and did not let up until every last homework problem was completed perfectly. For that, she has earned the full measure of my respect.
^ Another former math student, Jon has graduated from university with a degree in nursing and will begin working this summer in psychiatric care at a Seattle area hospital. Although I believe it's perfectly fine for students to change their minds along the way, I also love it when one of my high school students names a long term dream, like Jon did, and then makes it all come true. Yay, Jon!
^ Katie was a strong and steady little girl, willing to let others stand at the center of our class time together and draw the spotlight to themselves, while Katie quietly went about doing her own thing to her heart's content. I'm naturally drawn to students like that, because I was that way myself, and it's a joy to see how Katie has grown up to be a person who knows what she want.
^ When I was growing up, I was in awe of horse girls - the type who loved horses, drew horses, obsessed about horses, and if they were super lucky, even got to ride horses! Well, besides being one of my lovely and incredibly dedicated math students, Vivian is a horse girl extraordinaire and in between our chats about sinusoids and trig identities, I loved learning about the world of horses from her.
^ Myles was a deeply intense and sensitive child. He was the one who broke down in tears when his projects didn't go quite right, the one who craved those big teacher hugs, the one who always had a special story to share. He also loved to imagine, to create, and to build. I haven't had a chance to get to know the teenage version of Myles, but I'd bet my bottom dollar that he is still the same soul.
So step out into the sunshine, my friends.
Bask in the glow of your accomplishments.
Breathe deep the warm air of this new season in your life.
It seems like years since it's been here.
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