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the girl

Graduation

Tuesday 20 May 2025

Eighteen years ago to the day, I wrote about how time was likely to fly by, and suddenly K and I would realize that our daughter was no longer a little girl but instead, a young woman:

And then, a little voice: “That is how you’ll wake up one morning and realize she’s going off to college and for a brief moment, feel complete unprepared for it, and feel she’s completely unprepared for it.” (Source)

That was May 20, 2007. L would in a few years be chirping that she’ll be “the class of 2025,” and that year seemed impossibly (mercifully) far away. Until it wasn’t.

Our sweet little girl graduated high school today. It’s difficult to imagine that I’m not just writing some fictional piece when I type those words. But eighteen plus years have passed; elementary, middle, and high school flew by, and suddenly, we have a college freshman.

But she does still have that little girl in her.

Something else that hasn’t changed in all that time: people are still mispronouncing her name. Even when, during rehearsal, she corrects them. Three times. Today it was a long E in her first name and then “Marie” instead of “Maria” for her middle name. He got the last name — 33% accuracy. I know: it’s not that big a deal. But still, at one’s graduation, it would be nice to hear one’s name pronounced correctly.

Closing In

Monday 5 May 2025

We’re in our final three weeks of school — my final three weeks at Hughes. My testing is over: we had three days — three days — of English testing (two reading, one writing). My grades are almost done: English 8 students have one more grade while English I Honors have three. Everything is winding down.

And those three weeks are hardly full weeks: we have another day of testing (math — poor sixth-grade students have two more days of testing because they also have a science test); we have a field trip next Friday; our last two days are half days; I’m missing one day for L’s graduation. And we’re done with Monday. So that means we have about ten more regular days of school. “Are you excited about next year?” seems to be the common refrain from my colleagues, and I freely admit that I am at such peace with this decision that I don’t think excitement is the emotion I’m feeling: confidence, surety. It will be a good thing.

This Saturday, we had the intake for students at the new school, so I got to meet a lot of students and parents. As I told them the plans I have for this class, parents continually told me, “That sounds like a very valuable class.”

Yet every now and then, it really hits me what I’m about to do. I’ve taught at that school for eighteen years now. Seventeen of those years I’ve been in the same room. I’m comfortable there. I have no surprises there. But surprises can be a good thing. I hope to have many of the next year.

E and his friend at the Polish festival Saturday

We’re also closing in on L’s graduation (May 20) and her departure for college. We’re ordering things (a new laptop that’s actually more powerful than our desktop), planning things (a graduation party that will last an afternoon and evening), discussing things (upcoming exams, upcoming travel), and getting used to the idea of her being gone (not really).

And then there’s the Boy: he’s got concerts and competitions for band; he’s got his own testing worries to stress about (why do we do this to kids?); he’s got a burgeoning social life for which we provide transportation. All this as he closes in on his final year as a middle schooler.

Prom, First Batch

Saturday 12 April 2025

L and her friends let me take some prom pictures of them. This is the first batch I’ll upload here.

Meet

Saturday 22 March 2025