This year, seniors enrolled in English Literature were asked to write two poems: one saying goodbye and one saying hello. The assignment’s intent, more so than evaluating achievement of standards, was to allow the seniors a place to reflect on the changes they had and were about to experience in their lives. I didn’t realize the poems would produce a more significant theme.
A mix of tearful and triumphant farewells echoed across their submissions. Our seniors won’t miss 90-degree classrooms, the embarrassment of slipping in late to the wrong class, being bombarded with asks for a stick of gum, or high school hallway drama. However, they’ll miss the community of lunch with friends while “spilling the tea” in teachers’ classrooms, laughter in their passing periods, boisterous student sections at athletic games, and the love and care their teachers shared.
No matter their future endeavors, our seniors expressed uncontainable excitement for the possibilities before them, curiosity about the new people who will enter their lives, and eagerness to grow into their new adventures.
A prominent theme weaved through these poems: unabashed confidence. Isn’t this striking? In these pandemic times, when the words “unprecedented” and “uncertainty” have become ubiquitous, our students express hope. Where does their conviction come from? Psalm 121: 1-3 reads, “I lift up my eyes to the hills — where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip — he who watches over you will not slumber.” Our students see light in darkness, certainty in uncertainty, a path amidst chaos. Their faith and trust in God abounds, and they are not ashamed to share it.
Angela Vasquez,
English Teacher