Sunday, June 27, 2004
Last days of june '04
It has taken me a while to write this entry. Graduation day was difficult because we had the middle school and high school ceremony on the same day at Felician College in Lodi, NJ. I was on call from 8:30 A. M. to 7:30 P. M. dressed in my suit, then in a robe with the Master's cape on the back.
It was fortunate that we had the middle school graduation because it was orderly and dignified. The high school graduation should have taken place on the football field. There were air horns and silly string. Some of the boys had bare legs and sneakers. There was rumor that one boy had nothing on underneath his graduation gown. That was possible. It was the same senior that wanted me to write a recommendation for him to go to William Patterson U. as a music major when he couldn't even read music!
To top it all off, a football kid who flunked three subjects and got an administrative failure for having more than 16 unexcused absences got to walk to receive his blank diploma. They later made an arrangement for him to take two summer courses and one evening school for him to finally get his diploma.
I felt foolish preparing so long for my speech when the parents and students just wanted to party. The girls had been told for so long not to wear sandals and flip flops to school that most of them wore flip flops and they looked like they were going to a beach party, not a graduation. The parents thought nothing of it, unfortunately.
The next day was frantic with teachers eager to sign out of the place and get their last check to head for the beach. I was trying to gather up my things, and complete the final things I had to do, like turn in my keys and have a folder ready for the new guy with security codes, etc. I downloaded all my documents for work on the server and packed up. I was invited to Chilli's at 1:00, but didn't get there until they were paying the check. I wished everyone a good summer and told them I loved working with them and left. The Home Ec. teacher went out to her car in the rain and got me a book she wanted me to have titled, Day Trips in New Jersey.
I left in the rain and came home. I wasn't hungry and I didn't want to get drunk; I was numb. Did I just experience the last day of my educational career? Is it all over? I don't know.
It was fortunate that we had the middle school graduation because it was orderly and dignified. The high school graduation should have taken place on the football field. There were air horns and silly string. Some of the boys had bare legs and sneakers. There was rumor that one boy had nothing on underneath his graduation gown. That was possible. It was the same senior that wanted me to write a recommendation for him to go to William Patterson U. as a music major when he couldn't even read music!
To top it all off, a football kid who flunked three subjects and got an administrative failure for having more than 16 unexcused absences got to walk to receive his blank diploma. They later made an arrangement for him to take two summer courses and one evening school for him to finally get his diploma.
I felt foolish preparing so long for my speech when the parents and students just wanted to party. The girls had been told for so long not to wear sandals and flip flops to school that most of them wore flip flops and they looked like they were going to a beach party, not a graduation. The parents thought nothing of it, unfortunately.
The next day was frantic with teachers eager to sign out of the place and get their last check to head for the beach. I was trying to gather up my things, and complete the final things I had to do, like turn in my keys and have a folder ready for the new guy with security codes, etc. I downloaded all my documents for work on the server and packed up. I was invited to Chilli's at 1:00, but didn't get there until they were paying the check. I wished everyone a good summer and told them I loved working with them and left. The Home Ec. teacher went out to her car in the rain and got me a book she wanted me to have titled, Day Trips in New Jersey.
I left in the rain and came home. I wasn't hungry and I didn't want to get drunk; I was numb. Did I just experience the last day of my educational career? Is it all over? I don't know.
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