I had no idea when I showed up for my grandson’s kindergarten commencement that it would be such an insightful and emotional experience.
As the formal recorded music announced their entrance, the proud teachers led their classes into the cafeteria. The children looked like deer caught in the headlights as they made their first “red carpet” entry as the day’s celebrities. When they recognized loved ones in the sea of faces, the glazed looks were replaced with a smile, and either shy or exuberant waves.
I felt a familiar surge of joy and relief when I saw Michael’s face light up as we made eye contact. I was reminded of many similar school events and the times I searched for the faces of my little ones who were venturing into this much larger world. The umbilical cord was being stretched. In the emotion of this event, and the reality of today’s world, I wasn’t sure whether it was the adults or the children who were most in need of reassurance.
When the full group was assembled on stage, a mass of parents with cameras moved to the center aisle to record the milestone moment. It was surely the children’s first brush with paparazzi-like activity, but through it all they and the photographers remained well behaved.
Naturally the performers were brilliant and wonderful. Class members recited the Six Pillars of Character they were learning to embrace—caring, citizenship, fairness, respect, responsibility and trustworthiness. They sang an energetic rendition of the alphabet song with arm movements that threatened to unseat the handmade mortar boards that were balanced on their heads.
The final song was about a rainbow of children, and there on stage sat a veritable United Nations of cultures and races. The words were beautiful and moving. At the conclusion of the song, the children in each row put their arms around each other. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the place.
As we began filing back to the rear of the cafeteria for juice and cookies, parents and grandparents greeted each other with handshakes, pats on the back and a look that said we were no longer strangers, we were extended family with a shared dream for our children.
Two of my three offspring attended this same school. Today’s ceremony marked not only the sixth grandchild to follow in their footsteps, but the youngest and therefore the last grandchild to go through this rite of passage. I found myself greatly moved by this realization and by the event itself.
In the years since I had attended such a ceremony, I noticed several obvious changes. There was a greater emphasis on the acceptance and tolerance of others, as well as assuring that the children stayed in school. The principal implored the audience several times to promise that they would continue to support these children as they went on through high school and college.
I believe these children and millions of others like them across America are not only our legacy, they are our hope for the future. With an education, they will have the tools to pursue the American Dream. In learning to live the lessons of acceptance and tolerance, they can help heal our country by appreciating, celebrating and honoring similarities rather than focusing on differences. Go Michael!
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Copyright 2007 by Fern Stewart Welch
The author’s book THE HEART KNOWS THE WAY—How to Follow Your Heart to a Conscious Connection with the Divine Spirit Within is available from Amazon.com, other online booksellers, and through major bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and Borders.
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