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I have come to that point in the school year where our school undergoes a huge transition.  My 8th graders are about to graduate and I look to the 7th graders and wonder if they are capable of being school leaders.   It is a time of uncertainty and excitement, and a time for reflection.  Not just for the students but the teachers as well.

Each year, I have my 8th grade language arts students write a graduation paper.  The parameters are pretty simple:  reflect on your time at our school (most have been here 9+ years); tell a few stories but keep them school appropriate; thank your parents, teachers, and the congregation; include a Bible verse, perhaps from your confirmation; include a poem, famous quote, or song verse if you choose; and don’t spend the whole paper giving advice for the future.

The students are told a couple of their papers will be chosen to share at the graduation ceremony.  The kids spend the next few days pouring their hearts out.  Their first drafts are usually tentative, not quite sure how to say exactly what they are feeling.  After a proofreading and some suggestions from me, they revise.

This year, one of my students was really into the process.  Kyle built his paper on Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote, “Do not follow where the path may lead.  Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.”  He talked about his paper everyday.  He was really proud of his work.  In fact, I had never heard him so excited about writing.  Unfortunately, his paper was not selected. And he was really disappointed.

Even 8th graders want to leave behind some lasting impression when they leave a place they’ve spent a long time.  Memories don’t often seem enough.  They still have a desire to say something that will be like Emerson’s words and give meaning to the next generation.  In fact, we all want to be heard and recognized for who we are. 

And so does Kyle.

But what Kyle, and similar students that have gone before him don’t realize is that they he has left a lasting legacy for the teachers and younger students.  Having Kyle in my classroom has been an ongoing breath of fresh air everyday.  He is uproariously funny (in my very first article I referred to the boys speaking in British accents – he’s one them).  He is smart but doesn’t get bogged down in the homework process.  He’s honest, kind, faith-filled, and has long-range goals.  He will sit and talk to me for hours but will grant me the respect due to a teacher.  He has been raised by loving, involved parents who have instilled all the important and joyous things one could ever think of for a child.  He is a leader among his mates and is an example for the younger students.

Whether or not Kyle realizes it, he will be remembered.  He doesn’t need to have the final say in front of the entire school or the graduation attendees; his actions over the last eight years have spoken more clearly than anything he has ever written on paper.

And I am going to miss him next year.

Margaret Anderson is the mother of three teenagers and a middle school teacher somewhere in the Midwest.  She is a regular ShareWIK.com columnist.

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