This past Friday I returned to my old school in Newark, New Jersey to attend the 8th grade graduation ceremony. The students made a point of asking every teacher that had ever been a part of their lives to attend. I was amazed - even though I only taught the kids for a year - that I was asked.
As I walked down the street towards the school I was immediately greeted by former students. Many of them hugged me and did so just as - if not more - tightly as my own children. Many were excited to tell me how much they had improved. Some students just smiled and waved to me from a distance. Once inside the school, the energy filled the air. I saw more students (more hugs) as well as teachers and could not stop smiling myself. Mind you it was not all peaches and cream. Many of my former students were distant. Even though they were graduating, they did not seem excited. In fact, they seemed upset, and I initially could not figure out why - until the ceremony began.
Here, in the Land of Make Believe, parents can't get to their child's graduation ceremony fast enough. In fact, one parent told me the doors to our middle school graduation didn't open until 6:00 PM. Parents were told not to get to the facility before that designated time. Well, LOMB parents simply ignored the request and almost all of the seats were taken before the doors even officially opened.
This past Friday in Newark, there were plenty of empty seats. The ceremony was initially scheduled to take place in the evening, but due to the mass number of shootings in the neighborhood, it was moved to the morning, and this more than anything else, contributed to the empty seats. Unlike in the LOMB, taking a day off to see your child graduate is too costly an option for parents. When you have three children, and work a minimum wage job, missing a day of work could be the difference between dinner and hunger. Because of this, many parents in Newark missed their child's middle school graduation.
The ceremony was beautiful. Many students said or sang beautiful things. I was especially proud of one former student - Ameenah - who was the Salutatorian. When I was teaching her, she (like all of us) had a rough year, but had since turned herself around. Another student - Brianna - was the Valedictorian. She was so proud of herself. When I saw her backstage before the ceremony, the first thing she told me about was her accomplishment, and she did it with a beautiful smile on her face. The second thing she said to me was "Thank you for all of those piano lessons last year. I missed them this year." The third thing she said: "I was your favorite student...right Mr. P?" I could not help but answer with a loud and proud "Yes!".
To see a stage filled with inner city kids moving onto High School is amazing. It's also a little scary. I found myself worried about them all over again as if it was the 2011/2012 school year. I looked at their faces sitting on stage with their caps and gowns. So much potential, but how many of them will be able to fulfill it? They live in a community where most adults could not survive one day, and here they were receiving their first diploma (they should also be handed a Purple Heart) and getting ready for the next phase of their lives. Many of the students still had that distant look as they transferred their tassels from right to left and walked off the stage with diploma in hand.
At the end of the ceremony I made my way out into the hallway and saw many more students. One of my favorite students, a bright, talented dancer named Tanisha, greeted me with the joke she did every day I worked at the school "Hey Mr. P., I still have your comb if you need it" (I'm bald), and we both broke into laughter.
On my way home I cried. I couldn't help it. Seeing some of those kids again reminded me of the year I had in Newark. It all came back like a flood. I was shocked at how many kids and parents remembered and/or thanked me. Far too many asked me to come back. I will never forget those kids, their families, the school or Bradley Court public housing right behind the school. I thought that Friday would be my last appearance there, but as I was leaving I heard Tanisha's voice yell out into the parking lot "Mr. P! Mr. P!" I turned to see her smiling face as she waved and said "See you next year for my graduation! You better be here! I mean, I was your favorite...right?"
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