To the members of the Class of 2020:
This really sucks. And I’m so sorry.
You have been robbed of all the pomp and circumstance (pun intended) afforded you in graduating. Friends and family looking forward to celebrating your accomplishments have been forced to settle for lame video celebrations, car parades, and socially distanced commencements. Whether high school or college, this particular graduating class is getting more than a raw deal with the current COVID-19 crisis.
I feel you. I wish I could make things ‘normal’ again. And I’m sorry.
As the school year comes to a close, the seniors in my life have been heavy on my heart. Saying goodbye to students at the end of the spring semester is always sad, but this year has been especially difficult. When we left for Spring Break, we were sure we would see each other again. We anticipated some time away, but we remained positive. Then everything ended abruptly. Campus was closed (I’m sure there’s mold growing in a coffee mug in my office…); classes migrated online. And that was it.
If you got a spring break, it was overshadowed by the uncertainty and impending doom of the not-yet-understood virus sweeping the world. And worse yet, its namesake is the king of vacation beers. High schoolers missed Prom, awards banquets, and valuable time with friends before jetting off to the next thing.
College seniors trudged through Zoom University in their childhood bedrooms after abandoning the hard-fought independence of adulthood after four (ahem, or more) years. You missed parties, ring dunking (whoop!), and the opportunity to truly succumb to Senioritis. None of it is fair or fine.
It’s okay to be pissed. I’m pissed for you.
I’ll spare you the litany of discussions surrounding the job market, the uncertain landscape of fall college/graduate school, the impending uncomfortable greetings, and the like. Suffice it to say there may be more darkness before the light. But we WILL get to the light. We will. And when we do, you are still member of the effing CLASS OF 2020 – bonded in the age of uncertainty and unscathed by the broken promises of timely celebration.
You have sacrificed for this pandemic. Your families and loved ones have sacrificed. Believe me, hell hath no fury like a mother denied the perfect cap and gown photo op with her kid. You likely won’t be given sufficient opportunity to compensate for all these cancelled fetes. We can’t even figure out how to shop for groceries without anxiety.
I am grateful for your resilience and your ingenuity in the face of this abstruse reality.
As a person who has tortured my favorite people with ALL the graduations, I fully acknowledge what you’re giving up. You’ve spent hours and years sitting through lectures (sorry again), writing papers, taking tests, and learning stuff you may never need to know after this month.
But more than the buildings and the desks and the ridiculous assignments, you have been asked to distance yourselves from your friends, teachers, and support structures. Those relationships are what matter, and they will endure. You are bonded by experience, and this is one profound experience, Class of 2020.
I wish each and every one of you the very best. This crisis does not define you. Your tenacity does. You’ll eventually receive the diploma you’ve worked so hard to earn. And when you do, I sincerely hope you’ll frame it and proudly display it right next to your face mask and that sacred square of toilet paper.
Out there things can happen, and frequently do, To people as brainy and footsy as you. And when things start to happen, don’t worry, don’t stew. Just go right along, you’ll start happening too!
Dr. Seuss, Oh the Places You’ll Go
Dr. S:
Nice job. I am commenting in order to make a confession. This semester teaching at Tarleton State has been hell. I had my usual online course but another that was f2f. I did not catch up until 2 days ago and still have some feedback to send to a few students.
My confession is I finally appreciate the value of an annotated bibliography!! Shock. I am teach not very well prepared master’s students. The first half of the course I have the students to write short papers on topics related to the course. It is for me to help them learn to write a scholarly paper and to learn to do research on the topic. Oh, my. Only when I require the number of references do I get more than one or two. And they cry about that. Soooo, next semester, the dreaded annotated bibliography will join their syllabus. It only took me about 10 years to become in lighted.
Hope you are well. I am fine. Have not had time to leave my house, so no problem there.
Take care and stay safe and wash your hands.
Oh my goodness, Kathy, this makes me happier than you’ll ever know! Annotated bibliographies are necessary torture, especially as a research exercise. Well done! And welcome to the dark side… I hope next term is better. Let’s grab coffee once the fog lifts.