A few weeks ago I promised my tens of readers that I would write a post to assist you with navigating the traditions of commencement. I outlined the post, created the graphics, and then I completely failed you. I rarely let something fall completely off of my ‘to do’ list, and I apologize for the disappointment. As most parents and educators know, May is always a mess. It’s simultaneously exciting and completely terrifying to bring another school year to a close. This year has been no different. In addition to the usual concerts, celebrations, and general kid preparations over the last couple of weeks, I’ve graded 64 Blue Book exams and more than 500 pages of term papers. I’m not making excuses or looking for sympathy – just stating the facts.
And yesterday was graduation – the exclamation point on the end of every academic year.
I have tormented my friends and family with more graduation ceremonies than I care to count. In the business, they would say I have a terminal degree. I feel like my family probably thinks that there was something terminal about all the ceremonies I made them sit through. But now I get to go to graduation every year. I get to put on my fancy hat and robes* and watch droves of hard-working college graduates walk across the stage to receive their diplomas. Sometimes I take for granted all the work that goes into this celebration and the accomplishment of getting an undergraduate degree. But only because I get to see it so often. In reality though, for the families in attendance, graduation is the ultimate moment for pride in their children, in their family, and in the accomplishments and potential of the people they love the most.
Despite the conventional (albeit often misguided) wisdom about Mustangs, many of our students are the first in their family to graduate. Several have gotten married or had children while earning their degree. Many have overcome unimaginable hardships during their time in college. Some of our students, often those who hail from outside the U.S., have only one family member in attendance for graduation. Regardless, they all earn their bachelor’s degree from SMU (many earn more than one). And, despite their differences, every one of their diplomas looks the same, and it announces the completion of a significant accomplishment.*
I get to shake the hand of most every student who graduates from our department. Some of them I do not know. Many of them I do. And some of them, the select few who choose to subject themselves to the repeated agony of my classes, are students whom I have seen nearly every day for a significant portion of their undergraduate life. And now that they’re graduating I will miss them. I will miss seeing their faces, and I will miss entertaining their thoughts. I will miss hearing about their life’s dreams, and now instead I get to see them live them out.
I am so grateful that my job allows me to play a role in these students’ lives. For most of them I play only a small role, a guest star if you will. The role of the professor who tortures them with the School House Rocks version of American history and badgers them into being savvy philanthropists. For some I’m simply the professor who teaches them about income tax and throws shade at her husband for always donating to telephone solicitors. Honestly, my only hope for all of my students is that I get to impart just a little wisdom to take into the world.
But there are others who seek me out to play a more featured role in their college career. These are the students who choose to regularly come visit my office, to take strolls with me around campus, and share their lives with me for just a little while. Then they have the nerve to up and graduate. And I am always so thankful for our time together.
The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.
Aristotle
Here’s a glimpse of that Commencement Compendium I promised (sort of…) *
Tam – The fancy hat worn by those with doctoral-level degrees. Not to be mistaken for the mortarboard which is the square graduation ‘cap’ worn by undergraduates.
Hood – The backwards-looking velvet and satin neck adornment worn by those with either masters or doctoral degrees. The colors and shapes of the hood are dictated by each institution and field of study. Doctoral hoods are longer and often more ornate than those for masters degrees.
Robes – A tradition dating back to the 12th century, many scholars surmise that robes were originally intended to be the great equalizer for attire in an academic setting. Now robes signify unity among graduates and vary by level of educational attainment. Undergraduate (as well as high school and other, cuter graduates like kindergarteners) robes have pointed sleeves; masters have closed sleeves, often with a square or oblong detail near the wrist. Doctoral robes are most ornate with three velvet bars on the sleeve. (Bon Mot Note: Robes should always be worn with sensible, timeless shoes. Trust me – nothing says “I graduated from high school in the 90s,” like a pair of those black slip-on Steve Madden wedges.)
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) data suggests that less than 60% of students who enroll in college graduate within six years.