Twelfth Graders

I wrote my first letter of recommendation today. One of my students needed a letter for his senior portfolio; luckily he's always been a great and sweet student so it was easy to write. I loved that when I slipped it to him this afternoon, he immediately flipped it over to read it and started grinning.

Since I started working at the charter school three years ago, this year is the first that students of mine are graduating. This year's twelfth graders were my new tenth graders three years ago. Half of them have moved on to other teachers in the classroom since, but I still see them quite often. I spent all of today helping one of them finish Geometry to she can graduate on time.

This year's graduation will be much more personal for me. It will be the first year I'll see students I've personally invested in walk across the stage and get their diplomas. That's nuts. I guess the kiddos have to grow up and become respectable members of society sooner or later, though.