Goodbye, high school; hello, ...uh...well...

Three of the four Morris girls are now high school grads. Alaina completed high school in June but had her convocation this weekend. She flew home for the occasion because it was so important to her. It makes me think about how perspectives change over the years.

My high school graduation ceremony was held in December because the convocation planned for a weekend in October was interrupted by the teacher's union strike of 1997. I was living and studying in Saskatchewan (yes, you read that right: Saskatchewan. That fact deserves a post of its own and probably will get it one of these days.) but, just like my sister, flew home to see my friends again and receive that little piece of paper -- technically pieces of paper...these were the OAC days, after all -- and document the end of a significant period of my life. I remember thinking how important it was to be there. Even Alicia flew back from Calgary to be there with me. It was one of the greatest suprises of my life up until that time, and I felt so proud to be an Ontario Scholar!

This past spring, I graduated from University after years of part time study. While I was very glad to be done with my degree and put it on my resume right away, I really had to consider whether or not I would attend the convocation. I ended up going, and so did my family & boyfriend, and being very glad that I had. But the fact that skipping the event was even a consideration was interesting to me. Perhaps it was a "been there, done that" attitude. After all, I had already graduated from DSS and Briercrest. How many times can a person wear a goofy hat? Or perhaps it was because I didn't really feel I had earned a phenomenal thing or completed a monumental task that was worth celebrating. I took all the challenging, applicable content courses in my program (Adult Education) in the first 2 years. The last 2 years of my studies I was simply picking up elective credits in whatever area seemed interesting and fit my teaching schedule. They were not always stimulating or useful; most of the time I felt I was "buying a degree" rather than gaining knowledge. Or perhaps it was simply because my values had changed. Let’s face it, whether or not I walked across a stage with my loved ones watching, arguing within themselves about whether or not to whoop or hollar, I still would have completed the program. The ceremony itself added nothing to my degree.

I am, however, glad that I went because while it changed nothing officially, it did give me a feeling of pride and accomplishment, if even for a day. I am so fortunate to have been able to attend and graduate from University. I am blessed to have the mental capacity and financial means to earn this degree. Why shouldn’t we celebrate that?

Congratulations, Alaina!