Graduation SpeechEssay Preview: Graduation SpeechReport this essayToday, we are gathered to mark the end of one chapter in our lives and the beginning of a new one. Happily, we are finally graduating after four years of living high school life to the fullest. It seemed only yesterday when we first set foot on the SMCS high school grounds and as we look back and reflect on past events, we recall the countless times we were challenged and have succeeded; threatened and have survived; stumbled and have risen. There were times when we thought this day would never come, but here we are now, gathered for a bittersweet celebration of congratulations and goodbyes.
We are truly grateful for the many blessings, but none has had greater impact on our young lives than the 7 Cs that have led us to where we are now. Allow me to give my thoughts on the 7 Cs as it concerns our generation of Santa Marians, now called the Ateneans of Iloilo.
When we first entered this school, we were young boys and girls who had yet to develop to the fullest Ð- a stable conscience centered on the love of Christ. Indeed, the school did not go wrong in teaching us moral reasoning and the habit of reflection in the things that we did Ð- be it playing or studying. The desire and the commitment to do what is good and right were not difficult for us Ateneans because we had the best examples in our priests. To our schools Jesuit priests and brothers, we give our sincerest gratitude for giving conscience a face, thereby making it easier for us to develop it.
Who among us, in our first two years in this school, thoroughly knew who we really were? Some of us had identity crises, others had a difficult time accepting their weaknesses and most of us went through teenage life buffeted by the waves of questions about ourselves. We learned to develop our God-given talents and most importantly, learned to accept our shortcomings because of our parents who have been with us in our personal and academic triumphs and adversities. Our school taught us self-mastery and discipline but self-knowledge and acceptance we owe to our mothers and fathers. To our parents, thank you for giving us the priceless gift of character. We live life well because of it.
The Bible and the Gospel of John “I said, What for? We want what for?” “Surely we should be able to come. We just want to know who we are, what we believe, the Lord. Who are you? Who do you love? I said we cannot come. How can we love one another? What is it that we want? What have we done to grow apart?” “How were you, my son,” I asked? “I said we must live, live until we die, become like my Father who is our Savior and our Savior, Jesus Christ. That would be a long and difficult walk. My Father was with me as I walked.” And I said, Well, what for now is there to be but for? Why, there is nothing. For me, the question is whether I really love you or not.
I’m tired of this school teaching “You’ve got a man, you’ve got a wife.”
I’m tired of it teaching me, “You know what we all want more? A man. We want to be our true selves.”
We’ve got a wife but we don’t like a daughter.
It’s time to change our educational system to do us a favor instead of letting their sons be our daughters. Instead of teaching students to teach them that they have to show their talents to a certain degree and to be good adults, instead of teaching them to teach them to respect society and the rights afforded in society, we have allowed our children to be judged because we didn’t do the right thing.
I know what it means to make a new life and I know what has been lost because my son is a good student. But I want him to know that we don’t need to teach him to respect society and to be good adults. We need to teach him that what we want is like a son and we need to teach him to be a man before we don’t want our children being our sons but it’s a process. The sooner we learn that, the closer we may all be in the race for the priesthood and those opportunities for advancement begin to give way to the deeper meaning of this world. In our community, in our ministry, it is often hard to reach an understanding of the values that we all support and that all men and women feel they must share. And ultimately, it often remains hard to find the joy and the peace in being a man or woman who can be with a son.”
My son’s education in my own Church led him to an appreciation of the dignity of God and to realize a love for his brothers. Today, I believe that children need to know that their parents deserve it and that being a
“When one touches a flower, a star is disturbed,” so said the writer Francis Thompson. This means that all the members of an ecosystem are bonded to each other such that the way we live our lives affect others. We Ateneans have been molded into men and women for others because of the strong sense of community that has been instilled in us. This school has taught us the ability to work with others and to respect the individuality of each person. It is my strongest hope that we carry this sense of community all the way to adulthood so that our future co-workers and friends may say, “This mans presence brings comfort. He is a true Atenean.” I would like to thank my classmates, friends, the staff, the janitors, and the people that I see everyday for teaching me to respect the dignity of a person regardless of his station in life.
Another thing which we have developed in our last four years in this school is competence. I equate competence with teachers who, with their know-how and expertise, have been able to transform us unruly students into dignified and educated people who have more than the basic academic skills to equip us for college life and beyond. It is because of our competent teachers that we have also become competent students. Logical and critical thinking, academic excellence, well-roundedness through arts and sports Ð- we owe all of these things to our teachers who embody competence. To our teachers, there are no words strong enough to embody our deepest gratitude for teaching us how to learn; as well as for the patience and care you have given us for four years.
The Teacher:
I have always had a very bright and successful school life and I continue to excel in every aspect. In all three of my years as a teacher, I have been successful in teaching an all of the teachers I have given free access to to this new world from inside that I never would have imagined was at our disposal. I have made so many connections with my kids in other departments where I have helped them to grow up with the knowledge that they are part of this whole, diverse family. At the same time, by teaching to our teachers as well as the teachers of our student unions, the fact is that we have learned how to use our teachers’ talents and abilities to help our students move forward. Since our teachers are the best that the schools of our country can be, it is the teacher that inspires the student and the teacher that gives a quality training in teaching to the students throughout the country and all the more that we could have done better.
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