JENN McKINLAY: Hooligan 1 graduated from Arizona State University yesterday and the Hub and I could not be prouder, obviously. It's a particularly poignant achievement because H1 was not a natural born academic.
Proof? In fifth grade I was called to a parent-teacher conference because my darling boy would frequently just get up and leave the classroom when he was bored. To say that I did not see him graduating Magna Cum Laude twelve years later is a vast understatement (not bragging, I swear, we were so surprised)!
This got me to thinking about how we all change (or not) during our academic years. In elementary school, I was one of the top students and had an absolute fit when I got a B-.
By middle school, I had become a social butterfly and school was just a means to see my friends.
High school? Maintained the grades just enough to not get in called out. B's get degrees!
College? The first two years were spent on alcohol fueled shenanigans (endless shenanigans--some of which required community service in the dorm). The final two years, I found my major, locked in, and graduated on time by the skin of my teeth (and a lot of summer school).
So, how about you, Reds and Readers? What was your academic journey like? Stellar student? Hated school? A little bit of both?
Final note: I was unfamiliar with the ritual of the Stole of Gratitude (we didn't have that in 1989), so when H1 presented me with his Stole of Gratitude as the person who has supported him the most during his academic journey, well, my heart was full, y'all, and, yeah, I cried but just a little.
Being the smart kid was my entire identity. Pretty easy through high school, then in college I found out what it was like to be a very small fish in a very big pond. But I plugged along and was fortunate to have a very clear idea about what I wanted to do (civil engineering).
ReplyDeleteCongrats to H1 and his happy parents!
Jenn, I envy you the experience of getting to see your son graduate from college. Our son got his Bachelor’s in May 2020 and his Master’s after he’d moved away from the area near his university (since he could finish his program online) so he never went through a ceremony. I realize many people missed out on participating in their own graduation or watching their offspring due to Covid, but as a parent, it still hurts to have not gotten that moment.
ReplyDeleteAs far as my own education went, I was a pretty good student in high school but was kind of bored. I mentioned something aloud about not going to college and suddenly my parents were pushing typing and shorthand classes on me. Obviously if I wasn’t going to college, I’d need to know how to do secretarial work. What??! I’d have to work?? I changed my tune very quickly and went away to school where I had a great time and graduated after four years (which was as long as my parents had said they’d pay). For the record, my sister was the first college graduate on both sides of our family and I was the second. And while it sounds like I didn’t appreciate the sacrifices my parents made on my behalf, I may not have at age 18, but I did by the time I graduated. — Pat S. (Congratulations to H1 and his parents!)
I liked school and always gave it my best effort . . . . Congratulations to your son, Jenn, and to his parents . . . what a fantastic achievement!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Hooligan 1 on his college graduation and to his parents who went on this journey with him.
ReplyDeleteI was a stellar student. I was also the first person in my family to graduate from college.