tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post6999482996041363938..comments2024-03-28T15:01:21.285-04:00Comments on SleuthSayers: Graduation Day!Leigh Lundinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-9401665916178781942017-06-10T06:35:31.740-04:002017-06-10T06:35:31.740-04:00Thanks, Rob--and Dash loves his crayons, but seems...Thanks, Rob--and Dash loves his crayons, but seems to be more of an artist than a writer these days. He's always drawing something! <br /><br />And Leigh, you may well be right on that point--at least <i>as much</i> for the parents as for the kids, if not actually <i>more</i>. But the children were giggly throughout some of the anecdotes I included in my remarks, and then calling out each other's names during the video/slideshow of images from recent years, and Dash rushed around to get pictures with several of his classmates ("Wait, wait, I want one with Kylie!"), so there was great joy from the kids as well throughout the celebration.Art Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02409008167752619352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-69738245514116051652017-06-09T23:44:12.463-04:002017-06-09T23:44:12.463-04:00Congrats to all. Tell that kid to pick up his cra...Congrats to all. Tell that kid to pick up his crayon and start a novel. Gotta start earning his Cheerios.Robert Loprestihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08844889305615182897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-80162512806250102332017-06-09T23:37:31.589-04:002017-06-09T23:37:31.589-04:00I found myself thinking maybe this is more for the...I found myself thinking maybe this is more for the parents than the kids, but perhaps that attagirl/attaboy congratulations for achievement is good for them. How many children never feel they accomplish anything worthwhile?<br /><br />Congratulations to Dashiell and parents!Leigh Lundinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07921276795499571578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-61212195846695060212017-06-09T22:17:27.129-04:002017-06-09T22:17:27.129-04:00Thanks, Elizabeth, Cynthia, Steve, and O'Neil-...Thanks, Elizabeth, Cynthia, Steve, and O'Neil--and fortunately, O'Neil, our five-year-olds and their parents were indeed better behaved.Art Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02409008167752619352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-61711144517187496602017-06-09T18:39:07.959-04:002017-06-09T18:39:07.959-04:00Nice post. Here's a different look at graduati...Nice post. Here's a different look at graduations - from the college level. I hate them. Then again, I was a university police officer and had to work them. Worse than football games. At games we dealt with drunks. Cops know how to deal with drunks. At graduations we dealt with angry drivers and people in wheelchairs. Nothing's worse than a driver who comes late to a graduation and it's the cop's fault the lots are full and they HAVE TO WALK. We had wheelchair duels inside. People angry because they didn't get a good spot and trying to pull others in wheelchairs out of their way. Never failed - we had to call ambulances to take people to the hospital because their oxygen tank run out. We don't keep extra oxygen tanks in our police cars. We almost lost a couple people. I got my foot run over once and my lieutenant almost drew down on someone who was about to run him over. And then there's graduation in December - cold, rain, miserable. The students rarely gave us trouble, except for the ones who cursed us out because there was traffic. Funniest was the one who called me a stupid fucker because of the traffic and drove off. He only went five feet and got stuck in traffic again. I walked over to his car, tapped on the window and he reluctantly rolled it down. His mother was about to cry and I laughed, said, "You didn't get far, did you?" He didn't apologize, but then again, he was a millennial. I walked away.O'Neil De Nouxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03142721824657611738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-83403451397765048812017-06-09T15:48:34.568-04:002017-06-09T15:48:34.568-04:00Delightful post, Art.
Congratulations to the whol...Delightful post, Art.<br /><br />Congratulations to the whole family.<br /><br />Steve Liskowhttp://www.steveliskow.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-15749722487770805112017-06-09T15:00:03.648-04:002017-06-09T15:00:03.648-04:00Aw, I love this. Wonderful, Art.
And congratulati...Aw, I love this. Wonderful, Art.<br /><br />And congratulations, Dash!!Cynthia Kuhnhttp://cynthiakuhn.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-11445197878980753212017-06-09T12:34:23.219-04:002017-06-09T12:34:23.219-04:00Congratulations to all the Taylors! Dash sounds li...Congratulations to all the Taylors! Dash sounds like a wonderful boy. My daughter went to preschool & kindergarten where there wasn't a graduation ceremony but plenty of pageantry. They put on a Xmas pageant & a spring pageant every year. She played a tomato in the spring pageant. When we all agreed she was ready, I enrolled her in first grade in Catholic school. Her birthday is late December so she missed the age cutoff for public school anyway.Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00239163766419735693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-16437454648651924622017-06-09T11:01:43.231-04:002017-06-09T11:01:43.231-04:00Thanks, Bonnie--and what's funny is, I'd h...Thanks, Bonnie--and what's funny is, I'd heard that phrase "walking" before but never thought about the weight of it (or, rather, lack of weight). It's certainly more than a walk across a stage, and I'm glad that the school is celebrating--even at this early age--what these kids have accomplished. They're grown so much these last few years!<br />Art Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02409008167752619352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-33950061482614154752017-06-09T10:51:28.397-04:002017-06-09T10:51:28.397-04:00Congratulations, Art--to you, to Tara, and especia...Congratulations, Art--to you, to Tara, and especially (of course!)to Dash. I think it's wonderful to have lots of celebrations to mark educational milestones, especially when students are young. I've known college students who refer to graduation as "walking," as if it's a meaningless business of walking across the stage and accepting a piece of paper, something they do only to placate their parents--the students themselves are so cool they'd rather skip all the fuss and sleep in late. But I bet there isn't one child in Dash's class who isn't excited about this day. Why not take every opportunity to show children we value education and honor their efforts and accomplishments?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17673578800047888317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-51201327395465315932017-06-09T09:51:57.404-04:002017-06-09T09:51:57.404-04:00Erica -- Thanks for sharing that story, and yes, s...Erica -- Thanks for sharing that story, and yes, sadly that phrase about drumming wonder out of kids.... I hope it never happens. They're so full of curiousity about everything right now, it's exhilarating! <br /><br />And Tara, glad I captured something about what you've been feeling too. (I often let Tara read drafts of my posts before they go up but not this time. Glad I was on target!)Art Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02409008167752619352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-40675620392656550372017-06-09T09:44:08.342-04:002017-06-09T09:44:08.342-04:00My 37 year-old daughter still sees a friend from p...My 37 year-old daughter still sees a friend from preschool, so those connections can last a lifetime. And " whoosh" is exactly the right word to describe the early acquisition of knowledge. My former high school students longed for the love of books and stories they remembered from their childhood, and railed against the educational system for drumming that wonder out of them. I hope Dash never loses his love of books and language. Happy graduation to all three of you!Ericanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-40680497249371907712017-06-09T09:42:43.451-04:002017-06-09T09:42:43.451-04:00This was a great explanation of how I've been ...This was a great explanation of how I've been feeling about all of it as well. And yes, I cried while reading it. I think there's also something in there about teaching kids to be proud of what they've done and who they are and going through a ceremony of some kind emphasizes the importance of taking the time to recognize accomplishments and celebrate them. Whether that's for a move into formal schooling, or a book launch, or a birthday, or a wedding anniversary, why not celebrate? I love parties! (Especially when I'm not throwing them...)Tara Laskowskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13626661789957975706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-6649533287301316902017-06-09T09:07:18.533-04:002017-06-09T09:07:18.533-04:00Thanks, Barb, Paul, and David — I so much apprecia...Thanks, Barb, Paul, and David — I so much appreciate the comments and the perspectives! And David, I love the stories about Robin's experiences. Exactly the kind of thing I was trying to gesture toward here, and glad that her own experiences support what I was thinking! <br /><br />So much appreciate the good wishes!Art Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02409008167752619352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-3432853146710595212017-06-09T07:57:21.771-04:002017-06-09T07:57:21.771-04:00Add my congrats for Dash! He's a wonderful bo...Add my congrats for Dash! He's a wonderful boy and bright as they come. Pretty charming, too. <br /><br />As you and Tara know, my wife, Robin, taught kindergarten for twenty-eight years and pre-school for four, and let me tell ya, those kids learned a lot. Not only the basics of grammar, math, language skills, etc...but, as you point out so rightly, also the ability to form responsible relationships with their contemporaries. In an age of such small family units, this last part grows ever more important. I was with Robin recently when a student of hers (now a graduate of the Naval Academy) sought her out to thank her for having provided the foundation to build her life upon. You mentioned how easily children can learn other languages--the young woman in question was first-generation from China; she helped her parents learn English! Robin's replacement upon her retirement was yet another of her former kindergarten students. So there you have it from the teacher's point of view (once-removed, of course).<br /><br />Have a great time on this big day, and my best to young Dash and Tara! David Deanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13005457506363262838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-2957429302776112272017-06-09T02:18:17.332-04:002017-06-09T02:18:17.332-04:00Congratulations, Dash! Art and Tara too. I have to...Congratulations, Dash! Art and Tara too. I have to admit that I'm one of those people who sees pre-school or kindergarten graduation ceremonies as a little silly. But, Art, you've opened my eyes and I think I have a broader view of the idea of it now.Paul D. Markshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15466234708772287399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119105822589181967.post-66815632543865440032017-06-09T02:03:33.689-04:002017-06-09T02:03:33.689-04:00Congratulations to Dash! And you and Tara too, Art...Congratulations to Dash! And you and Tara too, Art. I remember when I graduated from high school being torn over how to feel because people were making a big deal about it, and I understood that somewhat because it's what people do. But on the other hand, I thought, is my graduation really that big a deal? Did anyone worry I *wasn't* going to graduate from high school? It might be a big accomplishment for some people, but for me, it was a given. (Passing chemistry might have been iffy but finishing high school never was.) So I was a bit nonplussed about all the graduation hoopla. But as you realized and articulated so nicely in regard to Dash, I see now that it's the milestone that people were celebrating, my moving on from being a child to an adult (sort of). From that approach, graduation celebrations make lots of sense. So thanks for the perspective. It's really quite helpful. Barb Goffmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16013123434790272424noreply@blogger.com