Eighth Graders’ Graduation Speeches Give Me Reason to Hope

What true confidence and self-esteem sound like

By Darya Glass

I love summer because it gives teachers time to recharge their passion and optimism for another school year. It gives us time to improve our curricula, consider how to spark interest using current events and trends, and prepare for the strengths, weaknesses, and interests of the individual students entering our classrooms next year.

I love teaching middle school; students are on the cusp of adulthood, hungry for knowledge, ready to face what is hard about the world, and still are interested in the wisdom teachers have to share. A huge inspiration for me as I return to my desk are my graduates’ reflections. At the Santa Fe Girls’ School, our graduates give speeches at graduation about how they have grown through the transformative years of middle school. Some common themes for graduates include finding their voices, valuing learning through failure or challenging experiences, letting go of perfectionism, (re)discovering their love of learning, and creating and accepting their identities.

I would like to share two of my students’ hopeful, happy, personal reflections. The whole reason I love working with young people is to ensure that there will be competent, confident, hard-working, community-minded people to ensure the future of our community, state, and country. I hope that sharing these reflections with you will give you the same sense of optimism I have as a teacher.

Paloma Rodriguez

Paloma Rodriguez is 14 years old. She started at the Santa Fe Girls’ School in sixth grade after attending our summer camp. She attended Gonzales Community School previously, and will be attending Santa Fe High School in the fall. A highlight of her eighth-grade year was a yearlong capstone research project in which she got to research, write about, and present on jellyfish. Paloma is also a keen poet and is interested in politics and activism, in addition to her passion for all things STEM.

From Paloma:

I was once a second grader who cried in the empty classroom surrounded by ladybugs and paper periwinkle stars. Salty tears ran down my raw, red face and landed on a crumpled division worksheet at my feet, along with a pencil riddled with teeth marks. One clear thought was able to permeate my distress-clouded brain: “I hate math.” My resistance to the subject stayed with me for years.  As my body grew, my attitude stayed as that of my second-grade self, opposed to even the thought of math. I wanted to yell and sob at anyone who attempted to help me.

 

While my family can attest to this depiction of my younger self, it may come as a surprise to many of my current classmates. To use the language of my beloved math teacher, Ms. Hill, I am now known as quite the math whiz. But this nickname was earned after hard work. My experience at the Santa Fe Girls’ School has transformed me from having a closed mind to an open one. It took my least favorite subject and, with careful explanation and patience, helped build my confidence until math was morphed into an integral part of my identity: one that I will carry with me.

 

The world that lies ahead of me today is one that I see through the lens of logical, predictable patterns. I now see every series of problems like an endless rabbit hole I can dive into with as much awe, curiosity, and passion as if I were researching the stars, or the Ottoman Empire, or one of my dear jellyfish. This is the philosophy that the Girls’ School has instilled in me. This is the person they have helped me become.

Aniella Porak

Aniella Porak de Varna is also 14 years old. Aniella was at Acequia Madre School, looking at the Girls’ School as a seventh-grade option, when she decided to come midway through her sixth-grade year. She will attend Santa Fe Preparatory School in the fall. A highlight for Aniella this year was speaking at the State Legislature, when the eighth grade lobbied for two climate change bills. Aniella loved preparing for and speaking in front of a Senate Committee. Aniella is looking forward to speech and debate in high school, and particularly enjoys the challenges of essay writing and research projects.

From Aniella:

“Women of the jury, Shakespeare is guilty.”  I delivered my speech with conviction. At that moment, I was a lawyer. I held the power. All eyes were on me, and I knew what I said and how I said it mattered. I squared my shoulders and faced the jury of my peers. I met their eyes and did not back down.

 

In English this year, we held a court case and put Shakespeare on trial. As soon as I started speaking, I felt confident and powerful.

 

Two and a half years ago, I would not have been able to. I would have been nervous, timid, shy, afraid of losing, and above all, worried about what other people would think of me and my opinions.

 

For years, I watched in wonder as the older kids at school spoke in front of crowds, wishing I could be like them. But I doubted myself and what I had to say. I had no idea how they could be so confident.

 

Throughout my time at the Santa Fe Girls’ School, I have learned that the older kids I admired didn’t just say what came to them at that moment: they prepared. I learned that preparation is the key to success. Those students had done their research and knew their information held value. They had to teach themselves before they could teach others. But they, and I, did not have to do it alone. I had dedicated, passionate teachers who helped me learn; I had parents who encouraged me every step of the way; I had classmates who worked alongside me. Nonetheless, to reach that goal, I had to take the steps myself. I was the one who pursued, persevered, and risked putting myself out there. And once I was brave enough to finally speak, I felt powerful and passionate.

 

That day, as I delivered my case before my peers, I did not win, but I learned something far more valuable. I learned that what I say matters. I learned that my classmates value my voice. I learned that, with preparation, I can be confident and successful. The outcome of the court case did not matter! I walked out a person sixth-grade-me would be proud of.

Our community is made more resilient with every prepared, confident and tenacious student we support. As my colleagues around the county begin to think about reentering their classrooms, I want us all to feel hope for the future and pride in our students.

Darya Glass is co-director and history teacher at the Santa Fe Girls’ School, a middle school dedicated to girls in grades 6, 7, and 8. Visit SantaFeGirlsSchool.org for more information about the school and summer camps.