The end of the school year is a very different experience when viewed from the perspective of a teacher. Back when I was a student, the arrival of June was a monumental event. Impatient young minds twiddled their thumbs and jittered in their chairs with eager anticipation. Daydreams of sandy beaches, camping trips, and lazy mornings overtook the importance of memorizing the quadratic equation and date of the Battle of Trafalgar. Unhindered freedom and sunny afternoons were all that students could think about. “Summer time and the livings easy…..”
For the first time in my life, there was no climactic culmination to the end of a school year. I didn’t jot down a countdown of days to graduation. I didn’t hop up and down with giddy excitement as the last bell sounded. I didn’t throw my books in the air and scream the lyrics to Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall”.
The end of the school year came and went. And instead of my usual feelings of enraptured joy, I actually felt kind of sad. I was sad to see my students leave. I was sad that my work was done. I was sad that my short stint of helping these kids was over. I was sad that I wouldn’t see their smiling faces every morning. I was sad that school was over.
This sadness was a novel sensation for me. It is true that I felt wistful and bittersweet when I left high school and college. The end of high school was a turning point where I left the friendships, comfort and glory of normal life behind. I would have liked to spend another couple of years in college and live the wonderful life of freedom and partying.
Although this school conclusion was far different from any of my past experiences, I still managed to have a good time the last few weeks. Organizing and planning for the Open House was a pretty fun job and I got plenty of laughs in the process. However, I wanted to do one last things for my 8th graders to show them how much I enjoyed having them as my students. As I have already alluded to, my 8th graders were an awesome bunch of kids and I was sad to see them go. I wanted to send them off in style. So I decided to institute another common practice from American schools. End of the year party!
Living in a tropical paradise does have its advantages. One of the advantages is that there are beautiful pristine beaches everywhere you look. Here in Chuuk, a party at the beach is always called a picnic. I convinced all of the other teachers to chip in and have an 8th grade picnic.
I wanted it to be a special experience, so I nixed the idea of doing it here on our island. I wanted to make a trip out of it and go somewhere special. There are much nicer beaches on the surrounding small islands, and I offered to cough up some dough for the gas to motorboat our way over there. We had a staff meeting and discussed all the particulars. If you have ever been to a Chuukese meeting to plan something, you will know what I mean by particulars. Food. Nobody cares about anything but food. Food is the centerpiece of Chuukese social live and therefore is the centerpiece of Chuukese social events. In a typical planning meeting, we will spend the first 10-15 minutes discussing timing, places, and all the important things. The next two hours will be entirely focused on food. I love food, so I have no problem with this obsession.
Our beach location changed a few times because of untimely circumstances. Our first option was vetoed by the parents because they were worried about the sea ghost. Our second option was blocked due to funeral restrictions. So on the night before the picnic, we finally found a suitable place that was free of angry aquatic apparitions.
On the morning of the picnic, I took a rushed trip to Weno to buy a bucket of ice cream. Ice cream is a special treat in America, but in the unrefrigerated sweltering heat of Chuuk it becomes a delicacy. It has to be consumed on the day of purchase, because it melts in a few hours even if its packed in a cooler. But melty ice cream is almost as good as frozen ice cream. In fact, they don’t call it eating ice cream. Its called “uun ice cream”, which means to drink ice cream. It is also common practice to use bread as a spoon to sop up the dripping creamy goodies. Although we just dip our rolls in ice cream soup, its still an amazing indulgence.
We spent the day frolicking on the beach, taking pictures with my waterproof camera, and do all the beachy type things that a group of young kids would want to do. It was a really fun day and I was happy to spend one last jovial days with my kids.
The actual conclusion of our school year was the graduation ceremony. Don’t quote me on these numbers, but I can assume that less than 10% of Chuukese students graduate from high school. So in essence, the accomplishment of passing 8th grade and graduating elementary school is equivalent to the significance of a high school graduation. And a high school graduation is like graduating from college in US. The point I am trying to make is that 8th grade graduation is a big deal.
And I’ve got to admit, they do a pretty damn good job of putting on a graduation ceremony here in Chuuk. For all my complaining about the educational system in Micronesia, I have to say that these folks know how to do graduation. In America, the ceremony usually has a couple of speakers and a diploma conferring event. In Chuuk, at least at my school, it’s a hell of a lot more.
We practiced for two weeks to prepare for our graduation. At first I thought this was a ridiculous waste of time and didn’t understand how we could possible fill up the time of two weeks to practice for graduation. But they had a lot in store. The main difference with Chuukese graduation ceremonies is the songs. Lots of singing.
During the ceremony, we had 3 students speak, half a dozen other important people in the community spoke, and we and sung 6 songs. The songs serve the purpose of interspersing boring speeches with lighthearted energy and perking up the crowds interest. They already had a slew of songs that they usually sing every year, but they wanted to add one more to the repertoire. They asked me what song I recommended. Well, I didn’t have to think long before coming up with the most clichéd graduation song of my generation, “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” by Green Day.
The graduation went wonderfully and my 8th graders went out in style. I am sad to see them go, but I also feel proud. I know that I have touched the lives of these kids. I know that I have at least a little impact on the future ahead of them.
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