Off to Conquer the World
I just returned from the graduation party for one of my ex-students. After four years and a full high school experience, they remembered me - a middle school teacher - with an invitation to their graduation party. I felt honored.
Look at these kids. These are our future. I taught these students four and five years ago when they were in seventh and eighth grades. I taught them algebra and geometry. Now they have graduated high school and are on their way to college and then off to right the world's wrongs.
They have some big plans, and they are on their way to some big, important universities. I won't even try to match careers and colleges with the students, but I will bore you with a few facts. The group in this photo includes Texas Science Bowl Champions, Texas Math League Champions, a National Geography Bee champion, perfect score SAT testers, perfect score AP testers, the valedictorian and salutatorian of the district's Math & Science Academy, and who knows what else.
Their colleges include Brown, Carnegie-Mellon, Colby, Columbia, Cornell, MIT, Northwestern, Princeton, Rice, Texas A&M, and the University of Texas. Those are some pretty heavy places to do your studies.
Their career plans include biological engineering, business, computer science, environmental science, mathematics, medicine, physics, engineering, and urban planning. These young folks are aiming high, very high.
Best of all, these were my kids. I was fortunate to teach them for two years. They were my favorite class from my twenty-some years of teaching. They were not only extremely bright, but they were inquisitive and involved in their learning. They were also fun, lots of fun. With them, I was in some kind of middle-school teaching nirvana.
So here is where I wish them well. They are off to conquer the world, and the world will be better for them. I leave them with these words from the great Leonardo da Vinci:
Look at these kids. These are our future. I taught these students four and five years ago when they were in seventh and eighth grades. I taught them algebra and geometry. Now they have graduated high school and are on their way to college and then off to right the world's wrongs.
They have some big plans, and they are on their way to some big, important universities. I won't even try to match careers and colleges with the students, but I will bore you with a few facts. The group in this photo includes Texas Science Bowl Champions, Texas Math League Champions, a National Geography Bee champion, perfect score SAT testers, perfect score AP testers, the valedictorian and salutatorian of the district's Math & Science Academy, and who knows what else.
Their colleges include Brown, Carnegie-Mellon, Colby, Columbia, Cornell, MIT, Northwestern, Princeton, Rice, Texas A&M, and the University of Texas. Those are some pretty heavy places to do your studies.
Their career plans include biological engineering, business, computer science, environmental science, mathematics, medicine, physics, engineering, and urban planning. These young folks are aiming high, very high.
Best of all, these were my kids. I was fortunate to teach them for two years. They were my favorite class from my twenty-some years of teaching. They were not only extremely bright, but they were inquisitive and involved in their learning. They were also fun, lots of fun. With them, I was in some kind of middle-school teaching nirvana.
So here is where I wish them well. They are off to conquer the world, and the world will be better for them. I leave them with these words from the great Leonardo da Vinci:
“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing.
Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Being willing is not enough; we must do.”
Knowing is not enough; we must apply.
Being willing is not enough; we must do.”
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