Preparing Our First Graduates

Preparing Our First Graduates

We have our first six graduates this year. It is very exciting for the graduates, parents, and teachers. It has also created a noticeable excitement among the ninth- through eleventh-grade students, looking forward to their futures. All are talking about their grade point averages and what their plans are after graduation. It is fun to see interest in their future when there was none before.

One of the things I began doing this year was to take each graduating senior on a walk with their parents in October. The purpose was to make plans for after graduation. The girls, for the most part, knew what they wanted, and I try to steer them toward a good local college or trade school.

The boys are given goals to work toward with their parents: goals of school applications, vocational choices, and what plans they have. Usually, nothing at first. Having the parents on the walk helps with follow-through by the student. It allows the parents to support the student as they make their post-high-school plans.

With all six students, the results have been similar: parents are more involved, and students have goals and possible opportunities they never considered.