Thank you.
Thank you for this day and the countless days leading up to it. And thank you, in advance, for not making me say goodbye, but rather see you later.
Thank you for all the things we’ve taught one another, most of which are so deeply embedded in our souls that we don’t even know when or how they got there.
Thank you for noticing me beyond the classroom, for assessing me beyond the curriculum, for challenging me to climb to new heights.
Thank you for lighting a fire within me. Thank you for showing me what passion can create. Thank you for shattering my idols, stirring me from complacency, and making my mind race with new ideas and my heart beat to the rhythm of the possible.
Thank you for helping me to see with fresh eyes, to hear with new ears, to experience the invigorating feeling of discovery.
Thank you for showing me all that I am capable of both on my own and when I join my voice to the voice of others.
Thank you for reminding me that my learning is only transformational when I let it transform me and use it to transform the world around me. Thank you for allowing me to grow, setting me free, and creating a space where I can flourish and blossom.
We are all teachers. We are all students. Life is our classroom, our curriculum, our most enduring understanding, and our essential question.
Amen.