The Graduate

Well, folks, it's official: After two years of study, 11 full-time courses, and 659 hours of practica, I have graduated with a Master of Arts in Child Study and Education! As Mom pointed out on graduation day, I've come a long way from being the kid in grade 3 whom she remembers slouching at his bedroom desk, homework open before him, and crying "I don't waaaaant to do this!" Or maybe not so far... Jeanette may have witnessed a similar scene (or three) over the past two years. But for all the challenges that this degree presented, the experience has confirmed for me that teaching is what I want to be doing. I love it!

Indeed, I am eager and excited to land my first teaching gig, and so the job hunt is on! As many of you know, Jeanette and I are hoping to move west of Toronto and settle somewhere closer to our parents in Ayr and Harriston. My hope is that the flexibility of this willingness to move is an advantage; however, I worry about having fewer professional and personal connections outside of the GTA. Being known directly by schools as a strong teacher is so important given that most principals receive hundreds of applications per job posting. All of my mentor teachers have offered to be references, which will certainly help, but the key will still be to connect directly with schools as much as possible. Postings for fall positions are only starting to appear and I'm sending out applications steadily. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

But enough shop talk. Below is a quick visual walkthrough of my June 3, 2010 convocation. Tickets for the live show were scarce, only 2 per student, and mine went to my parents. You, dear reader, get the benefit of the visuals without having to endure the entire 2 1/2 hour ceremony.



Above is a behind-the-scenes shot courtesy of Erica (left). She, I, and Kira (right) all have surnames that begin with a W, hence our three-fingered "gang signs." As we robed up then lined up, we reflected on our lifetime of spending school events near the rear of the alphabetical line, a tradition which you cannot escape even in grad school. Below, you can see us at the back of the pack on the walk over to Convocation Hall.



Thanks to the magic of editing, we move from the processional above to my time with the Dean of Students below. This first picture is me waiting my turn (in the bottom right-hand corner, just ahead of the woman in a red robe) to shake hands with the Dean, seated on the stage. He earns his salary at this time of year; it was announced that he oversees 24 convocation ceremonies every June. That's over 2500 handshakes. I suspect he keeps hand sanitizer tucked in the sleeve of his robe.



And below is a snapshot from my five seconds of glory. Forget the grades, the tuition, and the piece of paper itself; it's this handshake that seals the deal. This perspective was Mom and Dad's view from the balcony. Yes, Mom let loose with one of her patented ear-splitting whistles.



And here I am with my proud parents after the ceremony. They assure me that they were bursting with happiness, so I suspect their smiles here were impaired by the pain of their legs reawakening after all those hours in those ancient Convocation Hall seats.





On a much sadder note, you'll see in the photos that I and my fellow Institute of Child Study graduates are each wearing a purple flower on our robes. These flowers were a tribute to honour our fellow MA student Janee Dupuis who passed away last month after a battle with cancer. Janee was with us all through the first year of the program and her gentle soul was so well suited to teaching. She and I had bonded in that year's psychology class over our shared interest in Carl Jung. It was a shock for us all to lose her.

All this was certainly on my mind later that afternoon when Jeanette and I welcomed a small gathering of family and friends back at our apartment for a little celebration. All of those people had been through our apartment to help out when I was undergoing my own cancer treatment. It seems impossible to be appreciative enough about all the luck and support I've had that has allowed me to be here at all, let alone to be here celebrating earning a degree. Cheesy as it is to say, I hope I can show some of that appreciation by going on to be the best teacher I can possibly be. So thank you to all who have helped and continue to help that to happen. You know who you are.



Maudlin moment over. Aunt Linda snapped this photo of Jeanette and I in mid-celebration. Yes, we're thrilled about my graduation, but true happiness that afternoon came in the form of Jeanette's warm homemade rhubarb crisp. Mrs. Williamson, you're trying to seduce me.

(Actually, the photo is by James Carrier, Sunset, but you get the point)