Graduation! We have our second home school graduate!
Unlike her older sister, Turtlegirl, didn't want a big huge celebration. She's a quiet introvert. Our church has a tradition of honoring graduates. It was the perfect way to acknowledge Turtlegirl's achievement without forcing her to be in the spotlight alone.
The parish house was decorated and there was cake! It was very sweet to see four graduates! No they were not all home school graduates but that made it more beautiful.
A few days later, after the grandparents had arrived, we had a small graduation ceremony. Ceremony isn't the right word but Turtlegirl wore her Cap and Gown from HomeschoolDiploma, Dad made a speech and we presented her with her diploma. {You do need to read my review of HomeschoolDiploma.com. I love the two diplomas we ordered and I will be getting one for Tailorbear next year!}
With permission from Honeybear and Turtlegirl I am going to share the little speech. It warmed my heart.
I will ask up front for a little understanding, as I don't get to do this very often. In fact, this is only the second time I've done this. Graduating from high school is one of the first major milestones people hit. There are birthdays of course, but those become less of milestones and more of uncomfortable reminders. Certainly wouldn't want to do without them but still . . .
Anyway, we're here because we are celebrating this milestone with [Turtlegirl]. She wasn't the first, so the amount of experimenting we had to do was a little bit less, but only a little because in education one of the the biggest difficulties is keeping students challenged. I know in my own education that was often an issue. If I wasn't challenged, then I didn't give it the appropriate level of attention. But that that's a story for another time. Trying to find the right level of challenge for [Turtlegirl] was probably the biggest concern we had. Whether it was reading (holds up very thick book) three hours for this one, math or even science trying to challenge her was, well, a challenge. Now, you've hit the finish line, and you've acheived something you can be proud of. It is definitely a milestone for you.
Since it's your first milestone, right now it's pretty big. You're moving into a higher level of education and bigger challenges. And as you reach those other challenges, you'll hit other milestones, but hopefully, you'll look back on this one with warmth and pride. Congratulations!
My heart swells with joy and love as I see how she has grown. My heart aches when I think of her leaving for college but if she studies and works as hard at college as she has to finish her high school requirements she'll be fine. She has a hunger and a thirst for knowledge and a desire to learn.
Congratulations, indeed! Many Years
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