Will's graduation

Will graduated on May 27th.  The day before the school held a senior walk where all the seniors walked through the campus (elementary, middle, and high) and the teachers and students all lined the walls to cheer on and say goodbye to the seniors.  Parents were invited to the campus to participate.  Felicity had the day off as did Mike, so we drove to campus and got there just in time for them to finish the walk through the high school.  The night before the seniors all met at a pre-agreed upon place in the city at midnight and then walked from downtown to the school (which is an hour drive).  In the past kids have been caught doing dumb things like vandalizing and getting drunk.  Will decided he didn't want to participate and was one of the only seniors not to go. The seniors arrived at school around 6 AM, slept on the floor of the gym for an hour, and then were served breakfast before changing into their gowns and parading around the school.  Most of the seniors looked drunk--many were and some even passed out, and almost all looked exhausted.  Not everyone got drunk--Will has many friends who don't drink and they went and didn't drink.  Will values his sleep more and was also sick from the same sickness the rest of us have been fighting forever.  

It felt weird to be there.  We are still pretty new to the school and new to this tradition.  Also, last year the campus wasn't really open for things like this because of covid restrictions.  I felt really proud of Will and grateful to celebrate him in this way.  We homeschooled for so long and I didn't know what high school graduation would look like.  I wondered if we would have one.  

The following day Will left at 10:20 to catch the bus for early rehearsal and the rest of us walked down to catch the bus with other ASIJ families at 12:20.  We showed up to the convention hall early and we all had to stand outside in the hallway but it gave us time to let the girls eat some snacks and go to the bathroom.  The graduation started at 3 and lasted until 5.  The buses took us back to the school where the kids took pictures with friends and family and then the buses took families back home.  We got off a few stops early so we could make dinner reservations at Outback by 7:45 (the only place we could think of that was big enough for our entire family to sit together and eat). We made it one minute early.  After dinner we walked to the bus stop and rode to the nearest bus stop to our house and then walked the rest of the way, making it home by about 9:45.  It was a long day.  

I didn't get too emotional about the day, choosing instead to just experience the day with curiosity.  I did, however, feel a wave of mixed emotions when the bus drove up to the convention center.  I thought about how grateful I am to have spent so many years being intimately involved in his schooling and what a special (but also challenging) time that was for me and our family.  I felt so proud of us and him for what he took from homeschool and how he turned that experience into such a success.  Everyone who ever discovered that one of my kids homeschooled was genuinely surprised.  I'm not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing.  Haha.  The point is, we did it for a long time and then they each somehow made the transition so seamlessly that no one could even tell.  This school has so many over-achievers that the majority of the seniors are going to ivy league colleges and they don't have a valedictorian because there are so many students with a 5.0 or higher.  

I couldn't help but feel grateful for this unique experience for my kids to go to such a good school.  It's not perfect and the values taught don't always line up with the ones we have but I've loved to hear the conversations my children engage in at school with teachers and friends.  The ideas presented, while not always one we agree with fully, open their minds to a new way of thinking and allow them to see another perspective. I appreciate that and feel that it will help them see the world and people with more understanding and compassion.  They have friends from all over the world--Japan, England, Australia, Israel.

Not only did I feel gratitude for the opportunity for my children to go to this private school, one we would never be able to afford in any other situation, I felt grateful that we are having this experience in Japan in general.  We live in Japan.  That's wild. They have friends from all over the world--Japan, England, Australia, Israel.  I love that they are being introduced to so many different people from cultures, backgrounds and religions other than our own.  

I can't wait to see how this experience impacts their lives moving forward.