Proud

I don't feel that I really have a right to be, but I am truly proud of so many of my former students. I see their accomplishments, their growing families, and in some cases their posts, and I cannot help but feel glad to have been at least some small part of their lives. So many of them have become great people, people who give me hope for the world and our future. From Valedictorians, to proud parents, to intellectual thinkers, to teachers themselves, these women and men continually impress me.

I have been thinking about this lately as the last group from Lincoln who would have been in my class graduated recently. I missed the last couple of graduations of my students, and while I do not regret forgoing the overlong ceremony, I do wish I could have been there for their special moment as they crossed the stage. Even if I wasn't there, I was thinking about them.

I continually see posts and articles of older people complaining about "snowflakes," "millennials," and young people in general. Yet, I know these young people and can say that they are intelligent, caring, and motivated individuals. Don't get me wrong, there is still some room for improvement, especially in knowing when and how to challenge figures of authority. However, I believe those who demonize our younger generations often do so with a mistaken recollection of their own youth.

We have a thriving group of wonderful people who, I believe, are capable of making up for our many mistakes. It fills me with an almost inexpressible satisfaction to see them working at making the world a better place, whether that be on a college campus, with their own children, in their jobs and professions, or in the halls of government. It makes me excited to see what's next.