better not be the last one, kiddo!

the title comes from my lovely wife…

…and sadly, she has a point.

as we sat in the cafeteria of clear fork elementary, which is kindergarten through fifth grade, for the oz man’s fifth grade graduation it occurred to us that for some of the kids walking across the stage this might be their last ceremony. most will make it to, what i can only assume, will be the next graduation. since they do this ceremony to commence elementary school we figure the next will be in three years when he makes it through junior high. and some of these kids won’t be there. a few more will fall off before they graduate high school in (pauses to do the math) 2022.

funny – when i left that school in 1980 (when it was just first through third grade) we didn’t get any damn graduation…same for when we finished lockhart intermediate (fourth through sixth grade) or, for that matter junior high. but it makes sense with the combination of high drop out rates, teen pregnancies that terminate educational careers, and the “every kid gets a trophy” generation we gotta celebrate every milestone, regardless of how meaningless…i’m just sayin’ – i had no idea this was a thing.

apparently it’s a thing.

it’s not like they get one at the end of every grade – we’re not dealing with a bunch of billy madisons here. i assume there was a kindergarten one (i wasn’t around them back then), but the ufc said this was the first one in elementary school. and, not surprisingly, every kid got a trophy save for about six out of over a hundred and fifty fifth graders – act of kindness award, you read this many words, best dancer (no bullshit), all read aloud along with “certificate of completion” which is a fancy way of saying, “now get the fuck out!”.

with pleasure.

it was a day of “lasts” – last time i’ll be in that building, i’ll reckon. then came his last mma class before he heads off to summer break at his dad’s in colorado. and tomorrow makes my favorite “last for a while” – last time i have an alarm going off all seven fucking days of the week! for the first time since 1989 “summer vacation” means something to me again!