by Sarah Yockey
Dear Class of 2019,
You have set the bar high.
Two years ago, you entered junior seminar with a willingness to learn. Some of you were skeptics, not sure what to make of the new teacher and, to borrow the words from a course evaluation, her "very very very very high" expectations.
On the first day of our two-year seminar journey, we established the following six main objectives:
Students will be able to formulate a compelling research question and propose a meaningful response to their discoveries.
Students will be comfortable and confident finding and citing peer-reviewed and credible academic sources using 21st century library and research skills.
Students will be able to use discipline appropriate writing conventions to author a 2,000-2,500 word research paper.
Students will be able to assemble a panel of mentors and advisorswith various types of expertise and knowledge who will provide support and guidance as the student pursues their project.
Students will be able to discuss, present and defend their research and proposed responses to peers, mentors, and project specific experts and constituents.
Students will be able to write and stick to an appropriately paced project timeline, holding themselves accountable through reflective blogging and biweekly conferences.
At the end of the first semester, we had successfully regrouped after Hurricane Harvey and tackled not only group literature reviews about the impact of climate change on hurricanes, but you had also completed individual literature reviews on your own topics. We had navigated JSTOR, battled APA formatting, and even defended our research in presentations.
I remember looking eagerly at the first set of course evaluations that I received from you and seeing a theme. While the most commonly repeated word might have been "strict," the comments also revealed that you had sensed that I believed you were capable of truly excellent and meaningful work. Some people noted that "She wants us to be ambitious with our project" or that "She has told us that we are capable of doing work that is insanely hard."
While I knew that the course had plenty of kinks (thanks to Ramses for facilitating the class critique at the board every semester), I was satisfied that you understood the value of my expectations. "Her standards are high, which push us to grow. She expects nothing less than thorough and professional, which will help in college," someone wrote. Another classmate noted that the expectations "Pushed me to hold myself to a higher standard."
Today, as I look back at what you've accomplished, I want to offer you my own course evaluation. I want you to know that I have been inspired by your persistence, impressed by your creativity, and humbled by your commitment to service. You have embraced those high expectations and made them your own. You have indeed put those 21st century library skills to use, written that paper, formed networks of mentors, stuck to a project timeline and defended your work in presentations. You have met the objectives and done so much more.
Take for example, Ricardo and his desire to get onto iTunes. He was relentless in his efforts to move beyond SoundCloud with his podcast. He recognized that iTunes had a level of legitimacy and professionalism that matched his expectations for himself, and he did not quit until he had reached that goal. Despite technological and equipment challenges, Ricardo produced Depression Session to help remove stigma and raise awareness about mental health.
Or consider Estefania, who doggedly pursued potential venues for her fashion show with the conviction that her personal dress designs deserved an audience, and Miller and Josue whose EP on Spotify has some 1,600+ listens (add another one by clicking here). You looked for real audiences, and you found them.
Many of you embraced the challenge to serve someone else with your work. Nicole, whose entire project revolved around supporting and mentoring younger students in their college and career goals, gave herself sacrificially in tutoring and advising her college bound club members while Victoria shared her family passion for cooking with other students at Chinquapin. Elena learned many new skills while advocating for fair legal policies to prevent human trafficking and raise awareness about a problematic website, and Emmaleigh used her passion for animal care to inspire younger Girl Scouts. Janae even discovered through her efforts to improve sex education at Chinquapin that she wants to be a teacher who can continue to serve students well!
When I think about the persistence required to reach your goals, I am reminded of how often transportation and scheduling threatened to derail Diana's project, and yet her six immigrant interviewees will soon have their voices archived in the Houston Public Library for researchers in the future. I think about Abigail, who did not give up even when her library partners did not follow through on their responsibilities, or Emanuel, who courageously kept putting his name and his work out there despite many rejections. Ramses, Jose M., and Daphne also demonstrated incredible consistency in putting in the hard work week after week to practice, produce, and publish their work.
As I watched your senior presentations, I was reminded over and over about all the iterations of your project. You were adaptable and continued to push for significance in your projects even if it meant finding new direction. For example, Julian was originally trying to solve the problems of the school lunch program with new composting procedures to reduce waste. When he returned after the summer, he had a totally new direction that tackled the obesity issues that the school lunch program contributes to. While this was a new direction, it allowed him to inspired so many people to pursue their fitness goals through his workout group. Mario and Jessica made similar pivots when their projects hit dead-ends.
In the face of high expectations, some of you also learned to deal with failure in new ways. Jose C. stood before a panel of critics and bravely faced feedback that analyzed the obstacles that had gotten in his way. Carolina learned that out of artistic frustration and disappointment can come creative breakthroughs. Arelly took her lessons for middle school students so seriously that she was constantly tweaking and adjusting them based on teacher feedback and practice lessons. Cithlaly, who wrote a lot but had never finished a story, pushed through in the seminar process to finish her first short novel called Floating. I have been so impressed by the way everyone took challenges as opportunities to grow and did not give up!
So to the Class of 2019, I want to say a clear thank you (#gratitudeproject). Thanks for being the guinea pigs for all my ideas and proving that Chinquapinians are indeed capably of "insanely hard" tasks. Thanks for pushing back on mediocre ideas like hurricane lit reviews and making suggestions to improve your experience. You have set the bar high for the Class of 2020, the students who follow them, and for me. I will miss your antics, your ambition, and your late progress notes.
As you head off to college, I hope that you'll use keywords in your database searches, use proper APA or MLA citations, and that you'll apply some of those time management lessons you all said you learned in your senior presentations! I hope you think fondly of this experience every time that you see a contrail. But most of all, I hope you head off to college eager to to learn and depart from Chinquapin with a desire to serve.
Much love,
Sarah
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