Graduation Speech: A Graduation Poem :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Some of us may think we've reached the end of our learning but the truth is, we have not; And as we prepare to move on we should remember the lessons we've already been taught. In elementary school we learned how to share and how to color in the lines; We learned how to spell our names and count and had naps and storytime. We had reading groups to share ideas, we learned to add, subtract and round up. We discovered we had to sit in time-out for biting or saying shut up. We learned to multiply and were exposed to culture by writing to pen-pals far away; and we honed our competitive skills by playing four square every day. We eventually put away our dolls and picked up responsibilities. Then we were separated boys from girls and taught about the birds and the bees. In middle school we woke at the crack of dawn and hung out in the locker bay. We learned about Characters of Consequence and got detention for PDAs. Social division and Cultural Fair taught us that we're all different, and yet the same. We thought that we knew everything and we were never the ones to blame. In high school everything was different and we learned we weren't always right after all. We started longing for back in the day when we could take naps and play tetherball. But no, we had to study and get jobs and brace ourselves for standardized tests; We stayed up late writing essays and learned what it means to be stressed. Then our final year came upon us and we filled out many a college application; We learned the feeling of accomplishment through disappointment and determination. Now the real world beckons us and we must learn to survive on our own.