A high school graduate

Yesterday Calvin came home from school and told me, “Well mom, I’m done with high school!” He apparently had worked ahead on his assigned course work and they allowed him to take the test and he passed! So with 29 credits he is essentially through with his high school work. He does have some art projects he wants to finish and then he will be done.

It is a really strange feeling to have one child who is done with this phase of life. Really strange!

Our homeschool group is having its graduation ceremony on the 29th and we are participating in that. Mr. Pete and I are responsible for bringing 24 two-liter bottles of pop and 4 dozen cookies for the reception. The ceremony itself will be included as part of a mass. After the homily each graduate and his parents will go up to the front and the parents will have three minutes to honor their child and give them a diploma or whatever they have planned. Since Calvin will be getting his diploma from his e-school, we opted instead to give him a graduation ring and a letter that Mr. Pete and I will write together. Hopefully these two mementos of his school years will be something he can treasure in the future.

Mr. Pete and I both have graduation rings that our folks got for us and interestingly when I look at mine, I think more of them than I do my high school or my class! Mr. Pete felt the same about his ring and we are hoping Calvin might feel similarly, which is why we decided to buy one for him. As an aside, I designed the ring myself at Jostens. It came within six weeks via UPS and I have been very pleased with it and Calvin likes it. He is going to prom this weekend and wanted to wear the ring for that.

Calvin’s actual charter school is also having a graduation ceremony and I really wanted to attend that too, but Calvin’s girlfriend’s family (once again without even a courtesy call to us) invited him to go on vacation with them that week and Calvin is opting to do that instead. I’m not happy about it. I would actually like to thank his teachers and administrators there, but apparently that ceremony can’t compete with spending a week on the Atlantic Ocean with Calvin’s new-found family. I’m just happy we could participate in the homeschool ceremony!

Thus far I am not planning a graduation party either. I had thought maybe he could have one with his cousin but I never really mentioned it and she has made other plans. Maybe if the last year or so had been a little smoother sailing between us I would feel more inclined to do so, but since it hasn’t and since I’m still paying off swimming AND just bought the graduation ring, I’m thinking a party?… not so much.

So after the 29th, my responsibilities as a homeschool parent/educator to this child, my first child, will be over. He has an application to fill out for EMT school in the fall but he hasn’t filled it out yet, but he needs his transcript anyway, so we’ll see what happens.

In the meantime I’m making the mental adjustment; 1 down – 5 to go!

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