The Wisdom of Middle Level Students
Last week I attended the 8th grade recognition ceremony at my former school. The following speech was given by several students and it served as a reminder of how important it is to take time to listen to what middle level students have to say. They are often more eloquent and insightful than we gjve them credit for being.
My name is America. This is Calvin, Paty, and Alexia. This speech was also written by Lucia.
Calvin: When I was first asked to do this speech, I was told I needed to know a bit of my family’s history, so I called my mom and asked her what continent we originated from. It turned out we’ve been here for generations. But there are families who are fairly new to this country, all immigrants seeking a better way of life. Many of them have become my close friends over these three years at TMS.
America: My mother emigrated here from Nayarit, Mexico sixteen years ago. I, however, was born and raised here in Oregon. My mother went back to Mexico when I was four years old and for almost two years, I had the opportunity to meet my grandparents for the first time ever.
Paty: My dad emigrated here from Nayarit, Mexico twenty-five years ago, leaving a family behind to find a better life. My mother waited five years before joining my father. She left an infant son in the care of my grandmother. It would be five years before they were reunited.
Alexia: In modern American culture, lots of times different backgrounds are lost. My mother, who emigrated here from South Korea, came to the United States in the 1980’s. She, however, was only able to visit her homeland once more before her death. Being Asian-American is important to me; I can live in modern day culture but always remember my ethnic background.
Ours are only a few of many stories behind each unique student here at TMS. In school, we have found a home and have been both accepted and scorned for our cultural backgrounds. Our three years have been a learning experience – an awakening to the vast world that lies ahead. From the moment we set foot on bulldog territory, we gained a new sense of freedom. Over these past three years, we students have made rules, titles, and set standards that go beyond the classroom and the parent handbook. We have strived to earn respect, and identity, and through this, our consciousness has been raised to yet another level. Many begin to find themselves in middle school. However, we also come to have a better understanding of those around us.
While important life lessons are learned from rules like turn in your work on time, listen when the teacher is talking, always come to class prepared, and don’t run in the halls, middle school teaches even deeper, more personal lessons. We’ve come to learn when to hold our tongues and when to speak out, how to treat our friends and those whom we are not so fond of so that we can make it through the day, and how to show the people who we care about that we truly appreciate their friendship. We’ve learned what does and does not make somebody smile, the best things to say when confronted by a bully – if we need say anything at all, and that in the end, the easiest person to be is oneself. Without every up and every down we have ever had at this school, surely none of us would be the people we have become.
To the teachers, we would like to thank each and every one of you who has ever scolded, encouraged, or congratulated us. And as for the students, thank you for making school one hundred times more exciting than textbooks, worksheets, and dull pencils. Whether our families are new to this country, or have been here for generations, Talent Middle School has housed us all. Thank you, TMS, for three years of growth – both academic and otherwise – and for memories that will stay with us much longer than the faded pages of a 2008 yearbook.
