Our 8th Grade Final Exam

*I did not use AI to help me write this speech. It came from my brain and from my heart. It took several hours to complete. It is imperfect. And that is precisely the point. Hope you enjoy.

Happy Friday everyone,

I’m excited to share more about our success with Greek and Latin morphemes in a future update, but in the meantime, here’s part of the “final exam” my eighth-grade students are taking today.

PART 1 (Word Bank): advice, annual, auditorium, community, contradictory, graduate, inspiring, minor, photograph, spectacular, unfair

In one week, we will gather in a crowded, and hopefully airconditioned, _____________________ to celebrate all of you. This ______________________ June event is one of my favorite nights of the year; it’s an opportunity to dress up and watch each of you walk confidently across the stage as your teachers and families clap and cheer and attempt to record the perfect _______________________ while holding back tears. The end of a chapter, in this case, a really good chapter, is always bittersweet. I imagine that some of you are ready to leave these crowded, chaotic hallways forever, while some wish that you could linger (and loiter) just a little longer. Or perhaps a bit of both.

To that point, remember that two things can be true at the same time. You can be excited to ____________________ – and terrified. You could have hated middle school – and loved it. Life can be really hard and ugly and ____________________________. It can also be _________________________ and beautiful and breathtaking. You can and should enjoy the next four years; you should also put in late nights and early mornings and be willing to make short-term sacrifices for long-term successes. While it may seem _______________________, try to enjoy the moment and play the long game.

I am not certain of much these days, but I do know this: I have loved being your teacher and playing a ________________ but hopefully meaningful role in your journey. I am grateful for each and every one of you, and for the incredible ________________________ we have built here in this room. Thank you for _____________________ me daily; I mean it when I say that I have one of the best jobs in the world. You are ready for what’s next. More than ready. And while you certainly don’t need my __________________________, I wanted to leave you with a few words of wisdom. Here they are:

PART 2: audience, discourage, distract, disillusion, encouraging, incredible, mediocre, progress, rejection

1. In this algorithmic and artificial age, much of what we’re fed online is designed to ______________________________ and _____________________________ and _____________________________ us. Don’t give in. Don’t let social media consume you. Don’t outsource your work and your thinking to AI. I know it’s tempting to have Chat GPT solve your problems and write your essays, especially when everyone else is doing it – and getting away with it – and when many of the adults in your lives are __________________________ you to do so. But there are no shortcuts to success. And besides, the joy is in the doing, the joy is in the journey.

2. Be kind — to yourself and to others. Be curious — about all sorts of things. Be okay with boredom. Embrace _______________________. Seriously. Keep failing. Keep feeling things. Keep putting yourself out there. Keep taking risks. Keep shooting. This is how you grow. How you live. You’re going to make mistakes. If you’re lucky, you’ll make lots of them. You’re going to have your heart broken. You’re going to strike out with the bases loaded. You’re going to get denied from what you thought was your dream school. You’re going to be let down by people. You’re going to let people down. But if you continue to show up, if you continue to step into the arena, then you will also get to experience _______________________ highs. You’re going to travel the world. You’re going to hit game-winners and get mobbed by your closest friends as soon as you touch home plate. You’re going to star in shows and perform music that brings the __________________________ to their feet. You’re going to love and be loved. You’re going to live out your dreams. So don’t play it safe. Don’t resort to copy and paste. Don’t be content with __________________________. Put your pen to the paper and write out your own story. And know that your eighth-grade English teacher can’t wait to read it.

3. The process is more important than the outcome. And __________________________ is more important than perfection.

PART 3: adapt, adversity, apologize, bicycle, collaborate, empathetic, encourage, hydrate, inspire, Instagram, inquisitive, minimize, multitasking, projects, quests

4. It’s futile to worry too much about the future. What jobs will be in demand? What will the world look like in a decade? These questions are out of our control. Instead, continue to develop the right habits and routines. Continue to surround yourself with people who ___________________ and ____________________ you. The world is always going to need kind, ___________________________ people. People who can think critically and communicate effectively. People who know how to _____________________ and overcome ______________________________.

5. Think about our PIES or Interview __________________________ this year, or even our Class Cup. Remember that it’s cool to know things. To learn things. To be ________________________. To engage in conversation. To care. To compete. To ___________________________. To pursue hobbies. To have a bunch of side ______________________. To be a good teammate. A good friend.

6. Put the phone away. _______________________ distractions. _________________________ is a myth. Get off ____________________________. Touch grass. Take a walk. Read a book. Ride a ______________________. Get enough sleep. Drink plenty of water (____________________________). Make your own playlist. Call a friend. Memorize a poem. Better yet, write one. Eat a plum. Look up. Look around. Pay attention to what you’re paying attention to. Hold fast to dreams. Make the most of your one wild and precious life. And yes, stay gold. It’s a good way to be, indeed.

7. You’re not behind. Keep running your own race – at your own pace. (Comparison is the thief of joy.)

8. You don’t have to have it all figured out. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. (Spoiler: None of us ever really do.)

9. There’s a fine line between being funny and foolish, between harmless and harmful. Try your best not to cross it. And if you do, take responsibility and _________________________________.

10. Don’t be in a rush to grow up.

PART 4: benefits, bibliophile, discover, effort, extraordinary, final, finale, generation, impossible, refining, remained, revising, sentimental, succeeded

11. Keep reading. Not for me, or for your next English teacher. But for you. The _______________________ of doing so are endless. You don’t have to be a ___________________________, or book lover, but try to find consistent time to read things that bring you joy. Your current and future self will thank you.

12. As you head into high school, as you continue to ____________________________ who you are and who you want to become, remember that you’re not alone. Thank your people. The ones who have ____________________________________ by your side and helped you succeed. And don’t be afraid to ask for help when life feels _________________________________.

13. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate the beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch Or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have _______________________________!”

14. Writing this letter was time-consuming and difficult, constantly __________________________ and ___________________________ each word, each sentence, each paragraph. Trying to figure out what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it. Even now, I’m struggling with the __________________________ (or ending). Which leads to the next item . . .

15. My sincere hope is that you find things in life that are worth doing – and then begin to do them. Hone your craft. As Howard Thurman once said, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

16. Writing helps me process, helps me find peace, helps me feel alive. And so, I didn’t write this letter to make it seem as though I have it all figured out or that I have some _____________________________ wisdom to offer. I don’t. Rather, I wrote it to congratulate you – on all that you have and will continue to accomplish – and to remind you of this: no matter where our paths may take us, know that I will always be rooting for you.

I know that if I had attempted to read this letter aloud in class, many of you would have tuned me out (I don’t blame your __________________________ for this crisis but there’s no denying that brainrot is real). However, because this was part of your _____________ exam, you had no choice to but to suffer through (or maybe secretly enjoy) my __________________________________ ramblings. Thanks, as always, for putting forth your best ____________________________. And thanks, as always, for being you. I suppose I’ll leave you with a quote from Winnie the Pooh: “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” How lucky I am to have been your teacher.