You've Got This. You're Fine.

I realized at some point this year that these are the two phrases I say most often. I'm not sure what it says about this generation, but I think it says that you are somewhat unsure at times and in need of encouragement and prodding... or maybe it's not your generation, but just your age. Either way, we have come to the end of a year of writing, reading (OH.SO.MUCH.READING), discussion (even more of that than reading, in fact), eating (Therapeutic Thursdays for the win!), questioning, and growing. It's the growing that keeps me coming back for more. You have grown as writers, conversationalists, readers, annotators, and yes, even teachers. I have loved watching some of you man a Therapeutic Thursday like you had an education degree in your back pocket. Best of all, though, you've grown as people. You came in very differently than you are leaving... some of you were excited, some dreading it, some really nervous about a first honors English class... but you are all leaving as accomplished scholars. So, exactly a week after your final projects were submitted and grades were completed, almost a week after that AP test we are all hoping for good results from, and almost a week after you walked across the stage in that cap and gown, I say to you:

You've got this. You're fine.

Life holds a lot in store for you all and college is going to be a whole lot more of the same push and pull and stress and joy that high school was. But you are going to succeed no matter where you end up or what you do. From UT to TN Tech to a military base to Cleveland State to Lee to Vanderbilt or GA Tech to full-time work to all of the places in between... You've got this. You're fine. And I am so glad I got to be along for part of the ride.