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Weblog for a teacher of English, lover of Peeps, Tori, Ben, the Beatles, TV, movies, and Star Wars.
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:: Saturday, May 22, 2004 ::
:: Calvin 9:15 AM [+] ::
Finished the graduation photo album --http://home.earthlink.net/~calvindillon/gradweb04.
Hit the stop button on your browser if the music starts to get to you.
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:: Calvin 8:57 AM [+] ::
Blast from the past
RHPHS Baccalaureate Speech - Macedonia Church
"The Road Not Taken"
Calvin Dillon
May 19, 2003
Students, faculty and staff, families and friends. I would like to talk to you tonight about the Road Not Taken. Eighty-seven years ago, Robert Frost wrote this poem:
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
(1916)
This poem is often called by the wrong name. Many people want to call it "The Road Less Traveled," the title of this year's yearbook. The idea of taking the road less traveled is the image Frost gives us in the poem, but the name of the poem is the Road not Taken.
Now, depending on how you think about the title of the poem, Frost could be sad because he is always thinking about that road he should have taken but did not
Or he could be happy that the path he chose took him down a road that was new, giving him the opportunity to be the first, just as you, seniors, are the first class to begin the roads to your future by graduating from this school.
However you look at it, whether you think that he regrets his path or not, you can't get away from that idea of choice. When you are at a crossroads, whether you are in a "yellow wood" as in Frost's poem, selling your soul in a Robert Johnson blues song, riding in a car with Britney Spears or deciding whether to follow the girl with wings on her truck at the end of that Tom Hanks movie, your only choice is to make a choice.
We all chose to become a part of this school. It would have been easy for us to choose to play it safe. Teachers -- you could have chosen to work at an established school where you could close your door and teach the same thing to the same kids year after year.
Seniors -- You could have stayed with your friends at your home school, gotten lost in the large classes and the anonymity of big numbers, been safe hiding in plain sight being ignored by basically everyone.
Family and friends -- You could have chosen for your senior to walk down the straight road with the great lighting, but you didn?t make that choice. Even in cases where the student didn't have a whole lot of input on coming here, (AND YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE) someone made the choice.
In doing so, we chose the uncertain path, with its dark corners and twists and turns that kept us guessing as to what would happen next. But we knew that choosing this place as our first step the path led somewhere.
We knew that if we stayed on course through this four year journey, we would be able to look back on where we have been and have a clear idea of where we are headed.
Seniors. Like in Frost's poem, that "less traveled path" you started down was not the more attractive way to go. Instead of being a road that was "grassy and wanting wear," the facilities here did not quite meet your expectations. The picture you had in your mind didn't quite match with reality. You knew when you got here that the school would have to grow with you, and those of you who had the patience and the vision to see what you and this school could become, helped each other along this journey to bring us to this day and this week, and this Thursday night.
Seniors, the adults who stayed on this path with you, and the ones whose travels have brought them back again, know something you may not know. Most other students in this county, in this state, and in this country took a very different path than you did. This path did not present these unlucky students the kinds of choices you had. These unfortunate others were not brought to a crossroads; their high school education was like being dumped out of the family station wagon at 80 mph on a busy one-way street filled with strangers.
They were taught by people who did not choose a place where they would have to work hard to integrate the learning at the school to make sure that it made sense and had purpose. Their education was a 1000 piece puzzle with a picture of a polar bear eating vanilla ice cream in an snow storm, and they got very little help making the pieces fit together.
Now, I am not saying that there are not other schools that care about their students. Of course there are faculty and staff at other schools who work hard and love their kids.
But we have something special here; we have built a home together. Not every school has so many teachers or administrators willing and able to listen to problems without judging us, who could help us make the right choices for ourselves. At not every school could you see students carrying pillows and blankets and eating meals with teachers and coming in early just to visit. Our school may not have had homecoming parades and Friday night football games, but how many other schools can boast rubber chicken tosses, word funerals, peeps or chemistry teachers with a thing for moles and skeletons? How many other schools can boast a principal and guidance department who did not mind being silly stringed on the last day of school?
This to me is the most special part of Hungerford. This is a home; we are a family; we take care of each other. We don't let each other trip and fall if we can help it, and if you do skin your knees, or in Dr. White's case twist your ankle, someone is always there to help you up. We do not let each other fail, and we do believe that success is a destiny we all share.
As we all leave this place and move one day closer to Thursday night, I want us to never to forget where we have been and who we have become.
I want to talk to you briefly about two other poems by Frost. The first is a poem that SE Hinton used in her book the Outsiders, one that is a favorite of mine and a couple of my students.
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leafs a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
As you move into new directions and start down new paths, try to stay gold. Fight against cynicism and apathy. Fight against mindless conformity. Learn something and do something every day.
Remember the warmth, sincerity, and joy you had here as dawn goes down to day and way leads onto way. Your generation grows up so fast, please to hold on to innocence as long as you can, and remember there is nothing shameful or wrong with being childish or happy
I have reached the end of my time talking to you, and I want to leave you with one last bit of wisdom. I am not going to tell you to wear sunscreen. I am not going to say "Do or do not, there is no try." I am not going to tell you to be careful when you arm wrestle. I am not going to tell you to eat good sleep good study good be good. I want to leave you with Frost's message about home.
It took me 30 years of walking down many different paths before I stumbled onto this one, and I would not trade this four year journey and the family we have become for anything. At the awards ceremony, some of the teachers were giving me a hard time because my voice cracked and I looked like a "proud papa" as I watched the seniors go up on that stage and take their first steps out the door of our home.
The last day of school, my yearbook staff had a contest to see who could make me cry and called me "man-girl" because I got a little veklempt. My voice didn't crack that night and I did not become "man-girl" because I was sad, but because those are the moments that make me realize that we have truly become a family.
The people in this room are my family. This school is not the much-maligned buildings that don't match the artists' renderings, a changed name, or memories of the struggles and disappointments and empty classrooms of the past. This school is the home that we created together; it is a school that exists when we are all in the same place at the same time, wherever that may be.
In the poem "Death of the Hired Man," Frost created a situation where an old farmhand had come back to a place where he once worked because the road of his life had been too much. He had come back to the only home he knew, and he was not welcome. The farmer, Warren, out of anger said:
"Home is the place where, when you have to go there,
They have to take you in."
Please know, each and every one of you, that you will always have a home here, and we will always take you in, not because we feel we have to, but because
we shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and we --
we took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
God bless you and keep you safe and happy, and may whatever road you choose to walk down rise to meet you all the days of your lives.
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:: Thursday, May 20, 2004 ::
:: Calvin 9:50 PM [+] ::
Congratulations '04.
We graduated the second class of Hungerford Hurricanes tonight at the Life Center Church. It was beautiful and the kids were beautiful.
I had more fun this year with them lining up -- they were funny to watch.
I was worried after I sat down that it was going to be a long night -- someone's dad was parked right in front of a couple of teachers and I thought he would be in the way all night. He did finally move -- and Romalice did a great job of getting the other grownups to listen and vamoose as well.
I thought the speeches were great -- I just wish I hadn't been mentioned in like ALL of them -- tonight was hard enough. Ruthie's was the hardest, I think -- that whole goodbye thing was a little too much for me.
I liked seeing Wendy and Tim and the '03's who showed up for the festivities, and I liked my hugs.
The biggest downer for me was the PowerPoint -- the guy didn't start the presentation when the boys started playing, so I got up ran upstairs and started it for him, and then the stupid prjectors weren't on so I had to back it up, and then we didn;t even get through the C's before he cut it off again because Charles was playing the same thing again and again. Grrr. Arrrgh. At least it is on the CD.
Thanks everybody and sorry if I didn't do proper goodbyes.
Thanks to the discreet AG students and the ex-AG teacher for keeping things under wraps, and that ex-AG teacher needs to give me a mailing address so I can send her a CD.
Six Peeps. Too many never agains in one night Fu. Nasty tasting caffeine free Diet Pepsi Fu. Great Crispers salad Fu. Carting my boss's toe around in the car twice Fu. Getting up to give my ONE tissue to Tamisha Fu.
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:: Wednesday, May 19, 2004 ::
:: Calvin 10:42 PM [+] ::
#62 -- Anthony Michael Hall and Molly Ringwald are in the auto shop and he is singing Beatles tunes to cheer her up.
"Fresh breath is a priority of my life."
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:: Calvin 10:10 PM [+] ::
I am still only on CD #48, so I put on Sixteen Candles -- it is the one John Hughes DVD I have not watched since receving my wonderful Xmas present from my lovely wife.
I think Paul Dooley is one fo the most udnerrated actors of all time. As a moment of synchronicity, Dennis Christopher (finished #49) played Dooley's son in Breaking Away, one of my favorite all-time films and that was my favorite Dooley-as-father-of-a-misunderstood kid role.
I love the opening credits of this flick -- it is one of the best montages of 80's adolescence ever. Just finished # 50 -- more burning, less typing.
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:: Calvin 9:31 PM [+] ::
Well, I just finished burning Senior CD number 38 -- my goal is at least to do the 70 for the kids tonight -- I can do the others at my leisure tomorrow.
I added some pictures from the the past three days to the CD -- I managed to turn it into a typical Dillon Tour de Force in spite of my best intentions to just throw it together -- I actually had 35 of them done on Sunday, but then I decided to monkey with it.
I am watching the finale of Angel right now -- I think they are punks for not having Cordelia come back to help out.
I like the whole complicated intricate plot with the Black Thorn and Angel joining the evil gang to try to get rid of them all. They are going through a Godfather -style montage of death and destruction.
Angel is getting ready to fight Adam Baldwin -- I loved him in My Bodyguard with Christopher Makepeace. He just through Angel through a column in Wolfram and Hart after Harmony betrayed him and he fired her. Just finished CD #40 -- I love my 52x burner.
Seven peeps. Bittersweet goodbyes Fu. Nice conversations with discreet Ag student Fu. Finally getting hit with silly string Fu. Getting my lunch bought for me by people who felt sorry for me because I lost my keys Fu. Coach bringing me the stupid keys that I left in the stupid weight room Fu. Having a bachelor evening with the dog Fu.
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:: Monday, May 17, 2004 ::
:: Calvin 4:13 PM [+] ::
The senior breakfast was a smashing success, after I had a serious technology hissy fit because the video of Dr. White wouldn't run and the music wouldn't play.
Swine hyperlinks!
I got it to work and was the belle of the ball as usual -- it will become increasingly harder for me to top myself since I am so incredibly awesome! Both my speech and the slideshow rocked, and I think I saw a few Kleenex being passed around.
My room is still a disaster, but that will come together.
The website for my class looks great and is updated through half past right now -- which currently is 4:15 pm
I can't wait to go burn more CDs at home and watch StrongBad emails!
I don't have to see ANY seniors for two whole days!!!! Whoopeeeee!
The ever-reliable Steph has been charged with gathering signatures for the Warner book and she is supposed to bring it Thursday night.
The boys got Hanson's office -- I will post some photos tonight -- I have to head to class soon.
Six peeps. Stupid laptop dangit won't work stupid Fu. Repetitive copyright-free music Fu. Great laughter and wonderful Dr. White faces during the video Fu. Funny drama presentation and last time for seniors to go to a schoolwide activity Fu.
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:: Sunday, May 16, 2004 ::
:: Calvin 10:29 PM [+] ::
I finished the senior CD today -- it has four, count 'em --FOUR PowerPoints, the news website that hte yearbook students worked on, a directory of over 200 pictures, poems written by students, and a touching acknowledgements page from MOI.
I have even made the first 30 copies already -- and graduation is not until THURSDAY!! I ROCK!!!
I hope everything goes well tomorrow with the breakfast and everything.
Starting to get a little sentimental -- but I don't think I will need a hanky or anything.
Ate dinner at the Animal Kingdom Lodge last night -- that was really good -- huge buffet with Middle Eastern and "Afircan" foods along with chicken fingers and macaroni and cheese for obese tasteless American tourists.
We also went to see the Pop Century resort where the in-laws were staying -- very cool place -- thoguh on a memorabilia wall they did have a Superman movie book in with '80's stuff, when of course the movie came out in 1978 (I said 1976 in the place -- but I checked later on IMDB -- I am still right -- the second film came out in 1980 -- the one with the three criminals and Supes giving up his powers to go cisit Lois's teepee -- not a bad flick, but not as good as the first).
I can't believe the year is over already.
Seven peeps. Nice lazy day with my lovely wife Fu.
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