二00七年孩子高中毕业。这是一所州立的住读学校，只设有高中三年级和四年级，每年从全州的高中二年级学生中招收七十多人。据说全美国有二十多个州有这样的高中。
毕业典礼在五月中旬，那一天我带着全家人和几家亲朋好友提前到达。典礼安排在州府大楼前门宽阔的平台上，举办得很庄重。
果然名不虚传，规模不大的学校，不足七十个毕业生，却取得了惊人的成绩。可圈可点的个人与团体奖项就有七十多项，包括一些著名的专项奖，全州全国以至国际性的竟赛奖项。
作为毕业生代表，女儿要面对千多位观众作毕业演讲。没想到女儿的表现俨然象一位训练有素的讲员，从容大度，六分钟的演讲几乎感动了所有的来宾老师和同学，给我留下了很深的印象。
Family, friends, SSM faculty, Today we’re here to celebrate the end of a remarkable journey, and the beginning to the rest of our lives. I stand you before to announce that we, the Class of 2007, have made it.
I remember junior move-in day at SSM as if it were yesterday. Mom, you came into my room and cried like a baby. You believed my leaving home would mark the end of my need for you. And in part, you are right. At the age of 17 and 18, our dependence on our parents is much less than what it was two years ago. SSM has opened our eyes to politics and social issues and we have formed our own opinions of the ways of this world. But despite what you may believe parents, we need you now more than ever. We need you to trust us, allow us to thrive in our own communities, believe that we will make the right decisions, and grant us the independence we desire. But also understand that we’re still young and trying out our infant wings. That we will make mistakes, and sometimes fall, and as childish as it may seem, we still need you to be there cleaning up our wounds and helping us heal.
Mom, Dad… Thank you. Thank you for these last 18 years. Thank you for allowing us to come to SSM, to leave home two years early in order for us to have the best possible chance at a bright future. We hope we’ve made you proud today, and will continue to do so for the rest of our lives.
To the SSM faculty, words are incapable of describing the appreciation we have for you. The success this institution has had because of each and every one of you is evidenced here on the front steps of this capital. Each one of us came in with a thirst for knowledge, aspiration for success, and an over-confidence in our own abilities. Your first step was to immediately and brutally humble us. You challenged us with grade-slaying teachers, mountains of homework, and unlimited opportunities to excel. Our first failures and even negative test grades, opened our eyes to a new realm of education. Though at first, we kicked and screamed, resisting your efforts to better us, you tenaciously held on to your faith in our abilities. These past two years, you became more than our professors, you became our mentors, friends, and our parents away from home. You helped us rise to the challenge you set forth, and most importantly, you believed in us. For that, we thank you.
Now to the stars of today’s ceremony, my fellow seniors, we have waited and looked forward to this day for a loooong time. For a time when we can finally say, “Friday night? I’m going to a movie with some friends” instead of “Girls, lets get all of our study guides done by 8PM so we can have 3 hours of group discussions” Now I know its going to take some time to get readjusted to the outside world so I have prepared a few guidelines to assist you in your transition.
Do not be shocked or think the world has come to an end when your internet connection does not automatically shut down at 8pm every evening. Do not be alarmed when your parents catch you red-handed with a DVD in your room, because remember, movies are still considered legal in the outside world. Do not be shocked when you hear that familiar yet eery sound of *phone (Nokia) music* because that’s most likely just your cell phone ringing in your pocket. And lastly, do not be surprised when all the lights don’t turn off at exactly 11PM, and someone doesn’t knock on your door to say “sleepy please”.
But before we leave this place and all of its memories behind, I would like to take a moment to reflect upon these past two years.
Seniors, living together has given us the unique privilege of seeing each other on our best AND worst days. I will never forget how great everyone looked in their dresses and suits at the plays, prom, and Hornets games, and I will NEVER forget how horrible everyone looked after not showering for a week during finals. I will never forget the day that college letters all came out and the shouts of cheers and support reverberating in the dorms. I will always remember those “surprise” birthday parties we attempted to throw for each other, and all the times at the dinner table or in each other’s rooms when we laughed until we cried. These past two years, we grew to be more than just classmates, or even friends, we became a family. So before I say farewell to you, my family, I’d like to say thank you for sharing your joys, laughter, tears, and most of all your heart with me.
As we leave this place, let us not get so carried away with our freedom that we forget our goals and motivations, our promise and desire to change this world for the better. Class of 2007, we have been told that we are some of the best and brightest students in this nation. Today, We have proven this to our family and friends, the faculty here at SSM, and our great state. Now I leave you with a challenge. Take the dedication, persistence, and passion we have developed here at SSM and go prove this to the world.
听完了孩子的演讲，很感动，也很高兴，同时也感到一点失落。培养孩子独立，勇敢，但孩子真正长大独立了，能勇敢顽强地面对生活现实了，要远走高飞了，反而自己觉得一点空虚，一种不再被需要的失落。还有一种特别的感受，说不出是珍惜还是惋惜。这里每个孩子从小学到初中、高中，再到大学，生活道路坦坦荡荡，平平顺顺，没什么大起大落，没有什么惊心动魄命运悠关的竟争与考试，似乎缺少一点什么。或许生活本该就是普通而充实，恬静而喜乐，不该有那么多的惊涛骇浪，平平淡淡就是福泽。
好象是对父母在观念上对名校的热衷，对父母珍藏在心中高考情节难以释怀的理解，毕业典礼之后一个多月，女儿又将父母戏剧性地带到了另一个让人惊喜兴奋，幸福难忘的大型聚会，为她的高中毕业画上了一个更完美的句号。故事发生在白宫，华盛顿。
