Saturday, June 19, 2004
Rites of Passage
Even though Thursday was the last day of school, yesterday really marked the true start of summer vacation for me and my teacher colleagues. The feeling of waking up to actual sunlight on one's face, without the weight of the coming day's lessons dragging down the spirit, was positively exhilirating. Instead of feeling constant pressure bearing down on your neck, there is...nothing. Just freedom.
In one of life's little ironies, Friday also marked the 10th anniversary of my Bar Mitzvah, the ceremonial transition into adulthood that Jewish males undergo on their 13th birthday. I have never been a particularly religious person, which perhaps explains why the whole Bar Mitzvah experience, while a positive one, seemed forced and hollow. It's as though one day someone woke me up and said, well..that's it, you're a man now, with all the attendant rights and responsibilities therein. But I hadn't really had the life experience to back that up--the exposure to the real world that yields perspective and wisdom.
Yesterday I felt like after ten years I was finally on the way to getting there. And in large part that wisdom has stemmed from my time in the classroom. It has not been easy. It has not always been fun. But it has had its rewards, foremost among them an insight into my own character.
Even though Thursday was the last day of school, yesterday really marked the true start of summer vacation for me and my teacher colleagues. The feeling of waking up to actual sunlight on one's face, without the weight of the coming day's lessons dragging down the spirit, was positively exhilirating. Instead of feeling constant pressure bearing down on your neck, there is...nothing. Just freedom.
In one of life's little ironies, Friday also marked the 10th anniversary of my Bar Mitzvah, the ceremonial transition into adulthood that Jewish males undergo on their 13th birthday. I have never been a particularly religious person, which perhaps explains why the whole Bar Mitzvah experience, while a positive one, seemed forced and hollow. It's as though one day someone woke me up and said, well..that's it, you're a man now, with all the attendant rights and responsibilities therein. But I hadn't really had the life experience to back that up--the exposure to the real world that yields perspective and wisdom.
Yesterday I felt like after ten years I was finally on the way to getting there. And in large part that wisdom has stemmed from my time in the classroom. It has not been easy. It has not always been fun. But it has had its rewards, foremost among them an insight into my own character.
