An Open Message to Orange's Graduating 6th Graders

About two weeks ago, in a conversation with Mrs. Murray, Principal at Turlkey Hill,  I mentioned my excitement about the upcoming 6th grade graduation and told her my 'speech' was almost finished.  She gently told me, 'You don't speak at graduation.  They all take place at the same time.'   That certainly burst my bubble.  However, I quickly regrouped and let the principals know I wanted to speak to their 6th grade graduates at one of their rehearsals.  That's what happened. Each visit was very informal; I gathered them on the floor and here's what I said:


"First, I want to tell you that I’ve only had a chance to get to know you for five months, and I wish the time had been longer.   Even though we don’t know each other well, I want to wish you a happy and relaxing summer and a great start in Orange Middle School next year.   It’s important to me that you do very well there.

"Now I want to tell you a little story and the theme of this story is ‘out-of the box’ thinking – do you know what that expression means?  [They did, of course, but I wanted to hear it from them!] 

"I grew up on a dirt road in Massachusetts kitty-corner from my Uncle Ernie’s farm.   My Uncle Ralph’s farm was just a little way down the street, too.   It was a great childhood because there was so much land; and in the summer, my sister and I could run all over the place, doing all kinds of interesting things – there were honey bees and lots of clover, cows and cow paths, chickens, horses, and activities like haying and milking and playing in the hay loft.  

"However, sometimes, even with all of that adventure around us, we got bored; and when we did and we started complaining there was nothing to do, my mother would tell us this story that I’m going to tell you.  She would use our real names, Lynn and Janet, and give the other people in the story the names of people we knew.   My mother would say:

“Once upon a time there were two girls who were tired of everything. They were bored… bored…. bored… and complained to their mother there was nothing to do.   Their names were Lynn and Janet.   Their mother, who was always very wise and knew what was important in life told her daughters, 'I know what you can do. You can go on a journey and try to find the little red house with a brown chimney on top. It has no doors and no windows and a star inside.'    

"The two girls thought this idea was very strange. 'Which way should we go?' they asked their mother. 'Anyway you want!' she said.

"The girls went everywhere on their road, up and down, and in between.   After a few hours, they realized they knew every house on the street, and there was no little red house with a chimney on top with no doors and no windows and a star inside.  'Let’s ask somebody,' they decided.

"The girls had not gone very much farther when they came to their cousin playing jump-rope in the road. [In my mother’s story, this cousin had the same name as our real cousin 'Charlene.'] 'Do you know where there’s a little red house with a chimney on top and no doors and no windows and a star in inside?' L ynn and Janet asked their cousin Charlene. 'Let’s ask Uncle Ralph,' Charlene said. 'He knows everything.'

"So, Lynn and Janet and their cousin Charlene went into the orchard where Uncle Ralph was up on a ladder, pruning branches. 'Do you know where we can find a little red house with a chimney on top and no doors and no windows and a star inside? the girls asked. Uncle Ralph laughed.  'It’s right there at your very own feet!' he said.

"The little girls looked down, and at their feet lay about a dozen red apples.  They picked one up.   [At this point I showed the 6th graders an apple.]  Sure enough, the apple was as red as nature had painted it, and the brown stem was as straight as a chimney.   It certainly had no doors and no windows.  But, was there a star inside?

"The two sisters and their cousin went back and gave the apple to their mother.   Their mother took a knife and cut the apple crosswise through its center, and what they saw inside was surprising! There was a star inside! [At this point, I cut the apple crosswise.. or horizontally, through its center and showed it to the students.]

"Their mother said, 'Everything in life is ordinary and boring, unless you think about it differently and try to find the magic inside.'

"My mother probably told my sister and me this story once or twice a month during the summer, whenever we complained there was nothing to do.   She told us the story to remind us that it was how we looked at something that made it either boring or interesting.   It was up to us. And then she would cut us each an apple -- always cutting it differently than other mothers I knew.

"There’s a reason I’m telling you this story. You’re leaving elementary school and you’re moving on. Soon, you’ll start making more and more decisions.  First about new friends... and then boyfriends and girlfriends... and then part-time jobs and going to college... and eventually you’ll find a career.   And all of those decisions will bring you closer and closer to being grown-ups.   But I want you to remember that a book or a classroom lesson in school or a day on the job or a day in your life … or your whole life for that matter … will not, all by itself, be either ordinary or boring.   It will be how you look at it that will make it interesting.  

"Whether something is boring or interesting is completely up to us, and when we are interesting and think out of the box, something as plain and ordinary as an apple, can have a star inside.  As you go forward in your life, always try to think about things a little bit differently; and, as often as you can, cut your apples crosswise!"