Yesterday morning I sat outside at school in the early morning, around 6:30, reading Paradise Lost and listening to the songs of birds. I sat in the midst of one of our beautiful gardens, surrounded by flourishing trees, shrubs, and flowers. The birds sang in their quiet, soothing manner while I enjoyed the restful lines of Milton’s poetry.

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As we draw near to the end of the school year, I realize how much I will miss this year’s graduates. Yesterday in class, I sat among the 9^th graders like a father among his children who are preparing to leave home for good. It was a reflective and somewhat melancholy time for me. These are inestimably wonderful kids, whom I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of teaching for two splendid years – and after next week they’ll be gone. I’ve been in their pleasurable and stirring company five days a week for 18 months, but it’s almost over.