June 26, 2012

I was privileged to be one of 2 keynote speakers at the Crossroads middle school graduation ceremonies.  What made this different from other school ceremonies I’ve attended is that these students are incarcerated. Crossroads is part of Passages Academy a division of the NYC Department of Education. They offer educational services to certain youth faculties in the city. I’d visited this school a few weeks before, as an author of comics, and spent quite some time with a number of the kids. We’d talked about writing for a living, the actual profession of creating comic books, and the power of imagination. I’d made a point of stressing that last part because I truly believe that if a child cannot envision themselves succeeding in the future, then they cannot see any use for the lessons we’re trying to teach them now.

The odds these kids were up against are far from the mundane, or basic struggles of teen life. They go beyond peer pressure, grades, popularity, or prom premiere. More than many children — though they do not hold a monopoly on self-doubt and confusion — these kids have been given the impression that they don’t have a chance at improving their lives.

As a teaching artist and guest speaker lot of what I do is geared toward changing that viewpoint.  The more useful, innovative, skilled, problem-solving, and decent human beings we have on this earth, the better it will be for us all.

And so I felt privileged to have been part of that celebration! It was great to see these children who — with the help of their teachers, and the support of family and friends  — take steps to go forward on a better path.  It is my hope they can keep to it — no matter what challenges lay ahead.