Congratulations class of 2011

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Congratulations class of 2011
(L.E.T.’S Learn, Evolve, Teach, & Share)
Written By: Jayi Kemp
Twitter/Jayikemp
Jkempga419@gmail.com



As I prepare myself to shoot several graduations over the next coming week, I cannot help but reminisce to myself the joy, pain, and the unknown of preparing for that grand day we all know as graduation.


For me graduation was something I was never able to see happen because of my foolishness and immaturity at the time, but nonetheless that did not mean I had not look forward to it.


In my family graduating was a rite of passage, it was something expected out of all of us, being that I was the first and so far only member of my immediate family not to graduate with a high school diploma I still feel a certain way for not living up to my families expectations of me.
But believe me that is another blog for another day, what I want to share with you guys today was something else entirely different, well kind of sort of!


Graduating from high school is awesome, but why not inform the children of the truth instead of some lofty expectations that most will never be able to live up to or achieve. Harsh right, nope, that’s only if you want it to sound that way. What I am trying to convey over to you is this; let’s do away with this notion that hard work and sheer determination will pay off dividends later in life.


Lets tell these kids that life has it pleasant moments, but it also has its moments that we cannot simply explain. Let’s inform them that their impending job titles do not make them any less of a person regardless of their occupation. Let’s encourage these young men to study hard and be grateful for the simple things instead of encouraging them to live out are fantasies and be wild and reckless.


Let’s tell these women that sex will be something they will experience but let’s encourage them to control their sexuality and help them see that love is beautiful, but that does not mean you have to bear a child for a man, when you know you’re not ready.


Let’s just be truthful with them and encourage them to make wise decisions instead of having them strive for lofty expectations that most of us did not live up to; our future deserves the truth as well as an awesome graduation party :0

- Jayi Kemp