If you aren’t familiar with my day job, I am also a teacher. I teach science at Canton Harbor High School, a community school in Canton. I teach kids aged 16-21 who have previously dropped out of high school or are behind in credits. These kids are traditional students but that doesn’t mean I love them any less.
Many of them have been told they would never graduate and haven’t had anyone believe in them. But when they come to us at Canton Harbor, they get nothing but acceptance from their teachers and peers. These kids are so unbelievable and they have had so many struggles just to get where they are. Most teens today take their high school diplomas for granted. But not these kids. Some of them are the first from their families to complete high school and many of them never thought they could finish their graduation requirements.
Last Friday I watched 50 (yes FIFTY!) Canton Harbor High School graduates receive their diplomas! Just 2 short years ago when I completed my first year at Canton Harbor we graduated just 25 students and this year we DOUBLED that! I am so INCREDIBLY PROUD of these students and I can’t wait to see what they do in the next phase of their lives!