Stop Sharing Your Senior Pictures in Solidarity for the Class of 2020: It isn't Helping

There are a lot of fun pandemic trends {like sharing Tiger King memes and contemplating how Carole Baskin killed her husband}, but this mom of a senior is asking you to not post your senior picture in "solidarity" of the class of 2020. It doesn't honor the seniors, all it does is solidify all the things our students are missing out on. It honors your past, and your fun trip down memory lane isn't helping our kids feel any better about their circumstances.

Stop Sharing Your Senior Pictures in Solidarity for the Class of 2020

I'm not implying that you are sharing your senior picture maliciously, I just want you to consider for a second your why behind sharing them. Is it really to stand in solidarity with the class of 2020? Because I could think of a handful of better ways that you could do this, and posting a photo of you enjoying your senior year and taking a trip down memory lane isn't one of them. Your well-intentioned post is a bit tone-deaf don't you think?
Seniors were on the verge of the very best part of high school. Their final sports seasons, the last production they would star in, the awards assemblies and the end of the year events and milestones, not to mention prom and the penultimate, graduation. 
All of this was taken away at a moment's notice. They didn't realize as they walked the halls back in March that that would be the final stroll as BMOC. They were left without closure.

Sharing your senior photos only reminds students of a rite of passage that has been taken from them. 

The seniors from the class of 2020 are grieving right now. They are feeling all the feels and working through the emotions and need time to process their current uncertain situation. We all realize there are bigger things in the world to worry about than the fact that a student doesn't get their prom or their graduation, but to these kids, it is a big deal and it doesn't honor them by minimizing it.
Many students were anticipating the events that were scheduled for the final months of school for years. Let's be honest, those final few months are the fun months. The time when students could sit back and enjoy school rather than worry about grades, essays and college applications. 
Those final few months were the time when students get recognized for their achievements. As a mom, I was looking forward to seeing my daughter get called up on stage to accept her academic awards I know she's worked hard on. To see her honored for her achievements and to hear teachers we respect taking time to share encouraging platitudes that will help our kids soar as they enter into the next phase of adulthood. 

Instead, our students were thrown into the realities of adulthood by a virus. There is almost always an apprehension of the future, but can you imagine coming of age in the time of a global pandemic? 

I know we all want to do what we can to help, but our students in the class of 2020 need grace and compassion. They don't need you jumping into some trend that gives you a reason to dig through your old high school photos. This isn't about you right now. 
And please, oh please, don't start posting your senior prom photos either. I'm not sure they could take it!

If this made you mad, you probably won't like my thoughts on pre-school and kindergarten graduation either.

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