For the second year in a row, my husband Mark and I were listed as “honored readers” in the program for the Washington Homeschool Organization’s graduation. If you’ve ever attended a traditional graduation, you might have the misconception that we were reading the students’ names. But in this unique format, we read the students’ names, their parents’ names, and an 80-word statement written and submitted by the parents in advance. After all, homeschooling is a family affair.

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One of the elements that makes this ceremony extra special is that the parents join their kids on the stage. They come together at the front of the stage; the parents hand their students their diplomas, and the student hands their parents a long-stemmed rose. We read the statements, they pose for a photo, then return to their seats. It’s beautiful.

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I’d received two lists of names the week before graduation, and Mark and I read through both. While the first list contained a traditional Irish name, a pronunciation was listed below it, and the other reader received that list. Our list contained some tricky names, too, and I would be the one to read the six-part name of a Hawaiian graduate. During rehearsal, I read slowly and deliberately and double-checked with the student and his father that I said his name correctly. They said I did. Then I asked about a saying at the end of the 80-word statement, which translates to “We are proud.” The dad came over to coach me, and I took notes.

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Rehearsal ended, the auditorium cleared out, and everyone went to lunch.

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When we returned, Mark and I reviewed our annotated list of names one more time, then headed backstage until it was our time to read. When I got to the Hawaiian name, I carefully read it, then the parent’s statement. Halfway through the statement, just after I read, “You excel in all you do,” someone called out loudly from the audience. I paused and looked up. Two male guests of the graduate were in the aisle, calling out to the grad and his dad, stomping their feet and raising their arms high in a loud and proud Haka-type dance. The dad and grad responded from the stage like mighty warriors preparing for battle. It was INCREDIBLE! This back-and-forth display lasted for about 30 seconds. I stepped back from the mic and enjoyed this spontaneous phenomenon, smiling because I’d been saved by the bell and did not have to read the final line of the prepared statement.

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When it was over, the audience clapped and cheered. Mark said into the mic, “It’s hard to top that.”

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He read the next name, and the ceremony proceeded.

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I share this story because sometimes people think homeschoolers are just awkward, timid kids who stay home with their dowdy mamas, sheltered from the world. Sure, awkward kids exist. But last weekend’s graduation was filled with students who are smart, confident, and ambitious, and their proud families filled the auditorium. Some of the graduates will be pursuing studies in criminal and forensic psychology, pediatric nursing, culinary arts, esthetics, cybersecurity, and IT.

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Graduation is an important milestone. In the homeschooling community, it’s also a celebration of the partnership between parents and their children. Each family’s homeschooling journey is unique, and watching the students cross the stage to honor their parents with a hug and a rose was a moving reminder that education doesn’t just happen in classrooms. It happens in the living room, at the kitchen table, on family field trips, and in everyday life, fueled by the people who love the student the most.

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We were honored to play a part.