Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become graduates.
The procedures and traditions surrounding academic graduation ceremonies differ around the world. Whereas in most countries a graduation usually only occurs at university level, in the United States graduations often occur at high schools where no higher education qualifications are conferred upon the graduates. In a graduation ceremony the students dress up in special graduation caps and clothing that are made just for this purpose.
So it was last week where all across America students graduated from kindergarten all the way to college. As with word usage and ceremony the local culture plays a key role in what defines a term. America is well known for capitalizing on any idea and milking it even if it is a bull (pun intended).
Take graduation for example.
I literally saw small children the size of a gnome holding their light blue graduation cap (also called Mortar Board) trying to walk without this grotesque gear falling off their puny heads. The square hat looked like a miniature helipad on which a miniature chopper was soon going to land. People mostly parents were at hand to clap and celebrate their kinders graduating from an in home daycare cum preschool.
I mean really? Now we have run out of candy feeding days and secretaries that we have to push our idea of completion of a year (of academic study?) on to individuals who don't know how to spell graduate?
When I was doing the growing up we just passed. As in from one grade to another. And as a logical corollary there were those that failed. To pass. As in sat in one more year in the same grade to get their marbles organized so they knew their aldehyde from a glycol or a ketone or some such equally bizarre concept that truly would be useless in their careers - mostly. But you get the idea. The kids for their part were thrilled to not have to memorize some weird sounding Greek and go back to playing with marbles - the real ones made of glass.
In America at least in our neighborhood or the broader bay area it is about pomp and circumstance. One parent tries to outdo the other in how they celebrate their offspring making it to the next school year. There are parties. I have never seen anyone fail. We must be special.
Our child also wrapped a year of middle school and there were serious celebrations at hand amidst the variety of parents attending with flower bouquets and cheering. Our community happens to be of high achiever parents and therefore kids and the makeup is largely Asian. Some students excel well beyond their peers and I think those ought to be highlighted to a point, so as to encourage the student and serve as an example for others to know what's possible through hard work. But organizing parades for every little pit stop IMHO dilutes the true meaning of what it is to Graduate - In life.
The procedures and traditions surrounding academic graduation ceremonies differ around the world. Whereas in most countries a graduation usually only occurs at university level, in the United States graduations often occur at high schools where no higher education qualifications are conferred upon the graduates. In a graduation ceremony the students dress up in special graduation caps and clothing that are made just for this purpose.
So it was last week where all across America students graduated from kindergarten all the way to college. As with word usage and ceremony the local culture plays a key role in what defines a term. America is well known for capitalizing on any idea and milking it even if it is a bull (pun intended).
Take graduation for example.
I literally saw small children the size of a gnome holding their light blue graduation cap (also called Mortar Board) trying to walk without this grotesque gear falling off their puny heads. The square hat looked like a miniature helipad on which a miniature chopper was soon going to land. People mostly parents were at hand to clap and celebrate their kinders graduating from an in home daycare cum preschool.
I mean really? Now we have run out of candy feeding days and secretaries that we have to push our idea of completion of a year (of academic study?) on to individuals who don't know how to spell graduate?
When I was doing the growing up we just passed. As in from one grade to another. And as a logical corollary there were those that failed. To pass. As in sat in one more year in the same grade to get their marbles organized so they knew their aldehyde from a glycol or a ketone or some such equally bizarre concept that truly would be useless in their careers - mostly. But you get the idea. The kids for their part were thrilled to not have to memorize some weird sounding Greek and go back to playing with marbles - the real ones made of glass.
In America at least in our neighborhood or the broader bay area it is about pomp and circumstance. One parent tries to outdo the other in how they celebrate their offspring making it to the next school year. There are parties. I have never seen anyone fail. We must be special.
Our child also wrapped a year of middle school and there were serious celebrations at hand amidst the variety of parents attending with flower bouquets and cheering. Our community happens to be of high achiever parents and therefore kids and the makeup is largely Asian. Some students excel well beyond their peers and I think those ought to be highlighted to a point, so as to encourage the student and serve as an example for others to know what's possible through hard work. But organizing parades for every little pit stop IMHO dilutes the true meaning of what it is to Graduate - In life.
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