Kingdom of Knuffel

Ah, graduation must be exciting every year, seeing your students "leave the nest" basically

I feel you Moi, my memory of high school grad ceremony is just like a blur of people talking and talking and talking. Grad photos were fun, and I liked going out afterwards to celebrate with my family and stuff, but the whole "crossing the stage" ceremony and stuff isn't for everyone.

Well, back in my time (damn, I'm so old already xD) we did not have any graduation in high school.
We used to do a big night-out party with all the classmates, to celebrate we finally finished an stage.

Now they want movie-like graduations. Fancy dresses, speeches, playing and singing, etc.
It does not make much sense to me, but I think it's enjoyable anyway. I always go to my students'.

Not everybody goes though. Not every student and definetely not every teacher. And that's just ok.
Putting pressure into going to this sort of stuff would only make you hate it.



This time it was unique though.
I usually talk to the graduates' parents, but this was my very first time talking to one of the graduates daughter... who is actually one of my students!

From what I've been seeing, a lot of high schools are giving the students themselves the freedom to plan their graduation through clubs and student council. I think that's such a nice way to allow students to celebrate themselves and their achievements in ways that are meaningful to them, be it through fancy dresses or parties. XD

Personally I think graduation's appeal depends on how much you valued the time you spent? I've been invited to celebrate some of my student's graduations and I remember getting more emotional than I did for my own high school graduation XD Back in high school I kind of just wandered my way through and didn't pay attention to much? To me university graduation was a lot more impactful because I worked my butt off and it was a difficult achievement. And now seeing students graduate I see how far they've come and feel super excited for them :)

Ooo Amura so you taught both this graduate and their daughter? :O that's impressive!

No, he was not my student, only the daughter is.

In my high school there are some vocational degrees as well (ie adult students) as regular high school students. Her father is actually a policeman, but he decided to take this PE degree - which he just finished.
So it was kinda weird the whole year, cause I'd find the father in the corridors in between classes and he'd ask me about the daughter :D


Ah, and another funny thing.
This other student of mine who graduated, great student, very nice girl, also my namesake. Yesterday I met her mom... whom I knew! I had worked with her!
"Oh, you did not know she was my daughter?"
No, I did not, but the student did and she had hidden it from me xD

@Amura: Those sound like such interesting coincidences! I wonder if the father and daughter help each other study I had a student in my AP class whose mom is my co-worker, I knew beforehand so his mom would always ask after his studies too. It was kind of nice because we're good friends so I can communicate easily whenever issues came up!

@Moi: I'm sorry to hear that your experience was so terrible D: That kind of trauma doesn't seem like its worth the photos and "memory" >_< Hopefully you were able to avoid these situations later!

Party is only fun if you want to party.

Oh, well, I've been having quite hectic days lately.
And I still have so many appointments with families in the next weeks...
Nothing unbereable for sure, but on those days when I feel so tired everything seems like a world :|