Nursery School Graduation

Sounds grotesque, but it must be something the parents (or grandparents) want...

I'm not offended by earlier 'graduations', but before High School they seem inappropriate. Some celebration for finishing grade school is fine, but a formal ceremony? Nuh-uh.

Some sort of ceremony is nice for grade school and jr. high. It is important for high school. Irrelevant for college or university.

American high school graduation ceremonies are kitsch, according to my tastes.

Berets and gowns were originally designed for college professors. The average high school graduate is miles away.
Now, to do that for nursery school tells us a lot about the ridiculous world of appearances we're building.

Re: Nursery School Graduation


I think this is the crux of it. It's cute. Photo-op.

The more often it happens, the less it means. I had three graduation ceremonies -- elementary school, high school, and college. That felt right. Each marked a major ending/ beginning, and leaving an institution where I'd spent a significant chunk of my life. (6 years of elementary school, 4 each for HS and college.)

Caps and gowns belong to universities, I believe - if people want 'em - I never went to any of my degree ceremonies, as it happens.

I find the idea of a ritual of some sort for kids at the end of Primary School (is that what "Grade" school means in the US?) and at the end of High School to be a reasonable and appropriate thing - but what is being described here makes me wanna be sick - as do caps and gowns and such in schools.

I don't want to be rude, but the impression I get from this is that some Americans are just too affluent and can always find a frivolous way to spend their excess money.

The worst thing about it is that we imitate them so much, we'll end up doing the same sort of corny ceremonies, but without the money and "cute looks".

I voted for High School only. I know one of your other topics is self-esteem, Noddy, so I'll toss this out - my self-esteem wasn't crushed because I didn't get a cutie-cute photo op when I left nursery school.

Another thing - if we do the cutie-cute photo op after every scholastic milestone, won't some children get more of these than others?

For most American school districts:
Nursery is very, very young - up to age 3 or so.
Then Kindergarten - up to age 5 or so.
Then Grade School (also known as Grammar School), Grades 1 - 6, or ages 6 - 11 or so.
Junior High School, Grades 7 - 9. Ages 12 - 14 or 15.
High School, Grades 10 - 12. Ages 15 or 16 - 18.

Some districts don't do Junior High and instead do what's called Middle School. It's supposedly easier on the kids as it puts grades and ages together more logically. For those districts, after Kindergarten, it goes:
Grade School, Grades 1 - 4, ages 6 - 9.
Middle School, Grades 5 - 8, ages 10 - 13 or 14.
High School, Grades 9 - 12, ages 14 or 15 - 18.

Other school districts and/or private schools combine Grade School and Middle School, so they handle Grades 1 - 8, ages 6 - 14. Then the kids go to a four-year High School.

Nursery School also isn't a state requirement (some kids just go to Day Care until they start Kindergarten). Do Day Care centers offer graduation ceremonies?

Oy, it just strikes me as, like fbaezer says, a place to drop off some excess cash, and not a celebration of too much actual academic achievement. Is Nursery School (or Day Care) important? Absolutely. But to do all of these graduations just strikes me as watering down the whole shooting match.

Thank you all.

I have a snobbish horror of turning children into performing animals. While a Nursery School Graduation certainly ranks above a Tom Thumb Wedding "Ceremony", the kids do not know what is going on (I know of one child who went through a Nursery School Graduation--cap and gown, but no flowers--and burst into tears the next Monday because she couldn't go back to Nursery School!).

Nursery School teachers mourn that while they have to limit seating for "graduation" they have great difficulty through the school year finding parents to chaperone field trips.

"Each to her own taste," said my grandmother as she kissed the cow. I'm a snobbish bovine busser.

Thank you all.

I have seen one of those nursery school extravaganzas, and believe me it is the very essence of kitsch. It is not for the kids- It is for the parents.

Graduation from nursery school IS a rite of passage. I could see a nice party with the parents attending, lots of balloons, ice cream and cake. Caps and gowns indicate substantial educational achievement- and should be reserved for university graduations.

Good lord. What a horrendous thought. I barely think high school grad ceremonies are appropriate. Definitely no caps and gowns before the uni level.

My dog 'graduates' from beginner obedience on Sunday. We were told to bring cameras as there will be caps! What is going on in this world?