Anyone else want to go back to 1992 when every single grade didn’t have a “graduation” ceremony?

[monkeym24]

Maybe I’m old school, maybe I’m just grouchy, or maybe the last 3 weeks of school have just broken my spirit. That being said… I only consider something worthy of a “graduation” ceremony if the student is earning a degree.

I’m just generally annoyed by my kids’ schools insisting on all these end of year events and theme days, and then a “graduation” ceremony for Kindergartners. They are 5/6 years old. They aren’t “graduating” and in my area they aren’t even switching schools. Just moving down the hall to first grade.

I’m all for celebrating my kids’ achievements, but I’d much rather take my kindergartner to a Saturday at the Zoo to celebrate the end of school than take a day off work to sit in an auditorium for a Kindergarten graduation ceremony watching my child from 20 yards away.

This is 100% a vent. I’m not going to lobby my school leadership for change. I just needed to complain to someone!

 

[kieshabowles]

@monkeym24 My kid is 4 and "graduating" from pre-K to TK. They asked for $25 for a cap and gown; we didn't pay because while we can afford it we frankly didn't want a gown that would be used once and become forever trash. Got a call from the school asking about it, we asked if it was possible to buy it and just donate it to the school so kids in future years could use it. "No, we use different colors every year, and it says 2024 on it." So we say we just don't really want it and they say "Oh, so will (kid) not be participating in the ceremony then?" Long story short we bought the stupid polyester gown and I'm real mad about it. The 2024 is only on the tassel. It could absolutely be reused. The school must have some sort of deal with the manufacturer.

 

[adryan]

@kieshabowles They usually do. I remember my cap and gown in high school had to be ordered from 1 company and in 2005 it cost $150. The same people that make those ugly ass class rings. They are starting to sell class rings for little kids as well. My aunt got a brochure for her kid who’s going from junior high to higher school. It’s all a joke.

 

[amm]

@adryan Josten’s

 

[kimberlyb891]

@adryan Ding ding ding … this is the answer. Companies figured out how to make more money and now we’re all forking out money for gowns at every age.

 

[godsgrl34]

@kimberlyb891 The caps and gowns, the 2 a year photos instead of one, and all the other little things that add up, and when it's twins so it's both at once, ugh. I am thankful my kids school didn't do a kinder promotion with all the extras but they did a little assembly where the kids sang and it was more enjoyable. They're doing 5th and 6th grade promotion because they are not having 6th at their school next year, but no cap and gown or calling it a graduation. I remember having 8th grade promotion, 5th grade assembly, and actual high school graduation. I'd love to keep it simpler.

 

[spiderguy84]

@godsgrl34 Yes!! When did spring picture day become a thing?!

 

[froggyfan1]

@godsgrl34 Two a year picture day? This would have made sense in the 90s when we were trying to save film and my parents were cutting our heads off and getting bad lighting, but I think we all have thousands of photos of our kids now and can take them virtually whenever we want. It’s not that much of a stretch to have your kid put on a nice shirt and take a photo at home.

Just my 2 cents. I only have a toddler so no idea.

 

[godsgrl34]

@froggyfan1 I do the digital images download option, it's definitely reasonable able to do it yourself.

 

[catholickid96]

@adryan I'm hoping our high school doesn't change the gown for another 4 years so I d9nt have to buy another ridiculously priced plastic gown.

 

[adess22]

@adryan Herf Jones?

 

[ugastargirl]

@adryan Class rings for little kids?! This is one thing I do “get off my lawn about” is that where we look these days, is some company trying to monetize on our sense of nostalgia. It’s exhausting.

 

[katescrima]

@adryan Same, right down to the graduation year

 

[julreto]

@kieshabowles This is weird. Our daycare reuses the cap and gowns and they get to keep the tassle that says 2024. Such a waste to not reuse them!

 

[rockmountman]

@julreto Our daycare reuses the gowns, but the caps were made of paper and got crushed pretty quickly after the ceremony. No cost to us that wasn’t already included in tuition though.

 

[hawkeyeonme]

@julreto Ours does it this way too. Makes so much more sense!

 

[fullfillingpurpose]

@kieshabowles Ffs, what a waste. For kindergarten "graduation" at my elementary school, the students wore a nice outfit or their favorite clothes and made grad caps as an art project. Each kid painted a big piece of paper with whatever colors we wanted and after it dried the teacher cut and taped it into a grad cap shape. That's way more fun and cuter than yet another piece of plastic crap added to a landfill.

 

[bittersweet5]

@kieshabowles I would throw an absolute shit fit over that. We don’t need to buy more crap and create more garbage. And while my family could easily afford it, I’m sure others cannot and don’t need yet another unnecessary thing to buy that will make their kid feel othered if they don’t have it.

 

[axolotl]

@bittersweet5 You’d seriously throw a fit or are you just being hyperbolic?

 

[anonymoushchan]

@kieshabowles My preschooler just had his graduation but it was free and they re use the same gowns. I would not be down for $25 and keeping the gown though. It was during their regular hours and they just sung the alphabet and got called for a piece of paper. Not even 10 minutes so I thought it was a nice gesture.