High school graduations???

[gabsdot]

A friend of mine showed me some photos of her daughter who finished secondary school last summer. They were taken at the 'graduation' and she was all decked out in a black mortar board and gown.
Why is this a thing? I can put up with the preschool graduations because of the cuteness of the little kids in their coloured cap and gown but for Secondary school?
I worked bloody hard for my degree and wearing the cap and gown at my graduation was a very proud moment for me. I object to 17 years olds getting to do it just because they've left school.
I probably ABU and grumpy but I think it's a bit ridiculous

The people who worked bloody hard to graduate secondary school possibly feel the same about the preschool kids. And the doctorate graduands probably feels the same about you, and the nobel prize winners the same about the doctorate folk. Except actually, those people are hopefully more rounded and just understand that achievement is all relative.

YABVU, I can't think of anything more pointless than a graduation ceremony, but your experience is not devalued because someone of someone elses.

Well I'm sure there are many people out there who would sneer at your achievement too

In the states and other countries it's very normal to do the whole mortar board thing for high school, and lots of private schools here have a big deal leaving thing (no boards and gowns though). Is it really so weird? I'm sure Americans who graduate university don't flip out every time they see a high school graduation ceremony going on.

Everyone has the right to be proud of their achievements and for those things to be recognized, not just you, your degree does not make you special.

But children do not 'graduate' from secondary school here: it is not a stage in their education with any recognised meaning as such. In other countries there are set things for them to undergo, pass exams, get certain amounts of points and so on which count towards your graduation, and you get a certificate saying you have graduated. Which means something.
Here, you just finish your secondary education, you don't have to have passed any exams or achieved anything much other than reasonable attendance. Hence it doesn't really have much, if any, meaning, and seems somewhat pointless.
If it's an end of term awards ceremony with certificates handed out for success in public exams or other fields, DoE etc, them that is obviously different.

Tartyflette, that it my point really. Thanks. It just seems to be dressing up for the sake of it, not to celebrate a specific academic achievement.

I agree op, but mainly because I'd like those students leaving school, to be still valuing the idea of higher education, and hoping to wear a cap and gown in the future upon graduation from 3rd level education.
Getting through secondary school is an achievement that deserves to be celebrated, but not by down playing the whole idea of a cap and gown being a big deal.
I did a course that had graduation ceremony with cap and gowns, but I didn't go....it was a fairly basic level course and I certainly didn't feel worthy of that fuss. If someday I do achieve a degree, I'll wear it then with huge pride.

YABVU to think a high school student having a graduation ceremony somehow demeans your degree qualification.

Leaving secondary school marks the end of formal education for a lot of people, why shouldn't they celebrate it?

What if someone with a PHD scoffed at your trifling little degree?

I don't get it either. The one that made me wonder if I was living in some sort of alternate universe was my local playgroup doing a graduation.

You are being hypocritical to feel preschool graduations are fine but high school graduations are not.
They're both pointless.

Getting through secondary school is an achievement that deserves to be celebrated but everyone who attends 'gets through' they don't all actually achieve though so yup pointless and demeans later qualifications IMO as 'getting through' does not have a qualification to it but graduating does.

Yeah it's a bit pointless and naff but hey. I graduated in October and I definitely didn't stand there in my cap and gown thinking "This would have SO much more meaning if some teens in Solihull hadn't worn a cap and gown too earlier this year". I was too busy thinking about my own achievement

'but everyone who attends 'gets through'

But not everyone does 'get through' do they? Lots of people drop out.

'demeans later qualifications'

In what way? What possible impact can someone's wearing of a graduation cloak have on another person's degree qualification?

Exactly jorah.

another stupid American tradition crossing the pond. It should be stamped out.

I hasten to add that I do not think it stupid for Americans to do it- it's a tradition they have had for decades.

I worked really hard in my GCSE exams and achieved well above what what my teachers were expecting me to do. My parents and family were thrilled.

Is that not worthy of celebration? Or are you the centre of the universe with your precious degree?

In what way? What possible impact can someone's wearing of a graduation cloak have on another person's degree qualification? not a degree so much, but if the whole celebration exercise is touted out for everyone who 'gets through' something with no results eg: everyone who finished school rather than achieves a 'grade' in an exam then it does demean the effort and achievement for those who have achieved exam results. either you say 'yay well to everyone who stuck it out' and everyone gets to celebrate, or you say 'yay well well done to everyone who met the criteria for xxxx grade' an all those who made the grade get to celebrate, and a special well done for those who achieved more' so distinctions etc. just be clear on what the actual 'achievement' is and at what level.

I hasten to add that I do not think it stupid for Americans to do it- it's a tradition they have had for decades.

Graduating HS is an achievement here; not everyone does it, and for most jobs you need a HS diploma at a minimum. Someone who drops out of the 11th grade, for instance, would most likely have to pass a GED (General Educational Development) test in order to obtain more than a minimum wage job. And you can't go on to post-secondary education without either a HS diploma or a GED.