No Plans, No Graduation Rite, Seniors Told. At eight San Fernando Valley high schools, students are only being allowed to participate in graduation ceremonies (walking across the stage) if they have committed to post-secondary education or training – college, trade school or the military. I’m all for post-high school training, but is it right to force it on them? There are always some kids who just aren’t ready to make that choice, and because education is only mandatory to the 12th grade, I think it’s wrong to deny them the chance to walk across the stage. That should be a given, whether you have plans in place for after high school or not, don’t you think?
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You MUST Have a Plan…
14 replies on “You MUST Have a Plan…”
If I busted my butt for twelve years to graduate from high school, I’d be damned if I wasn’t allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony. Like you said, some kids just aren’t ready to make that leap to the next level, and it would be unfair to allow someone who is going to college walk and prevent another student from walking who may have worked harder than the one who is continuting their education.
I’d imaginge a lot of parents wouldn’t be too keen to this idea either.
that’s utterly amazing… God forbid that someone already have a job lined up… or a trip to Europe… or whatever. isn’t part of being an adult being able to make choices as to what direction your life is taking? nobody should be forced to go to school if it’s not what they want…
That is just wrong. Some people are not cut out for a post-secondary education, or a job, or the military. Some people need to take a year off before they begin life after high school. What about those with special needs (mentally handicapped/challenged individuals) that only wanted to earn a high school education and then cannot attend college, or hold a job?
My goodness! I can see someone who just didn’t do well in school, working his or her BUTT off to make it through high school, and then to find out they didn’t even get to participating in the ceremony? That seems like denying them of their rite to be excited for making it. “we’ll mail you your diploma” just isn’t nearly as exciting. That’s really sad. I totally agree with you – if education is only manditory until the end of high school, its not fair to expect more out of the kids before you let them be part of the ceremony.
I can see where people who do make it through and plan to go onward in their education would find the ceremony not nearly as much fun without everyone they went to school with. Or at least my small-school mind would find that to be true! (I graduated with a class of 42 students, my sister Megan – 33!!)
It’s almost like taking away a Catholic Priest’s right to molest children.
</sarcastic humor>
What a bunch of elitist crap. I think it’s awful. Why make young adults feel ashamed of making the choice not to pursue more education? Rubbish.
I graduated from our equivalent of high school last year – we didn’t have a formal ceremony of sorts, but we did have a little shindig. It’s enough of a trauma just to get through it; to then say that people can’t celebrate it just because they don’t have immediate plans is just wrong. Granted, I know lots of people who’ve gone on gap years to earn more money, thanks to the catastrophe that is the English higher education funding system; so what, they wouldn’t be able to walk because they want to earn money to go to uni?! Madness, I tell you.
I never finished high school but I did go straight onto post-secondary education. One thing I did regret is never actually finishing high school and not allowed to go to graduation, that seems prejudicial of peoples personal choices whether to study further or not.
I agree with you Christine, I couldn’t believe that they would disallow students to participate in ther own graduaction. Some kids just aren’t ready to pursue futher education right after high school. Some of them need to travel and some need to find out what they want to do, who they are and what is best suited for them in terms of further education if any post secondary education. Heck, There are even some students that I know who are in their final years of University who feel that they haven’t made the right choice.
Looking back, I think it’s amazing that we ask kids at the age of 17 or 18 to figure out what they want to do with the rest of their lives. Some people are able to make that choice. I wasn’t – my dream job wasn’t an option back then – it was 10 years before I moved in to the Internet field! In 1987 my Mom asked me “why don’t you major in computer science?” I said “WHY? What would I *ever* do with that???” Oops. I’d be doing what I do now, only making more money!
I know when I graduated from high school that I “thought” I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up…well it turned out that I didn’t have the slightest idea what I was getting into. I ended up in college and changing my major in my 4th year…and I still graduated in 5! Forcing kids to make a decision that will effect their entire life is horrible. There needs to be a transition period between high school and college for people to “find” themselves or at least what they are interested in or just to start out in the work force…
I couldn’t afford ANY college, none, zero, zilch…so I joined the Army, got out and went to college. I would be madder than hell about this. Very elitist.
I think gap years seem to be pretty popular here in Britain, made more popular by Prince William’s gap year… unfortunately, a lot of people think things aren’t open to them because they cost huge amounts to do. I would have travelled if I’d had the option, but things like volunteering abroad cost something like £3000, and considering that a lot of people take gap years to get money for uni in the first place it’s just not open to a lot of people. Still, no reason to deny someone their big send-off… they’ve done the work, why shouldn’t they be rewarded for it?
What utter crap! I couldn’t afford to go to college out of high school and didn’t realize yet that I was going to join the Air Force. How ridiculous to negate past accomplishments because a kid doesn’t have immediate plans for the future!