The end-of-year graduation is one of the events that marks the end of the school year in most educational centers. It is celebrated more and more and at younger ages: they begin at the end of the 1st Cycle of Early Childhood, at 2 years old; at the end of the Early Childhood Education stage, at the end of Primary, Secondary, Baccalaureate or Vocational Training… ah! And of course, upon finishing university studies. The end-of-year graduation is the current event in most schools this June, so I want to share some thoughts about this celebration.
End of course graduation: some reflections
Indeed, I want to share some reflections on the end-of-year graduation in the stages with which I have the most contact, Early Childhood and Primary Education. To do this, I am going to present the positive aspects that this celebration has, but also some questions to think about and reflect on about her.
I begin with the values and positive aspects of the end-of-year graduation celebration:
1. The preparation work
First of all there is a lot of preparation work behind it. With such young children, especially in the case of Kindergarten, everything that parents contemplate on graduation day has involved a lot of preparation effort: dances, performances, words, preparation of the stage… Here the teachers make clear their versatility and They alone are capable of handling about 40 children on average at a time. Parents also participate in this work, in many cases, preparing dresses and accessories.
2. Effort of the tutors
Experience tells me that tutors make an extra effort preparing for the end-of-course graduation. To the daily and everyday work, this plus of preparing the celebration is added. Many tutors do it with special enthusiasm by preparing one, two or several surprises, commemorative gifts and souvenirs. Much of this work is done at home, outside of school hours, and not only the educators are also involved, but also the teachers’ own partners, the children… and the teachers’ parents, in many cases.
3. Illusion for families
For fathers and mothers it is a moment of special excitement, also for grandparents, uncles… Everyone “drools” when they see their children and contemplate, at the end-of-year graduation ceremony, that they go through stages , who are growing and taking little steps to stop being children and become a little more adults. Parents experience this event with contradictory feelings: the hope and excitement of seeing them grow, but a certain sadness at leaving stages behind and some vertigo at the future that begins.
4. Example of integration and attention to diversity
Finally, I want to highlight that the end-of-year graduation events are an example of integration and attention to diversity. Tutors have a special sense of smell for assigning roles and functions on the spot to all children, to all without exclusion. Because all the boys and girls in the class participate in the graduation.
However, from my point of view, there are also some aspects of the end-of-year graduation, especially in Early Childhood and Primary Education, that we should reflect on, without intending to be a spoilsport.
1. Disproportionate effort
In many cases I believe that a disproportionate investment at the end of year graduation. And I don’t mean financial investment, but rather the investment of effort and time. In many cases, preparations begin back in March, almost three months before. A lot of time is dedicated to it, time with the children and time outside of school hours by teachers and families. Is it really worth spending the time and effort on end of year graduation? Is it so relevant in the educational process? I’m going to get wet and my opinion is that it is disproportionate and that that time and effort should be invested in the learning process. And it doesn’t matter to me that children learn while preparing for graduation… if we put it that way, children always learn, as one said, “despite school.”
2. Stress and tensions
Preparing for the end-of-year graduation entails stress and tensions among teachers. The preparations, the hours and spaces to rehearse…; also between teachers and students, between the students themselves, between parents and teachers… I think the same thing about this: Is it worth creating this feeling of stress, tension and bad atmosphere for an entire quarter because of graduation? Is there so much at stake?
3. Obligation for teachers
In schools, as in any human group, “customs become laws” and if one year there is an end-of-year graduation… the following year, not only do we have to celebrate it as well, but the teachers are forced to surpass the bar. Nobody wants to be different, let alone question this event. So since assertiveness and acting according to one’s own convictions is not something that is abundant among teachers, every year they are forced to carry it out and “throw the house out the window”, as we say in Spain, for such a weighty reason. like… “because it has always been done that way.” It is curious that parents rebel against a tutor who does not want to do an end-of-year graduation, or who does an act that is too austere. Sometimes, parents, you don’t know where you tighten and where you let up when we talk about the education of your children, and you are very demanding for some things… and for others, you look the other way.
The fact is that the end of year graduation It was initially a celebration designed for those who completed their university graduation and obtained an academic degree. Now, as things stand, when graduation arrives, boys and girls have experienced five previous graduations: in kindergarten, at the end of Early Childhood Education, Primary, Secondary and Baccalaureate. I don’t know if they will get bored at the real graduation…
This is our Western culture, in which increasingly, we play with children at being adults, perhaps because we never reach sufficient maturity to be real adults.
If you want to know my reflections on other educational topics, I recommend that you visit my Section on the portal, or read these other articles:
We need another pedagogy.
School Olympics: educational values.