For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for June 15, 2015

Just dippy loma… I mean we didn’t have graduations for kindergarten/elementary/or jr. high when I was a brat….

The first step on the road to self-esteem camp.

Wouldn’t want John get eyes on him at the graduation thinking Elly left him.

I may be wrong, but somehow this doesn’t look like it’s all that important to Elizabeth…

Oh, it’s important…my grandson just graduated from kindergarten. They sang:Start spreading the newsWe’re leaving todayWe want to be a part of itFirst grade, first grade(heehee)

My grandson just graduated from kindergarten. If kids graduate after every grade, by the time they actually get to high school graduation, it’ll mean nothing.

@suevanv

My daughter sang the same song. :) They had top hats and everything. It was too cute.

Our older daughter didn’t have a ceremony, but our younger one did…and it was a nightmare. There were 3 classes. Our daughter was in the 3rd. By the time the 3rd class was announcing names, most of the other parents were either filing past us to leave or talking so loud (THEIR kid was already announced, so it didn’t matter to them). My husband and I had gotten there early to get a good seat, and just as our daughter was announced (which we didn’t hear, but could see her walking up to the teacher) my husband went to snap a picture…and got a great pic of a mom’s butt as she plowed in front of us to get a few pictures of her son. If one of the other teachers hadn’t gotten a few pictures, we wouldn’t have had any.

Didn’t Canada call their grades “1A & 1B” back then?

Let them have their little diploma ceremonies, but when it comes time to graduate from high school make them earn the diploma or give them a “Certificate of Attendance”. ‘No Child Left Behind’ has thoroughly discredited the value of a diploma.

Elly better get her head on straight, her priorities straight and pay more attention to her family. It’s ok to work outside the home and have outside interests, but don’t ever forget a childs events.

I didn’t go to kindergarten but I do remember that neither of my parents showed up for my 7th grade graduation. I had to ‘hook’ a ride home with a teacher friend, I was on her way ! ! ! Didn’t bother me a bit that they weren’t there, I was used to it !! ! !! ’

“Graduation from Kindergarten” was very important to my children. I remember that one better than the other graduations. I wasn’t an invitation kind of occasion. It was just us and the kids. Each one of them (we have three) got wound up with excitement, for some reason. That was over 35 years ago.

I can imagine that today it might be an even bigger day, what with the special preparations and gowns, and cakes. I’m hearing that it has become “BIG”.

We had a little graduation ceremony from kindergarten in New Orleans back in 1965, where my part was reading something about Flag Day. Mom still has a pic of me in cap and gown.

Whether it’s “No Child Left Behind” or “Common Core,” kids are getting shortchanged by public schools. High school graduates today are both full of self-importance and totally unprepared to face a world that doesn’t tell them how wonderful they are. No wonder they want to live at home until they’re in their 30’s…the real world is at odds with what they’ve been taught to believe it is.

the graduation comic is one of my favorites :) “LENS CAP” :)

I didn’t “graduate” from Kindergarten, or 8th grade. If I knew then what I know now I never would have attended my High School Graduation. It cost me $20 dollars for the rental of the cap and gown, and that was in 1970, almost half a weeks wage. I did NOT attend my college graduation and I still got my diploma.

At my school we have a nice middle school “Culmination” ceremony (can’t call it ‘graduation’ according to some district suit’s memo). No caps/gowns but kids are encouraged to dress up. They do get a rendition of Pomp and Circumstances from our band, and the de rigueur speeches (including a valedictorian). This year we were under new ‘guidelines’ that kept 30% of the kids out of the ceremony (they still moved on to high school, just no ceremony).Yes, many of our kindergarteners have a special ceremony as well — that goodness they don’t have a kinder prom to worry about…

(A true story?)“I’ve never seen your college diploma.”“You know, neither have I – I just filed it away when I graduated five years ago. Think I’ll get it out!”(Ten minute search through files)“Ah, here it is – never been opened!”Inside the folder was a note:Please stop by the registrars office by 4 pm Thursday for your diploma.

Lynn’s Notes:

I sent in this strip knowing it wasn’t one of my best. Again, the pressure of a relentless deadline will often result in an “OK, it’s done, I’m sending it!” situation. For someone trying to analyze this for its humour (and there are people who do this kind of thing), what I was trying to do was to contrast Lizzie’s English language gaffes with something which has meaning. HUH? Anyway, it didn’t work. This is where a storyline (rather than gag-a-day) helps because the audience, by following a series, might overlook one lousy strip! Did I make that clear? No? Uhhhh…OK…NEXT!!!

Are the Pattersons facing of these situations where Elly has to work:*They have an account in collections and need to make a payment.*They do not eat tomorrow if no money comes in.*Their utilities are about to be shut off.*Their car is on the verge of repossession.If none of the above applies, how come Elly can’t do this? Elizabeth is not going to be a child forever, and it sounds like Elly is unaware that life is passing her by.

Kindergarten Graduations are never “important” to the Kids. It’s all for the Parents..Yet another symptom of “Helicopter Parent” syndrome.

The imitation of it in Florida is doing very poorly, thanks to the fact that the expensive consultant who was brought in to computerize the tests has yet to be able to administer a test when the system didn’t crash.

Of course, the consultant keeps saying its because someone is ‘hacking’ the system. Like the Chinese really care to steal our kids answers to questions. Of course, the consultant still gets paid, so he doesn’t care, either.

And some of the kids who have studied their heads off, only to have the computer either crash when they sign on, or wipe out their answers half way through? Some of those kids got physically ill from the anxiety.

The upshot is the big important Florida Department of Education decided to not use these tests to decide if the kids will be promoted this year. They will rely on the local tests that are also administered instead.

But the common core-Florida version tests will still be used to decide if the school and teachers are ‘worthy’, or if the school needs to have all its teachers switched out. Like the teachers had anything at all to do with the fact that the computer system crashed…

The school I went to had 8th grade graduation because that was the Highest Grade taught.After that, you Transferred to a High School that only featured grades 9 – 12.