Graduation Day

A kindergarten graduation ? Its petty stuff for some people . It should not be overboard ...after all they are just kids ...the arguments that I used to hear . Don't you have anything that is worth while doing ?....questions ex colleagues used to ask me especially those who are not in the education field and who felt kindergarten education is just not their cup of tea ....an unglamorous job ...one said . To that I'll say ..... Snooty lots !!




Yes , another school year is coming to a close . Most kindergartens would be busy preparing the kindergarten students for their graduation ...a year end activity and a proud day in a student's life . I'm sure the kindergarten where I was the principal before had done theirs . I have only memories of those times ...etched in the pages of my mind .

On this day , parents are invited and they get to see their little ones in a cap and gown . Indeed these children look cute as they sing and perform for their parents , brothers and sisters and grandparents too !! As for the parents , they just seat back , enjoy and see how much progress their child had made over the years . One could hear chuckles from parents as they saw their little ones stumble on their lines and another one missed a step in the traditional dance . The once bashful child could be a wreck of nerves on the stage ...nervous and unsure of themselves . Of course ...you are forgiven , my little ones ....I'm proud of you as you had worked hard for this day . To be on the stage at this age performing for your love ones requires all your inner and mental strenghts ! Congratulations !!!

I used to wonder too .....what if the graduation ceremony be simple ....no certificates , no caps and gowns and no performances ? No , that ain't fun . A kindergarten graduation is important ...as important as any other graduation .

Graduating from a kindergarten is a BIG , BIG , BIG Deal !!! To me when the child graduates , it officially ends their " baby years " ...and that these little ones are ready to start their journey into primary one . They are getting more independent and more bold ....after all the two to three years at the kindergarten is a training ground and the curriculum is designed to get them ready for school . These kids are transforming into a person.

As for the teachers and myself we wondered how best to do a ceremony that would be comfortable for all. It must not be too long as it could be " torturous " for the children . Expectations are there ...to do the ceremony as perfectly as possible and the show to run as smoothly as possible . Ohhh......there would be the constant reminder from me not to expect too much from the kids for the simple reason that they are kids .....fumbles and stumbles would be there ...like one's cap will flew off his head or another one that keeps falling off ...or another child whose tassle keeps on touching his nose !! Indeed its a day of high charged activity ...everybody is excited ...from the teachers ...the parents and the children too !! Yes ...the children are celebrating but its the teachers who help to put them in the spotlight .

So PLAN ...PLAN ...PLAN starts as early as the beginning of the year . The songs the children sang and the poems they recite certainly help by the time the year ends . Its a matter of putting in the element of perfection in the final scene . However ...there's bound to be one or two who refuse to participate . So I always remind the teachers not to force them ...just give them a minor role . No child will behave perfectly !! If the child is not on the stage with the other classmates their parents would be disappointed . It indeed is a SPECIAL day for both parents and child and the kindergarten too .



The kindergarten's goodbye gift to each child would be the certificate indicating the child's years of attendance at the kindergarten ...plus a picture of themselves in a cap and gown and another picture of their class teacher ( and me too...hehehe !! ) and their classmates . All these we nicely framed it up in such a way that it could be put up on their book shelves for all to see as parents and the child themselves love to see pictures of themselves and their little ones . The frames can be folded and tucked away and opened again until their next graduaton...perhaps another 12 or 13 years down the road .




I saw each child in their cap and gown as they are individually called up on the stage to receive their " gift" from the kindergarten ...accompanied by music ....and on the white washed wall of the stage , each child's image appeared in a powerpoint presentation . I'm a little happy , a little sad and a lot proud that the teachers and I have helped educate and trained little children who are going to be children of tomorrow and leaders of the future .I'm sure these children will remember this day forever in their lives as we made it special for them .




Till then ....Have a Happy Graduation Day to all !!