Graduation Decorum Rant

[Happyinwonerland]

They use to tell us that we would end up in detention if we misbehaved.

One of the students let the administration know that after we graduated, we would no longer be students and detention would be a joke. The administrator got kind of flustered and told everyone, "Just behave."

Our's reminded us that we had to pick up our diploma the next week, they could/would/did withhold it for some students.

My high school didn't give out the real diplomas at graduation, and they could withhold them if we didn't behave. I knew one grad who wasn't allowed to walk across the stage because he had a tongue ring in and it was against dress code. We were made to unzip our robes to show our dresses underneath (had to be all white), and we had to wear black shoes. It was so irritating.

 

[DISNEYSQUIRRELS]

Trust me I had some choice thoughts in my mind, instead I just sat there shaking my head.

Well you kept it classy & didn't stoop to their very low level, so that is good self control!
It is sad when certain events & ceremonies are not given the attention & dignity they deserve.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I haven't been to any graduations or other school events where people don't know "the rules" but I've heard tell about strange doings at funerals and weddings.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Our school handed them to you on stage. Nothing to hold over your head. Thankfully.

 

[sasywtch]

When my daughter graduated from college, they asked the audience to stay seated, not to yell when their person's name called, etc. They called my daughter's name and just as she got up to the stage to get her diploma, I took a picture (of the people in front of me). The group in front of me, I guess it was their daughter next decided to all stand up and yell when they saw she was sitting in the chair next to go up on stage. They hadn't even called their daughter's name yet. I have a wonderful picture of their backs.

 

[goofy4tink]

At dd's high school graduation, back in 2012, the announcement was made to hold all cheering until the end. Did that happen? Nope. And heaven forbid you sit behind the family that held up huge signs as their graduate walked....with our graduate right behind. Missed some great shots due to the posters in front of us blocking the view!!! You could barely hear the names announced with all the over loud cheering for each graduate.
Ah her college graduation, the college left an area open right in front of the stage....that way parents could walk up, grab a photo of their child, then leave the area and return to their seat. Well....most people understood the concept. Others? Not so much. A few parents had to be told to leave the area! Thank heaven the school had someone stationed there to keep it flowing!!
I really wish families could remember that everyone at that ceremony has someone that deserves to be cheered for and acknowledged, and that it's nice to be able to hear each child's name announced!

 

[Mickeypooh99]

My son will be graduating on Thursday. I was already worrying about this issue. I have been to several graduations where people are rude and noisy. I've seen air horns and cow bells, posters, groups of people walk out after their kid is done. I can't understand it. How do they not realize its disrupting, and causing some families to miss their child's name being called. My nieces college graduation was awful! The worst I've seen. I was so annoyed. Luckily we heard my nieces's name called, but there were definitely a lot of kids whose names couldn't be heard.

 

[cabanafrau]

Circumstances can really depend on whether it is ok or not. My daughters dance recital was 3 hours long!
For our youngest she was well bored, had they all not been in the finale we would have left at 1/2 time.

When mine were dancing recitals were generally 4 to 4-1/2 hours long. Some of the very youngest did leave at intermission, but the director encouraged all who were able to remain for the entire show because all of the dancers deserve an audience. Eventually she started the tradition of an extended finale with everyone coming onstage after the closing production number.

 

[ronandannette]

My high school didn't give out the real diplomas at graduation, and they could withhold them if we didn't behave. I knew one grad who wasn't allowed to walk across the stage because he had a tongue ring in and it was against dress code. We were made to unzip our robes to show our dresses underneath (had to be all white), and we had to wear black shoes. It was so irritating.

At that point don’t you just pop the tongue ring out temporarily and get on with it? Not the time or place to take a stand against the system. I’d have been good and truly pissed at my kid if that were him.

 

[ronandannette]

When mine were dancing recitals were generally 4 to 4-1/2 hours long. Some of the very youngest did leave at intermission, but the director encouraged all who were able to remain for the entire show because all of the dancers deserve an audience. Eventually she started the tradition of an extended finale with everyone coming onstage after the closing production number.

That sounds like a unique form of torture. I’ve never been to any event of that kind that was as long. You’d need a meal break, several trips to the bathroom and maybe even a nap to get through it. And it seems insane to bring young children.

 

[rajak73]

We just had some of this happen last week, shouting, cheering, yelling out childs name, "way to go", etc, it was my grandsons Kindergarten graduation. Uh. You people do realize they have 12 years left? Are you happy they passed kindergarten? And the lady in front of us missed her kid graduating by looking at the graduation on a 2 1/2" screen, (phone). One person was videoing there kid/grandkid with the phone WITH THE FLASH LIGHT ON! Lit up the people in front of them very nice. LOL

 

[cabanafrau]

That sounds like a unique form of torture. I’ve never been to any event of that kind that was as long. You’d need a meal break, several trips to the bathroom and maybe even a nap to get through it. And it seems insane to bring young children.

Actually it was overall quite well done. Wasn't quite your normal style of dance recital. They're noted for doing a high production show complete with props, true lighting design, backdrops and integrating numbers so that there is a flow and you're not spending just as much time transitioning between numbers. They even had a system for transitioning the tiny tots on and off creatively without stopping the show.

I've been to shorter shows for other studios that seemed twice as long because they might attempt a quasi production number to open and then reverted to the closed curtain, open curtain, dance, close curtain, repeat; or the style of marching dancers on, find their spots, start music, march dancers off, repeat. Those are torture.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

Ugh. A little late to the discussion, but we were just at DD13's 8th grade graduation last night (yes, they do this big thing, but that's another whole rant)

It was at the high school gym, and there was PLENTY of room for EVERYONE - tons of space and seats.

A huge family sits right in front of us on the bleachers with not only one, but TWO huge bunches of balloons. Really!!!?

DD's best friend's family was behind us. The dad got up just before the ceremony started and tapped the family on the shoulder and was so smooth...

"Hi, my name is "Bob Smith". My 10 year old is sitting up on the top row with a couple of her friends - would you like me to bring these balloons up there and they can keep an eye on them for you during the ceremony?"

He did it so well that the family was practically gushing their thanks to him for allowing us to be able to see.

I turned to look at his wife and mouthed: "Bob" is my new hero!"

She said "I was about to go out of my mind about those balloons for a minute" lol

On another note, the amount of whooping and hollering that went on when some of the kids' names were called, you would think these kids just earned their Masters Degrees. It's 8th GRADE, for goodness sake! At one point I looked at DH and whispered "Do you think they are worried this will be the last graduation their kid will have?" That's how crazy they were!

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

When mine were dancing recitals were generally 4 to 4-1/2 hours long. Some of the very youngest did leave at intermission, but the director encouraged all who were able to remain for the entire show because all of the dancers deserve an audience. Eventually she started the tradition of an extended finale with everyone coming onstage after the closing production number.

Not a chance I'd sit through that.

 

[cabanafrau]

Not a chance I'd sit through that.

For many dance parents it's the only performance of the whole year. Sports parents spend a lot more time watching multiple events. Band and choir parents spend more time at some fairly uneven performances as well. Personally I consider graduation ceremonies incredibly tedious, even when I'm there to watch one of my kids graduate.

 

[AnnaFloridaLover]

For many dance parents it's the only performance of the whole year. Sports parents spend a lot more time watching multiple events. Band and choir parents spend more time at some fairly uneven performances as well. Personally I consider graduation ceremonies incredibly tedious, even when I'm there to watch one of my kids graduate.

I consider graduation ceremonies a bore. I sit near the back and sneak out as soon as I can without being noticed. I've never sat on a bench and watched my kids sporting events for 4 plus hours without leaving my seat. I watch until my my kid's event is done and if they are competing again later I wander around until it's their event again. Same with my son's band concerts. The big concerts are split between two evenings because nobody wants to listen for 4 plus hours.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

That sounds like a unique form of torture. I’ve never been to any event of that kind that was as long. You’d need a meal break, several trips to the bathroom and maybe even a nap to get through it. And it seems insane to bring young children.

I agree. Hearing about things like this make me very glad that I had a boy that wasn't at all interested in dancing.

Instead of making it one incredibly long show, maybe the director needed to break them out into a few smaller performances. That way parents could come and watch their own little darlings without having to watch every little darling.

 

[Hikergirl]

My son will be graduating on Thursday. I was already worrying about this issue. I have been to several graduations where people are rude and noisy. I've seen air horns and cow bells, posters, groups of people walk out after their kid is done. I can't understand it. How do they not realize its disrupting, and causing some families to miss their child's name being called. My nieces college graduation was awful! The worst I've seen. I was so annoyed. Luckily we heard my nieces's name called, but there were definitely a lot of kids whose names couldn't be heard.

They just don't care, they are rude, inconsiderate, selfish people.

 

[NAB]

My dd has her high school grad next month , they are allowing only 3 family members per student. Not sure how they are going to enforce this unless they give us tickets. They are going to have an overflow room with a live feed showing too. I'm sure someone will feel entitled not to follow the rules and bring in aunts and uncles and the works.

 

[Shanna-like-Banana]

DD18's ceremony is in just two short weeks and I have mixed hopes for the crowd.

Her class is 500+ students, it's going to be a long ceremony. I am thankful for the 6 pages of instructions emailed to every single student, parent, and staff about graduation.
Ours is held at a college sports arena, every event there has to pass through security, and bag check, not to say people won't try to sneak stuff in, but it's going to hopefully eliminate air horns, fog horns, major obstructions, huge balloon bouquets, FatHeads etc.

They were VERY clear that there will be no strutting, sashaying, etc. The stage is not your personal catwalk to "break it down", air grind, or "stomp"