"Kindergarten graduations should really not be happening."

There are so many celebrations happening at this time of year but is this going a bit too far?

There are a lot of things clogging up Facebook news feeds at the moment. Pictures of Christmas trees. Proud parents bragging out their child’s end of year grades. Grinches saying how much the holiday season sucks.

And graduation pictures.

So many graduation pictures.

University graduation pics – perfectly acceptable. Year 12 grad pics – yep cool. Good for you, school is over. Year 6 graduation pics – okay fine, yes, you have ‘graduated’ primary school. Preschool/Prep graduation photos – okay, we’ll allow it because it is ‘the end of an era.’

Kindergarten graduation pics – Wait. Hold up. That’s a thing now?

For our non New South Welshmen when we say Kindergarten we mean the first year of school. Turns out schools around the country are now giving ‘graduation certificates’ for completing the first year of school.

I’m fine with congratulating kids on hard work, but graduating Kindergarten? Are they serious?

A synonym for ‘graduate’ is ‘degree holder.’ Exactly what did they have a degree in -  writing their name and learning not to eat glue? Is this something we have to get used to now? Will our kids ‘graduate’ every year of there school career?

Pre-school graduations, while still a little silly, are at least marking the end of an education era. I just don’t get the whole first year of school graduation. It’s one year. One. They still have six more years of primary school.

And let me add this little disclaimer, yes I AM a parent of a school aged child.

Did I expect a graduation ceremony for Kindergarten? No, because he didn’t graduate anything.

Yes, he when he finished his first year of school it was an awesome, amazing and exciting achievement but he didn’t graduate.

I’m all for end of year awards but I’m just struggling with the idea of kids graduating their first year of school.  It is just their first year. They still have many, many more years of schooling to go.

They stay at the same school, with their same friends and come back the very next year to do the same stuff.

Why must be continually give our kids certificates for everything? Do they need to be constantly rewarded for things they will automatically do?

None of us get a certificate at the end of year saying we graduated another year at work.

I feel that by using the term ‘graduate’ the schools are taking something away from kids, and adults, who do, legitimately graduate a significant period of study. If they desperately think every child needs a certificate at the end of the school year then, fine, give them a certificate but can we cut the graduation bit out?

Let’s stop throwing words around like they have no meaning. Our children haven’t graduated anything.

They’ve finished their first year of school and that’s great, but there are better ways we can celebrate that.

Did your children graduated kindergarten? Do you think it’s necessary or all a big show?  

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