I had a graduation ceremony from elementary school, but not (I think) middle.

As 8th graders we had a full mini-ceremony like the 12th graders. They do a big 5th grade one at mac's school which I think is idiotic. Yeah, you are changing schools, you do not need a ceremony for that.

Ugh, which reminds me, I need to get teacher gifts. I did not like the teacher this year, grrr. 2 more weeks thoug, only 2 more weeks. mac is getting 2 more Justice League action figures, one of the Encyclopedia Prehistorica books and maybe a shirt.

We had kindergarten, 4th grade, eighth grade, and high school graduation, but we changed buildings every time, so it sort of made sense. My eigth grade graduation was memorable because a student in my school died that day after having skipped school, stolen my neighbors moped, and gotten run over by an 18 wheeler.

I didn't have middle school (or junior high), so it was just whatever that was in 8th grade, and then Actual Graduation from HS. Oh, and I think paper caps and gowns in K.

My eigth grade graduation was memorable because a student in my school died that day after having skipped school, stolen my neighbors moped, and gotten run over by an 18 wheeler.

Yikes!

I haven't read Obama's fathers day speech yet, I know I should. But I'm struck by what I've read about it esp in light of his earlier speech on race in America.

Ooh, speaking of politics, I was listening to NPR this morning, not sure what show, maybe Which Way LA? Anyway Scott McClellan was on it. Listening to him is like whoa. He carefully parses the word "lie" in such a way that he can differentiate lying from being "untruthful" and "deceptive." Fascinating. Also fascinating was hearing him hint at his support for Obama. It all felt very Alice Through the Looking Glass to me.

Full-fledged graduation ceremony in 8th grade which made sense to me since, at our school, the class split off so a significant minority (including me) ended up at one of the Catholic high schools, and the rest went to Joliet West (public school). As a result, it really felt like a new phase of my life was beginning.

Then the standard high school and college graduations, but no kindergarten one (or any other grades).

Eighth grade graduation was a pretty big deal; it's a transition into adolescence, and at that point, I had been in school like seven or eight years. But isn't Obama saying not that we shouldn't have the ceremony, but it's no honor if you haven't graduated HS? I mean, he's not directing his comments at high schoolers, right?

ION, Jesse, insent.

Yikes!

weirder still, is that he was kind of a jerk who made fun of me on the bus when we were little, so at the time I wasn't really sorry. He must have, when he was making fun of me, just read myths, because he told me I was so ugly I would turn people to stone by looking at them, like Medusa.

Then, in high school, I was really good friends with his sister for a couple of years.

And then, later still, I became really good friends with his mother.

And then I was more upset, because it really was hard on them as he was very troubled and sad, but very smart.

isn't Obama saying not that we shouldn't have the ceremony, but it's no honor if you haven't graduated HS?

Yeah, that's how I read it. Nothing to do with the ceremony itself, but reminding the kids that they shouldn't consider their 8th grade "graduation" an end point.