A short rant

I just wanted to take a quick moment to share with the world one of my deepest pet peeves: non-graduating graduations.

They now seem to take these forms-

• Kindergarten
• 5th Grade
• 8th Grade
• High School

Let's take a look at what it means to graduate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This grad·u·ate Audio Help /n., adj. ˈgrædʒuɪt, -ˌeɪt; v. ˈgrædʒuˌeɪt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[n., adj. graj-oo-it, -eyt; v. graj-oo-eyt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation noun, adjective, verb, -at·ed, -at·ing. –noun

1.	a person who has received a degree or diploma on completing a course of study, as in a university, college, or school.

2.	a student who holds the bachelor's or the first professional degree and is studying for an advanced degree.

3.	a cylindrical or tapering graduated container, used for measuring.

–adjective

4.	of, pertaining to, or involved in academic study beyond the first or bachelor's degree: graduate courses in business; a graduate student.

5.	having an academic degree or diploma: a graduate engineer.

–verb (used without object)

6.	to receive a degree or diploma on completing a course of study (often fol. by from): She graduated from college in 1985.

7.	to pass by degrees; change gradually.

–verb (used with object)

8.	to confer a degree upon, or to grant a diploma to, at the close of a course of study, as in a university, college, or school: Cornell graduated eighty students with honors.

9.	Informal. to receive a degree or diploma from: She graduated college in 1950.

10.	to arrange in grades or gradations; establish gradation in.

11.	to divide into or mark with degrees or other divisions, as the scale of a thermometer.

I can see no reason for Kindergarteners, 5th or 8th graders to have such a ceremony. It seems like it just kind of takes the meaning out of the High School one...the legitimate one.

I remember my 5th grade graduation. We had to make and hold up signs signifying what we wanted to be when we grew up. Most of the other kids had signs that said:

Doctor
Lawyer
Marine Biologist
Teacher
Firefighter

Mine said "Professional Skateboarder." The only place that I now live that dream is in my head because somewhere between my heart and feet is this stomach that prohibits me from enjoying much of the former pleasures that I extracted from sporty activity.

It is only kindergarten people. Don't do it.

Just say no.