I don’t remember junior high school graduation being such a big deal like it was here at my school/ workplace today. For starters, it lasted THREE HOURS! So not only was it literally a pain in the butt, but it was morbid, dispiriting, and extremely exaggerated! It was like the world was going to end or something. Saying good-bye to friends can be emotional but there is a clear difference between crying and weeping and what I witnessed today was weeping. It was just too much to see 300 kids ball their eyes out in unison, continuing for what seemed liked an eternity. It was so much like a funeral. Really! As a teacher at my school said, which sums things up quite nicely, “There are two days a year that I feel glad to be a teacher and graduation day is one of them!” From what I am told, some teachers take great pleasure in getting the students all worked-up emotionally so that they feel good about the high demands of their jobs and the many personal sacrifices they must make along the way in the name of teaching. Being a prisoner at work and slave to society, it may be all worthwhile once you see your students cry–a self-serving release of emotion!! To say the least, it was pathetic to watch kids become the emotional victims of the faculty. I felt sorry for the kids and pity for the teachers. So on that happy note, congrats to all of those who graduated junior high school this week. What an amazing accomplishment!!!!!!
