At the start of each school year we, in the broadest sense of community, plan a series of activities and events for the coming year that are connected – connected to students, their learning, their families and some of the challenges they as individuals face now and the years ahead. One example of a challenge in our curriculum planning was the idea of sustainability in both an environmental and economic perspective.
Some of the regular planned events are often connected to our past e.g Anzac Day celebrations or Christmas concerts as well as some to the future e.g this months Bush Dance with proceeds going to the victims of the recent bush fires .
One event that was raised for discussion at the recent parent information evening this year was the annual senior year graduation [year 6].
I stumbled upon this Neil Young clip which brought back some memories. I find music has the power to connect many memories.
In the lyrics there are two lines that connected my thoughts to this discussion about graduation:
- ..give me things that don’t get lost
- I need someone to love me the whole day through…
Graduation ceremonies in many ways are rituals that people cling to in times of change so that things don’t get lost – symbolically as a rite of passage to another phase of schooling. In the ceremonies students often get to reflect on those people [mostly teachers and parents] that in different ways have shown care or love to them the whole day through. My own children went through such an experience at primary school.
New regulations [e.g. state government recently banning alcohol at school events with students present] or shifts in community perspective [i.e. present students with books rather than sporting pennants as symbols of their passing on] will often mandate or provide an impetus for change to the ceremony. My hope is that we still have a ritual and an opportunity for student reflection. Students will often forget my principal’s speech but remember the skit which in a good spirit poked fun at some of my mannerisms.
We often cling to a certain way of doing things but need to remember the essence of the act or ritual – to reflect and learn from our past and look forward to our future with a sense of hope. I look forward to this years event whatever shape the ritual takes.
PS The filtering of youtube with its amazing content will make this clip difficult for those in schools to see.
