The 6th graders had their final day as elementary students today. What a bunch a little cuties.
Whenever I watch a graduation ceremony in Japan I think of the differences between the ones here and the ones I went to in the US. The individual elements are the same, but the order is flipped. The kids get their certificates at the very beginning and the. Then we get about an hour of speeches that may or may not have much to do with the students. One thing I can say about my current school is that the speeches are pretty focused on the students.
Still, I’m used to joyous and celebratory graduations. This was much more restrained. There was a lot of silence. Maybe some polite clapping. I really don’t want to sound negative about it because the parents and children were quite pleased with it. Probably on of those cultural differences.
But after the ceremony and some photo time came the luncheon. Teachers and students (the 6th graders) at together while the parents (I say only two dads so maybe I should say mothers) at nearby. Even though it was in the cafeteria it was catered and the wait staff was like a polite army.
There was live music, provided by the moms. Some cute videos, including s slide show of the students 1st grade and 6th grade pictures. Then there were the skits. All the six graders did a little performance of highlights of the past 6 years. Us teachers had a little response performance. The parents sang a song. There were also some speeches but the mood was much more festive. It was actually great fun even if there were also some tears.
They were some pretty good kids.
Deadly Troubadour 