Taking Back Graduation

                  Graduation season has come upon us again.  The annual rite of passage will introduce the adult world to a new group of graduates ranging from pre-school to high school.  Graduation is a celebration of the perseverance of a child or young adult in their journey to acquire knowledge and skills.  Graduation also confirms to the adult world that the child or young adult is ready to move to the next grade, ready to transition into higher education, or take their place in the adult workforce.

                  There are some who believe the journey ends with the culmination of twelve years of acquiring knowledge and skills.  For some, graduation will be the pinnacle of their formal education experience.  While a majority of high school graduates in the US do not enroll in a post-secondary education program, graduation becomes a source of family pride and accomplishment.  For some families, being able to see their child overcome the pitfalls and stressors of high school and young adult life and walk across the stage to receive their diploma is one of the proudest moments for parents, friends and relatives.  However, graduating with a diploma should not be considered the end to knowledge and skill acquisition.

                  There is a false belief that the acquisition of knowledge and skills ends at graduation.  While compulsory education may end at graduation, graduation should begin the stage of life long learning. Human beings are not designed to become stagnant, they are designed for perpetual growth.  The desire to acquire knowledge and skills should never end.

                  There is also a false belief that graduation is the end.  Graduation is actually a restart of the compulsory education cycle.  When an adult starts a family and their child becomes of age for compulsory education, the cycle restarts and the journey to the acquisition of knowledge and skills begins with the new generation. 

                  As we celebrate the graduation of our young adults who will transition into adulthood.  Let them know what this day really means.  Let them know this rite of passage is not an end, but an induction to life long learning.