h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

My youngest son had his school leavers do today.

The 'celebration' was in the gym. When we arrived there, it was very hot and no air in there. They hadn't started any of the fans. There weren't any decorations like flowers or anything, nothing 'festive' at all.
There were a few tables and chairs where some teachers sat. A school band was there for some entertainment.
It started with the coordinator of the Realschule telling us that the headmaster was absent without apology. The local press was absent, too, but they had apologised, saying they couldn't make it.


He then gave a speech (apologising that he wasn't prepared to give 'the' speech). There followed a few speeches (my eldest son's mate's sister for the pupils, somebody for the parents), and then they started with the honouring of pupils who had done exceedingly well.
Turned out that A was not only the best of his class, but the best of the whole grade, and had shown an extraordinary caring behaviour by helping his mates (especially in maths) and the teacher (they had to change teacher with just six months left till the exams due to the regular teacher becoming ill).
He got a nice gift.

Then, shortly before they started to hand out the leaving certificates the headmaster arrived and went straight to the podium for her speech. There was no apology for arriving that late, not the slightest attempt at an explanation.

I'm only glad she wasn't of any importance for the school branch of my son.

Those who remember the problems and trouble I once had with this very son* will certainly understand just how proud and happy I am.






*F127730?thread=640433

The headmasters behavior does seem rude but hopefully it was unintentional.

Congratulations Bel. I am glad it went well, even if they didn't lay on much of a celebration. Here they have started following the American way of having a Prom, all fancy clothes and posh limousines! I feel sorry for the parents who can't afford to compete.

You always knew he would turn out fine didn't you?

Websailor

Ooooh, bravo for your son!

And that's a very rude headmistress

Congrats Bel

...and I wonder how especially teachers and schoolmasters/mistresses can complain about young people when not being role models themselves....

I agree, it was rude. She didn't give the impression asif she regretted being late.

and Congratulations to your son!!!

I know you're justly proud of him.

That seems so amazing, not having more ceremony for school leaving, especially in a country like Germany, where they have the good sense to value education. (Unlike the yahoos I live with.)

Although American high schools do not, in fact, connect the Prom (which is a school dance) with school leaving, our graduation ceremonies are immensely overblown.

But then, since most of the kids never go to university, it's a big day for the family, and it wasn't so long ago that finishing school was not a given.

We strut around in academic gowns for no particular reason. We march in to 'Land of Hope and Glory', which we call 'Pomp and Circumstance'. We try to keep straight faces and not pass out from the heat. We listen to boring speeches that invariably say 'You are the hope of the future'. We worry about this.

At my university graduation, the speaker was Zbigniew Brzezinski. Since lots of the people in western Pennsylvania are Polish, they were proud of him being in the government and all, but nobody could understand him. He was talking about economics and had an accent you could cut with a knife.

Tell your son 'Herzlichen Glueckwuensch' and 'Alles Gute' from me. He will have every silly thing that happened today in his memory forever. (And how beautiful and proud his mom looked.)

dmitrigheorgheni, agreed, we just adopted, and adapted the idea to make the end of school a big event. It is nice to see the children dressed up formally but it is expensive.

Websailor

Thank you. I'll pass on all your congratulations.
He's signed up for another school, which will take two years. He has a goal which he'll be working towards. I'm sure he can do anything he wants to to.

He's now out, celebrating-

Not much ceremony at my graduation, either, though we did have a dance in the evening. To which the parents were also invited. Not a day I want to keep in my memory, anyway.

Tell him he has the good wishes and respect for his achievements from all of your friends here. We all feel a little of your pride because we know you.

If he follows your example and the sound principals you have given him he will have a wonderful life. He is at the very start of the best adventure of all Life.


Well done Bel you deserve this day as much as anyone.

Thanks, Bob. I'm sure he'll make his way - whatever that may be.

Congratulations to your son and his Mum

I'll not comment on slipping standards, it's bad enough when I get a letter from school full of typos, not signed, etc. But rudeness is intolerable. I am glad your son was unaffected, and hope he enjoys his

Tell him well done from all of us, we're proud of him, and you

It's in the name, GB.

I'm tired and will log out now.

Speak soon, goodnight all.

Good night Bel

Whatever rude habits I have, I certainly got them from school staff. I shall have to return them someday.

Anyway, Congratulations on this proud occasion

Well done to you both, as I believe children can only grow when Parents feed them (and I don't necessarily mean nutrition), and give them lots of love and TLC.

Give him my congratulations and kind regards.

MMF

Congratulation to the graduate! Sorry for the bad behaviour of the school staff. You should be very proud of raising such a bright and more importantly kind young man!

I'm remembering my own last day at school. The principal was an exquisitely boring, pompous little man who had a speech for all ocasions and rarely deviated from his script. He was at the rostrum, all of us final-year students were behind him... We all mimed his speech, including pauses, as he delivered it 'cos we'd all heard it a few times before. The adience collectively kept a straight face; most of them had heard it before too...

( We did that to our phyics teacher, too - except we said it a word *ahead* of him. Any lesson on relativity started with "Steht 'ne Kuh am Bahndamm. Fährt 'n Zug vorbei..." [A cow is standing by the railway embankment. A train goes by...])