Pro or Con: Yelling out at graduation for your student

[Northstarmom]

"Easy solution as far as I'm concerned - announce that anyone violating the rules will be escorted out."

They won't care because they will have yelled, etc. as their student graduates. They won't care about missing the rest of the ceremony since all they cared about was their student.

[Consolation]

Con, all the way. Adults should be able to behave considerately and with decorum. My thoughts about those who insist on egregious displays: You and your kid are not the only people inhabiting the universe. Get over yourselves.

[jym626]

Is there really anyone who believes that it is ok, especially when specifically asked to refrain from making noise, cheering or calling out? What happpened to common courtesy?

[lololu]

Our kids go to school in a small, rural district. Most kids here live within shouting distance of their entire family, grandparents, cousins, great-grandparents. It is not unusual for a kid to have 20-25 family members show up for a KINDERGARTEN music show that lasts twenty minutes. So you can image what graduation is like. Our kids have only the two of us -- for S1 graduation one grandma flew in, but that still just makes the three. At his graduation there were kids who asked for over 100 tickets. So our little polite clapping for him sounded pitiful next to even the polite clapping of the kid in front of him's 100 family members.

So for S2 H and I are thinking we will hire a brass band, dancing girls, flag wavers, fireworks, etc,etc, etc. To hell with decorum. We figure after 15 years of being the quiet ones it is time to cut loose.

[Hunt]

If the graduating class is more than a couple of dozen, asking people to hold applause until then end is futile. But air horns....?

[csfmap]

Con – Graduation is a ceremony that should dictate a certain amount of decorum. The “party” should take place after the ceremony, kind of like a wedding and reception. Last year we attended my nephew’s HS graduation. It was held at an arena on a college campus. I felt like I was at a sporting event. They sold concessions and people constantly got up and down to get food – it just seemed odd to have people eating hot dogs and popcorn at a graduation ceremony. There were air horns, cow bells, hooting and hollering. It felt inappropriate. My son’s high school has a very old tradition of letting graduates walk with their friends instead of in alphabetical order. A new age benefit of that tradition is that the randomness helps keep people in their seats because they don’t know when their student will be called. I think it helps with the excess celebration, too. People are less likely to drown out their child’s best friends names from being heard.

[DougBetsy]

Our last name begins with A. Son will be the 9th kid announced. I find myself selfishly hoping the audience will obey the "hold your applause" request that long. Please. If they do it for him, I promise to comply for the 302 kids that follow.

[vicariousparent]

I would rather attend a graduation with a 'football game' atmosphere than one with a 'funeral procession' atmosphere. Of course, the ideal atmosphere would be somewhere in between.

[sax]

Sons graduating class was a little over 900 students. If you added 5 additional seconds to the wait between names the ceremony would have been 75 minutes longer.

75 minutes longer. Ugh.

If my son was getting his Phd and a bunch of people were knocking around beach balls for everyone to focus on I'm not sure how in the world I could hold back my anger for the complete lack of respect shown.

If everone just did what they wanted (yelled, hooted, threw balls, used airhorns, waved signs, got up and down whenever they felt like it . ) there would be no "tradition" to speak of... just a free for all with people trying to one up one another. Focus no longer on the student and the accomplishment.

[ctyankee]

Our last name begins with A. Son will be the 9th kid announced. I find myself selfishly hoping the audience will obey the "hold your applause" request that long. Please. If they do it for him, I promise to comply for the 302 kids that follow.

Small potatoes.

However, if a family gets up and LEAVES after their kid crosses the stage, I'd want to share a couple thoughts with them.

[Youdon'tsay]

Alright, I can't hold my fingers back any longer: Some of y'all sound like you're wound really tight.

A PhD ceremony -- yeah, decorum. But a HS graduation? What's wrong with a little enthusiasm? I'm not talking about a parade, though I will admit that my brother was guilty of the airhorn at my HS graduation. But, really, what's wrong with a "YEAH!" and some clapping?

[nightchef]

But, really, what's wrong with a "YEAH!" and some clapping?

Because if everybody does it, the ceremony takes forever. And if not everybody does it, then the kids whose families behave as they're asked to get shortchanged.

I mean, sure, it's not that big a deal--on the scale of ethical violations, it ranks somewhere between forgetting to clean out the sink after you shave and forgetting to call your mom on Mother's Day. Nobody dies, nobody is traumatized. But it's a bit rude and inconsiderate around the edges.

I'll admit it also annoys me because it's yet one more example of the trouble people in this culture have controlling themselves. It's like the way some people just cannot be still and quiet at music concerts (the unamplified kind).

[vicariousparent]

Sons graduating class was a little over 900 students.

I shudder at the thought of a perfectly well behaved audience that waits in complete silence while 900 names are called out and 900 diplomas are handed out. Around #400, I'd be hoping for a couple of airhorns to liven things up a little.

[Northstarmom]

"Because if everybody does it, the ceremony takes forever. And if not everybody does it, then the kids whose families behave as they're asked to get shortchanged."

Yes, that's the point. Also the airhorns and other noise makes it impossible to hear students' names called.

" shudder at the thought of a perfectly well behaved audience that waits in complete silence while 900 names are called out and 900 diplomas are handed out."

All I want to do is hear the names of my student and my students' friends. I'm not there for the entertainment. Fine with me if the diploma presentation is conducted in dead silence except for the names. I don't need to be entertained my airhorns. I can be entertained by seeing the proud smiles of the students and their families and friends.

[heyalb]

nightcheff....reply #72.....very well said. Thank you.

Sometimes I think families need to prove to the world that they love their kid more than the next guy loves his kid. It's a competition to see who can outdo whom.