Back in the day, I graduated from kindergarten with flying colors. There was a big brass band playing in the background and we were all dressed up nice and neat. It's a little bit different from when Jakjak graduated today though. For one thing, there was no big brass band playing in the background.
There was also no notable recognition of who was who. There was a big celebration and presentation done by the children, and the recognition was for the teachers who rendered several good years for the school. It was fancy, no doubt about it (it was held in a big auditorium and all). It was also just notably different 25 or so odd years ago.
Jakjak graduated with flying colors, along with his classmates. They learned their ABCs and 123s. He learned how to read, write, draw, color and all the basic things that are covered in the curriculum. But he learned something more valuable than those academic skills.
He learned friendship. He learned leadership. He learned courtesy. He learned kindness. He learned competitiveness. He learned social skills. Most of it were not new to him as he had always been learning these at home, but in school, he was learning with people his own age. He was learning it as a kid, as a student, as a schoolboy. He was learning. And he was enjoying school. He was, and he is, an ongoing learning experience with himself. A little guidance from us never hurt, but because he is learning in school, he feels a sense of independence, a sense of accomplishment. We know this by his smile whenever we congratulate hin on a job well done.
Pre-school graduation did not feel as big a deal now as it did back in my day. But it is still an accomplishment that is worth a hug and a surprise.
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