Today’s guest post comes from Nina, the webmistress and master of ceremonies over at http://www.blogitoutb.com. Nina is a mother, wife, student, entertainment junkie and farter of fairy dust.
It’s that time of year. High school seniors are taking a major step in their journey from teenage shenanigans to responsible adulthood… although for many, the next stop will be a four-year, alcohol-soaked, debauched detour known in some circles as “college.”
This may be the most well-behaved some students will ever be...
Graduations all feature guest speakers designed to inspire the hopeful graduates and prepare them for the world that awaits them. The audiences are filled with family and friends bursting with pride. So much so, in fact, that some cannot contain themselves.
Last week, here in Atlanta, several families were forced to leave a high school graduation ceremony by the police department because their cheering became too loud. Some of you may think this was a little severe, but I ask that you consider this:
The audience had been asked to contain their applause until all the graduates’ names had been called. Now, we’ve all attended and/or participated in a graduation. Those things are long and boring even to the most excited graduate. Holding your applause allows the ceremony to move along quickly. Also, what about the poor kids who don’t have a massive cheering section in attendance, but maybe a single parent or elderly set of grandparents?
With no family members to guide her, Shequida made several rather questionable decisions on graduation day...
I know that some applause is to be expected. Hell, some parents are so happy to see that little Mikey actually graduated and isn’t dead or in jail that they just can’t help themselves. But that isn’t the kind of situation we’re talking about here.
People in attendance who were videotaping the event released the footage to the media and the reprimanded families had been warned to keep it down, and they didn’t. They continued to hoot and holler and pretty much act a fool. How is this fair to the other people in attendance who might, I don’t know, want to hear their own child’s name called?
When interviewed, some of the removed family members were outraged and wondered if the Atlanta Police didn’t have any other places to be. Sure, in a perfect world there’s a platoon of cops right around the corner from any crime about to happen, but the world isn’t perfect and those cops were assigned to make sure things at the graduation didn’t get out of control and they did their jobs.
Perhaps these adults should have followed the rules and thought about the example they were setting for the graduates on the stage. What say you?
