Life Here & There 
No Comments Graduation Ceremony Styles Part I
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This entry into my Wednesday theme of Life Here & There is about an event taking place all across the USA recently or coming up this week. It is about the graduation ceremony. Even in this simple thing there is a major difference in how it is done.
In the Philippines, graduation ceremonies are something we look forward to as a celebration of the accomplishment of the student. The parents are proud of the accomplishments as often times getting too and even just affording public school is a challenge all to itself. Attending and completing school is a major accomplishment as it opens the doors to better opportunity.
Dito naman sa America (Here in America), it is far more complex. First is public school is free to the families and children attending. The taxpayers foot the bill with only a little charge being in the Arts, Music, Physical Education and cafeteria. This creates a form of laziness. The same level of appreciation isn’t there as they and their families did not have to sacrifice as much for the student to attend. It is taken for granted.
The next difference is a crucial detail. In our daily studies in our classes in the Philippines, the teachers and education system reinforce morality as taught by our Christian (more often Catholic) faith. The teachers also reinforce respect of elders and especially of your parents. What is core to being a citizen of the Philippines are the key virtues of our culture. Respect, kindness, strong work ethic, strong family ties, and having a strong value of the culture, heritage and history of the Philippines.
For the greater part of the history of USA public schools, the same was true. For 150-180 years, Christian morals, respect for your parents, personal responsibility, valuing hard work, and a strong core knowledge of their culture, heritage and history were the main things in a public education. But in the last 60 years that has changed. Christianity was forced out and a religion or philosophy called Humanism took over. The schools are trying to take the influence of the parents away from the children. There is a war of values taking place in the US education systems. (source: asawako or my bana : former public teacher)
Morality and respect are removed from the values being taught to the public school children in the USA as the values pushed by a few are promoted instead. So what happens when the children learn the values promoted by the seeming anti-Christian, anti-parents, anti-rules groups? You would get what common sense tells you what you’d get. Degraded morality and unruly behavior become the normal behavior. So why then do the same ones who push their values complain when those they taught are disruptive, disrespectful or do some selfish things that hurt others?
to be continued….
Anah
