Graduation disappointment

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Words cannot express my sincere and thorough disappointment in the announcement that there will be no graduation for our 11th grade children this year. This disappointment is not really for myself but for my daughter who, since 7th grade, has been looking forward to this accomplishment. Especially with the challenges and the changes brought on by the COVID-19 situation, she has been so looking forward to her graduation at the end of 11th grade as a recognition of her hard work throughout the past five years.

As soon as the news broke, I heard of it first from her in WhatsApp messages: “Mommy, is this true?” “I can’t believe it’s true!!!” “What was the point then of all my hard work?” with several crying emojis.

It is heartless that with all the challenges and with all the losses that this year’s eleventh graders have gone through that the Government has made this decision. While many of us parents have gone back to work and resumed some sense of normalcy, many of our children have continued to struggle with the emotional and psychological impact of the loss of physical contact with their school friends, teachers and family.

Many have struggled to maintain their grades with only virtual classes since 9th grade. Many have suffered loss of outings, due to the results of lower parent income, new travel mandates and closure of local attractions. Many have suffered the loss of close relatives, many of whom they have not been able to visit while ailing. Many have suffered the loss of physical contact with relatives who were diagnosed with terminal illnesses prior to COVID, and now with COVID were unable to visit for fear of passing on the virus to these relatives.

My daughter and countless others have suffered from all these losses. They were so looking forward to graduation as one of the few positives during these tremendously stressful times for our young ones.

CELEBRATE EDUCATIONAL SUCCESSES

Graduating 11th grade does not prevent our students from moving on to the mandatory 12th grade. Our high school students over the years have graduated 11th grade, enrol in college or sixth form with yet another graduation at the end of these. The same occurs at the primary level where students graduated from kindergarten and then move on to grade one within the same school.

11th grade graduation is an occasion to celebrate educational successes, CSEC passes, school friendships, teachers and to cement the overall loves and joys of what will now become an alma mater.

So important is this event that during the height of the pandemic, our thoughtful and resourceful high school administrators found ingenious ways to still hold these events with graduation drive-thrus and the like.

We as adults have all gone through a series of graduations: grade six, grade eleven, community college, university, etc, so why would we deprive our children of celebrating such a significant milestone and celebration of their success at such a difficult time when there is so little to celebrate?

SAD PARENT