It probably means a lot more to folks who came from families where a high school diploma and/or college wasn't valued or expected from their children. Every milestone means more.

But even for those kids, and those whose absent parents treat school as day care and not a place to learn, 8th grade and high school diploma are much bigger deals. Those are the years where you begin real momentum and trajectory (or not...)

I felt PreK graduation was cute but otherwise unnecessary. 6th grade graduation going to Jr High was about the same, but without the cuteness. It probably meant more to the teachers if they've been with these kids for the entire time. But since we were only at the school a single year, it meant mostly nothing.

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