Graduations
Students do feel important to the school and honored to assist in the graduation preparation. This definitely help in retention of students and they anticipate their when they will walk to receive their diploma or degree.
I think the idea of letting the students have control over the after-party is a good idea. I think a consistent ceremony is important for the actual graduation though.
I believe this is an effective idea that would spread "like wild fire"! Empowering students to get involved before they actually graduate can only improve the process. I think that we "educators" tend to want to control too much of the process. From an earlier course, I learned that adult learners are concerned about "self", yet we tend to not practice what the research shows us to be true. Let the students have some control over the graduation ceremony. How cool would that be?!
Barbara,
Students seeing others graduate does reinforce why they are there.
Ron Hansen, Ed. D.
