Originally posted by: Atomic Playboy
Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Life is not measured by how much work we do, it's measured by the results we get. She may well have worked hard, but if the results aren't there, then she shouldn't walk.
Is it harsh that the school won't let her walk? Absolutely. Can it be reasonably argued to be unfair? Absolutely. But welcome to reality. The real world is a lot rougher than just missing a graduation walk. No matter how much we may want it to be, reality is not a warm and fuzzy place and coddling our children only serves to ill-prepare them for life after school.
You aren't the first person in the thread to articulate this thought, I'm just quoting you because it was at the end.
The thing is, there is an important distinction to be made here. There are two pieces to graduation. The first, a diploma, is the physical proof that you have completed the requirements mandated by the school district and board of education to attain a certain rank or status (in this case, high school graduate). The second piece, the graduation ceremony, is an event held to honor those who have completed their course of study. The two are mutually exclusive; being allowed to walk does not specifically indicate that you are a graduate any more than having the diploma means that you will get to walk at the ceremony (I actually knew someone in high school who completed the requirements and got their diploma, but because they were caught with drugs on the last day of school, they were barred from walking at commencement).
I liken the scenario to a marriage. Anyone can hold a marriage ceremony. You have gay weddings in states where gay marriage is not recognized, you have pagan handfastings, you have polygymous marriages, and all sorts of non-traditional weddings performed around the country that are not legally recognized by the state. You have to apply for a marriage license to be married in the eyes of the law, but it's not required to have a wedding ceremony. Similarly, you can get married by a justice of the peace without having a fancy ceremony around it. The ceremony and the legal paper, though they often exist together, are mutually exclusive.
So really, walking at commencement is strictly a ceremonial act. It is an event honoring those who have put in hard work to attain a particular goal. It is entirely up to the school to decide who should and shouldn't walk at commencement, there is no question about that. But I have to question the value in stopping someone from being honored at a purely ceremonial event when she is scheduled to complete the requirements within a few weeks. Clearly she has put in the work, and is set to have all the requirements completed; it's not as though she is returning for another year. She, through no fault of her own, contracted a life-threatening disease, and in spite of that obstacle, has managed to nearly complete her course of study. She's probably putting in more work than the majority of graduating seniors there; is it really harmful to the school if she is allowed to participate in this ceremony?
I recently attended a college graduation. Students who had units left to complete were allowed to walk across the stage; their names were marked with an asterisk in the program. I recall a similar situation at my own graduation. And I know that at both the graduations I walked in, we were not given our diplomas; those were mailed out later. When you divorce the legal side (diploma) from the ceremonial (walking the stage), there's not much rationale to prevent her from being allowed to participate. It's a misapplication of the idea that rules should never be broken. Let her walk, put an asterisk by her name in the program and be done with it.
