“You know, sometimes I’ll go to an eighth-grade graduation and there’s all that pomp and circumstance and gowns and flowers.  And I’ll think to myself, it’s just eighth grade. . . . Let’s just give them a handshake and tell them to get their butts back in the library!”

— Barack Obama, Father’s Day Speech, 6/15/08 

One Response to “Quote of the day: Accomplishment before adulation”

  1. Paul Warloski says:
    June 25, 2008 at 9:38 am

    As a seventh grade teacher who has watched a lot of 8th grade “graduation” ceremonies, I fully agree with Obama. Yes, we need a ritual to mark the ending of this time of “childhood.” But it’s just part of the larger picture of a kids’ education process.