Sotsuenshiki ...

In Japan students celebrate many graduations. They graduate from preschool, elementary school, junior high school, and high school. Each graduation is celebrated equally with an official ceremony, lots of important people in black suits, diplomas, flowers, an incredible amount of bowing, gifts, singing, and lots and lots of tears.

Rocking out the suit in the office:

Sotsuenshiki is the official graduation of children from preschool. The idea is similar to preschool or kindergarten graduations back home, but they take it to a whole other level. It was comparable to West High class of 2001 graduation. There were city officials, superintendents, prefectural representatives, and other principals in attendance. Everyone was wearing a suit, 99% of which were black. The children and teachers marched into a hall, full of parents and former teachers, as a class and there were opening speeches and piano accompaniment and the second the diplomas started being individually handed out the tears started.

Naoko and I after Tomiyama's graduation:

Maybe it was something about knowing that this was the last time we would ever be together as a class and, as a teacher, about knowing not only the impact you had on the kids but the impact they had on you. Maybe it was realizing that this was the last time I was going to see most of the kids that I've seen regularly for the last two years that did it. That thought was heartbreaking. Maybe it was remembering back to the first day we started working together and thinking about how far we've come and how proud I am of all of them. Thinking about it makes me teary eyed even now, a week later. Or maybe it was the fact that everyone was crying. The teachers were crying, the parents (mothers and fathers) were crying, the principal was crying, the children were crying. There was so much emotion. So much bittersweet emotion in celebrating this milestone in the children's lives that you would have to have a heart of stone to not have felt it.

On the last day of school at Freeburg I shed a few tears with a couple parents and my voice cracked when I had to tell Maliek that no, I wasn't going to see him tomorrow and no, I couldn't when he begged me to ride the bus home with him. And I needed a tissue and a serious hug when DaJoniss and his mom finally left the classroom, both in tears. But it was different. It was Shirley and I comforting each other in my office and me praying that I'd done enough to let every single one of my kids know how much I loved them and how much I invested in them and how unbelievably proud I was of each and every one of them. Sotsuenshiki was just that. A celebration of and for the children filled with so much love and adoration from so many different people that it was just moving.

Kazuyo and I - with no tears!!

The Tomiyama children sang a sayonara song that was all about their school experience and how hard it was to say goodbye to their teachers and their friends. Even if you don't understand the words, it's beautiful. If you look close enough, some of the children are crying and if you listen close enough I'm sure you can hear a sniffle or two considering that almost all of the people watching were in tears. The sayonara song marks the very end. :)

I posted some other pictures on facebook and since I'm suppose to be packing for Korea instead of blogging, I don't have time to put them all up. But I think maybe, just maybe, if you click here: Sotsuenshiki Pictures then you'll be able to see them too.

much love

-tara-

xx