When I looked out over the crowd, I saw mothers, sisters, brothers, aunts, grandparents and neighbors all waiting for the program to begin. We were still waiting for two of the kinder children to arrive. The program began and the excitement grew as the children sang some of their favorite songs. Some of them even did an ethnic dance. They were so adorable.
Our speaker, a friend of mine that I took TESOL with, came with her husband and son, equipped with puppets, and talked about the importance of education. She asked if any of the children wanted to be doctors when they grew up, one brave girl raised her hand. Then she asked if anyone wanted to be an attorney, the same girl raised her hand! Finally the others got over their shyness and raised their hands when they heard something they liked. They got to wear the hat that fit that profession. At the end she put all the hats in a box and put a bow on the top. She shared with the parents that education is a gift that we can give our children that cannot be taken away from them.
The morning continued with the highlight of the giving of certificates and special awards. As each mother came up to accept the award with their child, we noticed one little boy was missing. His mother came up and shared how her son was too sick to come. We were all teary-eyed with her knowing how much this day meant for him and her!
Overall it was a wonderful day and then to top it off one of the mother’s invited us to their home for a special graduation lunch! It was more like a feast!
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- Here we are enjoying the great party
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- The speaker and the puppets!
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- One of the students with her father
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- The mother with the son who was sick
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- The graduates and the staff
