On June 12, I had the pleasure of attending my child’s graduation from Fort Vancouver High School. I thought it was going to be a pleasure; instead it was a total embarrassment.
Numerous things went wrong — or simply were not executed well, including reading my child’s name wrong. She does not have a difficult name to pronounce.
The worst part though was sitting with her grandparents watching the ceremony while the superintendent of Vancouver Public Schools, Steven Webb, sat in his honored position on stage and messed around with his cellphone. How disgraceful. What a horrible example of professionalism to do that on stage in front of a gym full of people, including almost 300 graduating seniors.
As parents, we try to teach our children manners and how to present themselves to the outside world. Those seniors will be off to college or seeking jobs, and will need to know there is a proper time and place to be on a cellphone. Webb trampled all over what parents and teachers have tried to teach this generation.
