High school teacher tells graduating students: you’re not special

reply to post by pravdaseeker


I wonder if you're bitter or something because I've never seen such venomous words directed at high school students.

And who does that teacher think he is to denigrate the academic efforts of these students?

These students MUST learn on their own. Sink or swim. Telling them this # upfront will not faze them. Ask anyone who survived their 20s how it felt to turn 30. For me? It was liberating and still is.

reply to post by WeRpeons


Greetings WeRpeons, ATS Readers, Writers,

LOL, I wonder if all the trolls even read the ENTIRE article... and took into thought his points, and WHY he decided to make this speech...lol.. It had MUCH MERIT..

Yep, I KNOW the post was not politically correct, but what this teacher said really needed to be said.

YOU are absolutely correct!

What is the "purpose" of teaching MILLIONS of kids all over the nation, to NOT BE COMPETITIVE?? There is a thing such as proper or "healthy" competitiveness, right??

And YES, the real world is VERY competitive! In some fields of work it is dog eat dog..very stressful. And YES, it is a SHOCK to a young adult, trying to hit the real world to run into a "different environment" than what they were schooled in.

Our world has become so nannified..

The pendulum of life choices and lifestyles seems to swing in EXTREMES in these Age of Aquarius days... Everything is black or white to most folks... no grey area allowed.

Where is it that the pendulum can come to rest "in balance"? NO extremes... just life? Let everyone come to their OWN conclusions without being "guided" from birth to grave? Except maybe by their family, and life experiences?

Everything is all inclusive these days... ALL "blank, insert, race or breed of preference" ARE BAD... ALL "X" are good..and it is a result of the non media and propaganda we are hit with 24/7..

If you voted for "X", then you MUST automatically agree with everything that person supports.. etc.. that type of extreme shallow thinking is the norm..these days.

I keep wondering if this lame arse non competitiveness has been indoctrinated for a more sinister reason...lol.

To make this nations workers less productive and more controllable down the road? To ensure its planned downfall by more sinister elements within it high levels of political office and influence??

Your words on employers having a HARD TIME finding good workers, or workers SMART ENOUGH to do the job, with some ethics IS A MAJOR PROBLEM with my company... the "X"ers and "Y"ers are worthless as tits on a chicken most of the time..

Occasionally a shinging star will come through the hiring trough... usually a kid whose parents DID devote a lot of time into teaching the child ethics, manners.. getting along with others, how to work with others, earning your keep, etc..being a man of your word, and a handshake is a bond, and not something to take lightly..

These type of youths shine like beacon amongst their peers.... not afraid to sweat a bit, and dig in with the old guys..

These kids ALSO shoot up the ladder in promotions because they actually do something!! And do it right, and if not, are willing to learn and apply it..

Parents do need to concentrate on the real world for their kids, dont let the school system nanny them into adulthood.. too many folks do this with their kids..

Pravdaseeker

In a world where everyone is special....it turns out that you're just another person.

Sure you are unique but when you go to college you better be able to up your game a couple of levels or you're going to be run over by all the other special people.

You're not special.

You're an animal that evolved from a monkey and your species is about 2 million years old. On average, individual species last about 2 million years. So our existence into the future is uncertain. You live here with trillions of other lifeforms on this planet and every day is a struggle for each and every organism. Some of them will kill you, some of them will eat you, some of them will ignore you and some of them will use you. There're billions of other planets in our galaxy that might also potentially carry lifeforms and they, like yourself, struggle each day to survive and build on their dreams. Don't take any of this for granted. Nothing outside your family loves you just because you were born. Once you cross-examine these words I've spoken, you'll understand what I mean.

Your job is to survive and if you fail to act on your behalf then others will do it for you. And when others have to pay your bills and carry your burdens, you're going to lose your pride and your freedoms. This is give and take. This is conservation of energy. Nothing is free. So you can't expect others to meet your wants and needs for free. If you want freedom and to have high self-esteem then you have to be willing to carry your own burdens and to pay your own bills. Freedom is not free. Self-esteem is not free. These things are earned and payed for just as is anything else.

Also remember we wouldn't have split the atom or defeated Hitler or launched ourselves into space in a capsule or achieved one of the numerous other accomplishments in history if we had decided to let somebody else do it for us. Most everything you see around you embodies this core truth.

This is something I wish all high school teachers would tell their pupils. It is amazing the sense of entitlement and laziness that results that is coming from this generation. All of it has to do with the kind of coddling they receive at home and in "educational" institutions where they are given trophies for participation instead of merit.

reply to post by pravdaseeker


The biggest scape goat on blaming the high drop out rates, low GPA's and low SAT and state standard tests is because of the teachers. The Federal and State governments have a strangle hold on public education. You have government officials making decisions about education when they have never stepped into an inner city school and observed a typical day in a classroom.

I challenge anyone who think teachers are the root cause of failing students, to just spend 1 day in an inner city high school classroom and watch the daily disruptions, listen to the vulgar and sexually explicit language, disrespect, and total apathetic and unmotivated response from students. You will walk away thinking to yourself, how can anyone learn anything in that environment? Teacher's face this every day and are completely stressed out by the end of the day.

I've worked in a lot of areas before becoming a CAD instructor. I worked in the field for 10 years before getting into education. I was completely floored after seeing how high school students acted in the classroom. Keep in mind, I relate to my students on a daily basis how their behavior is unacceptable in the work place. For students interested in CAD the most likely step after graduation is entering the field of Engineering. On an average class of 25 students, its sad to say only the top (2) students have any possibility of making through a 4 year Engineering degree.

Most of these students are so accustomed to being spoon fed information and being shown step-by-step how to do things, they have absolutely no ability to problem solve on their own. In my case, it's the most basic skill students need to become an engineer.

I know a lot of teachers that just give up on kids. If the student continues to be apathetic and doesn't want to do their projects or assignments, instead of getting stressed out and constantly trying to motivate the student, they let them be. It's like the old saying " you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make them drink." I can really understand why they do it. In fact the few motivated students that I do have will say "why bother with them, just give them an "F" if they don't want to do any work."

Now some here will say "you're not motivating your students enough." It can't be further from the truth. I always hated teachers who lectured for long periods of time. In fact what I find so hypocritical about the teaching profession is they tell new teacher not to lecture longer than 20 minutes or you'll lose the attention of your students. Yet professors and administrators will lecture for hours on end to their students, new and current teachers!

All my presentations are done using humorous step-by-step power point procedures. In fact students get a kick out of some of the photos I use on each slide. I demonstrate technical drawing using a projector while students follow my every click. I have a Jeopardy game which has an electronic score board for every student and they each have their own wireless remote control. The game plays like the real thing and of course I'm Alex Trebek! They learn all their terminology by studying the night before and than compete with other students with a large screen that projects the different categories. I give away prizes like school t-shirts for 1st place, and other prizes for 2nd and 3rd place. My students can design RoboBOTs, participate in building them with other labs, and enter them into the regional competition with other schools. They research buildings and construct balsa wood scale models from their drawings. They construct balsa airplanes, plastic models, balsa buildings and numerous other projects I can't begin to mention. Would you believe I still have probably half the class that participates very little to none at all.

We have Social Studies teachers that complain students get bored when you tell them their going to watch a documentary or a movie about JFK or some other historic figure. Heck, back in the day if we knew we were going to see a movie or documentary in class that was awesome! It was so much more interesting than listening to the teacher lecture about it. Now students will rather take their cell phones out and text their friends under their desks during the entire movie.

So those of you who think that teachers are not using technology in the classroom or are not motivating students you can't be more wrong. Sure, you will have some boring teachers, but you have to deal with it. Life isn't perfect.

The federal government has given children way too many rights over their parents and teachers. No longer can a teacher grab a student's arm and escort them to the office. No more hugs for a job well done. Students have no consequences and discipline, and that's why education is in the state that it's in.

I agree with what this teacher said. it's important for kids to understand that the world is a cruel place and that it won't treat them special as their parents have.

he's brave for doing so.

ah i bet she feels special for making that speech though

Originally posted by aaaiii
I agree with what this teacher said. it's important for kids to understand that the world is a cruel place and that it won't treat them special as their parents have.

he's brave for doing so.

hopfully the upcoming children tear down this backwards ass world

reply to post by pravdaseeker


This doesn't apply to all high school students graduating. When I was in high school I had to work a full time job just to make sure my mom didn't get convicted again. And you know where all that real world experience got me? I own a home at 24 years old, work 2 jobs and support my wife and 2 small children all without getting the handouts they call food stamps.

Originally posted by pravdaseeker
Dear ATS Readers, Writers,
I LOVE this news story... after having been to several graduation gatherings over the years...I find it refreshing and just what most of these pampered people need to hear.
I was seeing it EVERY year, the speeches, that ONLY inflated the students micro -world of peers and self important people... those who strive to be so popular, and get the coolest "green" or Politically correct "title" as a student.
They do not realize that 6 weeks after graduation, MANY who were supposedly their best friend will act like they never knew them..etc. Then they MOVE ON to the newest form of total garbage competition... "SO..WHICH university are YOU attending... I AM attending "X"....!
Like one isnt worth speaking to unless they are in your "league", or attending a higher cost college..
Yet we are inundated with honor roll students who can NOT tell time on a analog clock, let alone FIGURE IT OUT!! Cuz they had everyone figuring it out for them all their life.. NO CHALLENGES..
Students who head off to college without a CLUE on budgeting money, etc.. they just KNOW they are the greatest gift to mankind since Christ, walked the Earth...lol.. and their poop dont stink... EVER.

Yes, you've been pampered, cosseted, doted upon, helmeted, bubble-wrapped," McCullough said in his speech. “Yes, capable adults with other things to do have held you, kissed you, fed you, wiped your mouth, wiped your bottom, trained you, taught you, tutored you, coached you, listened to you, counseled you, encouraged you, consoled you and encouraged you again. You've been nudged, cajoled, wheedled and implored. You've been feted and fawned over and called sweetie pie. ... But do not get the idea you're anything special. Because you're not."

What you have are young adults with a huge over inflated sense of self importance, who dont know ANY real skills for the real world in general. Kids whose world is DESTROYED because so and so "UNFRIENDED" them at Facebook...(Hey it happened to my buddies daughter, just this week..lol)

In general, kids are quite caccooned through life.. over protective parents and the nanny state have created some pretty lame graduates...They can spout the greenhouse propaganda to the letter, but dont have a clue to check over their car for a road trip so they have a safe journey, or change a tire, GOD FORBID, thats what TRIPLE A is for, right?

And when I get a job it BETTER BE something other than flipping burgers, cuz I am better than that!

A lot "think" they deserve a 80k/yr job right off the bat! No serving time in the learning and working world..

This is JUST a generalization, but over the years I have seen more and more of these frikkin airheads graduate, and are dumber than a box of rocks with the smart ones picked out! lol.

Kids need survival skills taught to them.. world survival skills... in the working world... times are going to get brutal for emerging young adults to try and make a go of life, and be successful..

Granted, that is if there is a world for them to grow old in... as we hurtle towards another global conflict..

NO WONDER THEY ARE MESSED UP... look what "we" gave them?

Kudos to this speaker to the students!! We need more of them.

Pravdaseeker

It's about damn time somebody treat them realistically instead of telling each and every one of them that he/she will cure cancer, become president and found a space colony. Sometimes the truth hurts. He didn't tell them they were useless pieces of scum, he just told them that they were NOT special, no more special than anyone else is. Each person is loved by their family and they should be, but they are not above and beyond any other person.
Some of them will go on to great careers, some will work in factories, some will be in welfare and some will be in prison. Each and every graduating class each and every year goes off into the world with big dreams and false ideas of what the world is, they get slammed to the ground, some recover and some don't.
It's better that they know right there, when their high school experience is over, that the real world starts on THAT day. They aren't special, they aren't exceptional, they aren't God's gift to the world. They are just as valuable as any other member of society, but not more valuable than anyone else and they don't need their ego built up to think they walk on water when they can barely walk and chew gum at the same time.
Yes, some will be more successful than others, maybe one of them WILL become president or cure cancer, probably not, the odds aren't in their favor. If they do, GREAT, but why should we be telling them they are the greatest human that ever walked the earth when they aren't?

Originally posted by The Sword
reply to post by pravdaseeker

 

I wonder if you're bitter or something because I've never seen such venomous words directed at high school students.

And who does that teacher think he is to denigrate the academic efforts of these students?

These students MUST learn on their own. Sink or swim. Telling them this # upfront will not faze them. Ask anyone who survived their 20s how it felt to turn 30. For me? It was liberating and still is.

I don't see it as venomous or denegrating. The words were honest. He didn't call them pieces of trash or miserable excuses for human beings, he just pointed out that they are not "special", not God's gift to the world and they need to hear that! Many adults also need to hear it.
Some will go on to good careers, good families maybe even great accomplishments, others will go on to lesser things and some really will be useless pieces of trash. However, not a single one of them is Jesus Christ in the flesh. Not a single one is more "special" than any other person anywhere else on the planet. All people have value, one is not more special than another and that attitude needs to be addressed. That speaker did just that.

Originally posted by biggmoneyme
ah i bet she feels special for making that speech though

Number 1, it was a HE, not a SHE
Number 2, you didn't click on the link and read the story did you?
Number 3, you didn't watch the video did you?

reply to post by WeRpeons


I'm in my forties and I wish I could take your class!! I always enjoyed the classes I took where the teacher was creative and fun. That's when I learned the most in school.

At my kid's school, it seems that the teacher's that elicit the best response from the harder to reach students don't stay long. They love to keep the hard-$%#es though. My daughter, who just graduated, was an honor student. She had a teacher for English who was really great at reaching even the difficult students. I spoke with him at p/t conferences on more than one occasion, even though my daughter had no problems. I was so excited when I took my junior high son in with me at a conference and Mr. M spoke with him like a big kid. Mr M told my son that he planned on teaching there for a long time and that he was eager to have him as a student in a few years. My son was actually excited about English!
My daughter came home at the end of the school year and told us the school board decided to make cuts and Mr. M was one of the teacher's to go. What a loss. The tenured teacher they are keeping for English is mainly concerned about the honor kids. She has no patience for the others. One of the things that I liked about Mr. M was that he coddled no one. He wanted to help them learn, but he didn't bow down to the mindset that only the honor kids matter, because they make YOU look good. He called a spade a spade and if some whiny kid didn't like something, so what!
My daughter told me that the honor students didn't like his teaching style, but loved the lady who taught the other class. She also told me that at first she didn't either, because Mrs. B's class seemed geared more towards her kind even though it was required for all students. But she later felt that Mrs. B catered to much to the brown-nosers, and at least in Mr. M's class, she felt her ideas were heard and given merit whether or not they were popular.

At my daughter's graduation, it was a celebration of how special certain kids are. The top students competed for countless scholarships and awards. Most of these required filling out applications and writing essays. For some of these kids, it was like their whole future on Earth depended on it. My daughter didn't bother. We had established a college fund for her and her brother when times were good. With that and financial aid, she will be fine as she has chosen a two year RN program at the community college.
At the graduation, since it is a small class, each students future plans were announced. All I can say is that if these kids all succeed, our world has nothing to worry about. l They are dreaming big, but just from what I know of most of these kids, once they get away from mom and dad, the real world will not be kind. Our community is kind of a self-contained, unrealistic picture of the real world. It's a small, wealthy town. There are few minority individuals of any kind. Certain families are blessed and catered to. No the real world will not be kind and I wonder how many will find life too hard and come back here because it's comfortable and easy if you are in the right circles.

The teacher is right.

And he should resign.

I wake up day after day and see adults act just as bad as teenagers in terms of being self absorbed, and am imperfect in this manner myself. The teacher did nothing but gratify himself by taking a moment away from those kids.

When you graduate you know the system. School is more about learning social mechanisms, realities and expectations than anything else, and I am sure we all can remember a few of our teachers bitterly lording over us about the upcoming realities of adult life.

Those people should not teach. They should be building up against the coming storm, not tearing kids down.

Anyone can tear something down. All the good things people do, and make sacrifices for, are because of a sense of belonging. All of the bad things, thoughtless things, come from a sense of shame and isolation.

Don't you find it the least bit ironic that this adult stood up and took one of the rare moments of pride from all those people, stole it from them, and then had the gall to talk about not being special?

One of the key lines he used in the addres was: If everyone is special, then nobody is.
He pointed out that there were around 3.2 MILLION other seniors graduating, nobody was more special than anyone else. He wasn't being derogatory at all, he was actually being inspirational.
Seriously, WATCH THE VIDEO!! After you watch it, come back here and correct your posts. After you watch it, you will see that it was what needed to be said, it was inspirational, it was lifting them up, not putting them down.
Don't read into it what you want to read into it, go watch it, then you will see the truth in what he said.

This guy is awesome. The current generation are so wrapped up in false self esteem programs and are taught to feel entitled to just about everything.
They need to be told: You will be expected to do a job and no one will heap praise and encouragement just for doing your job. No one will hold your hand and no one will cry for you if you screw up. You fix it or be fired.

These pathetic kids these days think they are the center of the world and if they are not treated as such, it is a major injustice.
Time to wake up. The world is becoming more difficult and no one gives a rat's patooty about you or your problems.
Take responsibility for your own life, acknowledge that you are entitled to absolutely nothing, and don't whine when you are expected to do a good job. Just do it. It's amazing how much you'll excel once you embrace concepts like personal responsibility, self reliance, and hard work.

Here is part of the transcript of the speech he gave:

You are not special. You are not exceptional.

Contrary to what your u9 soccer trophy suggests, your glowing seventh grade report card, despite every assurance of a certain corpulent purple dinosaur, that nice Mister Rogers and your batty Aunt Sylvia, no matter how often your maternal caped crusader has swooped in to save you… you’re nothing special.

Yes, you’ve been pampered, cosseted, doted upon, helmeted, bubble-wrapped. Yes, capable adults with other things to do have held you, kissed you, fed you, wiped your mouth, wiped your bottom, trained you, taught you, tutored you, coached you, listened to you, counseled you, encouraged you, consoled you and encouraged you again. You’ve been nudged, cajoled, wheedled and implored. You’ve been feted and fawned over and called sweetie pie. Yes, you have. And, certainly, we’ve been to your games, your plays, your recitals, your science fairs. Absolutely, smiles ignite when you walk into a room, and hundreds gasp with delight at your every tweet. ...

But do not get the idea you’re anything special. Because you’re not.....The empirical evidence is everywhere, numbers even an English teacher can’t ignore. Newton, Natick, Nee… I am allowed to say Needham, yes? …that has to be two thousand high school graduates right there, give or take, and that’s just the neighborhood Ns. Across the country no fewer than 3.2 million seniors are graduating about now from more than 37,000 high schools. That’s 37,000 valedictorians… 37,000 class presidents… ...

... You see, if everyone is special, then no one is. If everyone gets a trophy, trophies become meaningless. In our unspoken but not so subtle Darwinian competition with one another–which springs, I think, from our fear of our own insignificance, a subset of our dread of mortality — we have of late, we Americans, to our detriment, come to love accolades more than genuine achievement. ...

... Exercise free will and creative, independent thought not for the satisfactions they will bring you, but for the good they will do others, the rest of the 6.8 billion–and those who will follow them. And then you too will discover the great and curious truth of the human experience is that selflessness is the best thing you can do for yourself. The sweetest joys of life, then, come only with the recognition that you’re not special.

Because everyone is.

Congratulations. Good luck. Make for yourselves, please, for your sake and for ours, extraordinary lives.

The full transcript is posted here : www.bostonherald.com...

Originally posted by NightShift
The teacher is right.

And he should resign.

I wake up day after day and see adults act just as bad as teenagers in terms of being self absorbed, and am imperfect in this manner myself. The teacher did nothing but gratify himself by taking a moment away from those kids.

When you graduate you know the system. School is more about learning social mechanisms, realities and expectations than anything else, and I am sure we all can remember a few of our teachers bitterly lording over us about the upcoming realities of adult life.

Those people should not teach. They should be building up against the coming storm, not tearing kids down.

Anyone can tear something down. All the good things people do, and make sacrifices for, are because of a sense of belonging. All of the bad things, thoughtless things, come from a sense of shame and isolation.

Don't you find it the least bit ironic that this adult stood up and took one of the rare moments of pride from all those people, stole it from them, and then had the gall to talk about not being special?

Seriously, read the transcript, watch the video instead of just judging from the headline. He didn't take ANYTHING away from them, he GAVE THEM the world!!!
It was one of the most INSPIRATIONAL and UPLIFTING speeches I ever listened to...SERIOUSLY!!!

After you watch it, your opinion will be completely opposite what it is now, I promise you that.
Take 5 minutes to read or 12 minutes to watch and it will completely change your opinion on the matter.

reply to post by WeRpeons


The federal government has given children way too many rights over their parents and teachers. No longer can a teacher grab a student's arm and escort them to the office. No more hugs for a job well done. Students have no consequences and discipline, and that's why education is in the state that it's in.

Great post. Keep tellin' it like it is!