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

reply to post by Unity_99


My kids are so cool too, we can have more fun together for sure than any other people I have ever known. We do not use higher or lower to dictate to us how we relate in our honest communication, just see things as they are really and though we are not angels, because we do make fun of ourselves and other people especially strangers, it is fun to be human, here on earth and hold a good healthy measure of humor to guide us.

For instance today I had to go to wally, and my son was making a REALLY odd and strange face, he did this to be seen by others... although the 'look' was almost tragic if it were real, the hardest part was maintaining it as people saw him doing it. We loled so hard we could hardly control ourselves.

Higher spiritual energy is just that, and never never serious when it comes to kids.

I guess what I am saying is that it sounds like you have a mellow bunch of higher light angels in your midst, as for me mine are live wires, creative, stormy at times, loveable always.

I'm in my forties and I wish I could take your class!!

reply to post by Komaratzi11


I get that comment a lot from parents during our open house.

There's a big difference between suburban and inner city schools. Schools districts where there are wealthy families have parents that are good role models. They know the value of education as compared to families where some parents never graduated from high school. Some students at our school are homeless or live in foster homes. Some students come from families who feel that living on welfare is a way of life.

Our classrooms have students from all walks of life. This past year, I had a girl who was a foreign exchange student from Ecuador in my class. She was an A student, very respectful and motivated. One day I sat down with her and we just talked about the difference between students at our school and the students in Ecuador. She was amazed how disrespectful students were toward their teachers. She went on to say how incompetent and lazy they were. She said she never expected that students in America would be like that. She said she sometimes felt ashamed when students would talk back to teachers because she felt teachers would think she was the same way. I asked her what made her behave so well, she said her parents are very strict. I laughed and said mine were too! It's funny when we mature, we realize the negative aspects of having strict parents turn out to be a positive aspect later in life. I've been teaching for 19 years now, and it literally scares me when I see the percentage of high school students who just don't care about their education.

I hate to say it, but I'm not very optimistic about America's future. These kids are America's future, and without a strong work ethics and an educated work force, there will be a lack of innovation and creativity which has always been the backbone of America's strong economy.

Originally posted by PurpleChiten

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?

edit on 8-6-2012 by PurpleChiten because: (no reason given)

nope just skimmed through the first post. but still some dude talking down on people as if he's something more. you can be a scholar, you can have a phd, anything. in my perception life is life. everyone is special or no one is special- even those that are "successful"

reply to post by Unity_99


I think the speaker could have better stated, that everyone is special. Everyone has a gift of some sort. However, not everyone of those gifts will be recognized by others, and being special will not make you money in this world. The only thing that matters in our system, is how much money you have. Money equals success in our world. No matter how special a person is, if they have not turned that specialness into money, then it is highly unlikely others will recognize them as special.

Originally posted by biggmoneyme

Originally posted by PurpleChiten

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?

edit on 8-6-2012 by PurpleChiten because: (no reason given)

nope just skimmed through the first post. but still some dude talking down on people as if he's something more. you can be a scholar, you can have a phd, anything. in my perception life is life. everyone is special or no one is special- even those that are "successful"

He's NOT NOT NOT talking down to them or putting them down, which you would realize if you watched the video or read the transcript!!! Funny, he actually addresses your comment...If everyone is special, then nobody is special....seriously, watch the video, then go back and recant the comments you made.... you will DEFINITELY want to recant them after you watch the video.

Originally posted by ExPostFacto
reply to post by Unity_99

 

I think the speaker could have better stated, that everyone is special. Everyone has a gift of some sort. However, not everyone of those gifts will be recognized by others, and being special will not make you money in this world. The only thing that matters in our system, is how much money you have. Money equals success in our world. No matter how special a person is, if they have not turned that specialness into money, then it is highly unlikely others will recognize them as special.

Did you read the transcript or watch the video or just going by what the title of the thread says?

Surprised nobody has inserted this clip yet, Enjoy

reply to post by PurpleChiten


It still sounds like a thinly-veiled attempt at bashing students by someone who is older and probably thinks that they're above the same students.

Why else would this be necessary?

As I said, these kids will find out on their own. I had to make the mistakes that I made in order to get where I am. I have very few regrets.

reply to post by nimbinned


George hits the nail on the head too




lol

Originally posted by The Sword
reply to post by PurpleChiten

 

It still sounds like a thinly-veiled attempt at bashing students by someone who is older and probably thinks that they're above the same students.

Why else would this be necessary?

As I said, these kids will find out on their own. I had to make the mistakes that I made in order to get where I am. I have very few regrets.

Did you watch the video? The whole thing??

Originally posted by PurpleChiten

Originally posted by biggmoneyme

Originally posted by PurpleChiten

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?

edit on 8-6-2012 by PurpleChiten because: (no reason given)

nope just skimmed through the first post. but still some dude talking down on people as if he's something more. you can be a scholar, you can have a phd, anything. in my perception life is life. everyone is special or no one is special- even those that are "successful"

He's NOT NOT NOT talking down to them or putting them down, which you would realize if you watched the video or read the transcript!!! Funny, he actually addresses your comment...If everyone is special, then nobody is special....seriously, watch the video, then go back and recant the comments you made.... you will DEFINITELY want to recant them after you watch the video.

edit on 9-6-2012 by PurpleChiten because: (no reason given)

ah you may be right, but speeches from intellectuals always make me yawn. i'd be more interested in hearing from a man whose mind hasn't been polluted by formal education

Originally posted by biggmoneyme

ah you may be right, but speeches from intellectuals always make me yawn. i'd be more interested in hearing from a man whose mind hasn't been polluted by formal education

Dude, just watch the video, you won't be disappointed, you won't be bored and you will definitely have a different opinion when it's over.

reply to post by PurpleChiten

Thanks for posting the expanded speech. It is indeed far from what I originally understood.

I still see a lot of the sentiment I am set against in others' posts. Too many people still believe that somehow, this new generation is any different from the last, and the one before that, and the one before that.

I still hear older people rail against my generation today. We are the generation that inherited the post 9/11 world, fought a decade long war, lost our friends and family, and had to set out in our professional lives in the midst of a depression, and we still get accused of being over-demanding, spoiled children.

The arrogance of youth is only exceeded by the perennial arrogance of the established generations. Too many adults like to pat themselves on the back for nothing more than their seniority in the system maturing as an investment, and too often they conflate that with achievement by merit.

And while the roots dry out behind them, they berate the young for refusing to prop them up. Kids today are not spoiled as much as they are jaded. I feel bad for these graduates. I had the benefit of living in a time of great hope. What great future has been heralded over the past ten years? The end of the Cold War and the rise of Globalization used to be promising concepts. Now they are frightening.

Remember when you could dream of being an astronaut, but knew you could make a decent living if you didn't get your dream? Many of these kids will be lucky to afford to move out on their own in their twenties.

I hear the jeering taunts of those lucky to be born in the right time, failing to acknowledge the self-righteous, ironically self-important specialness in their condemnation of youth, and I am disgusted. I have met WW2 veterans and they are universally humble. But the generations since have ALL had a lot handed to them, a lot more than this current new crop can expect, and yet they love to crow down on us from up high.

Pathetic. So many of you should be ashamed of yourselves, but you are too spoiled yourselves to acknowledge it. Nobody needs life's lessons beaten into them before they are learned naturally over time, but by God there are always a line of enlightened individuals who believe otherwise.

reply to post by NightShift


You're welcome. It's really irritating that so many people immediately start "screaming" instead of actually reading the transcript or watching the video. It's amazing that they can spend hours upon hours posting to a message board but not take just a couple of minutes to actually see what it is they are posting about.They just read the headline, then start screaming instead of putting just a tiny bit of effort and thought into something.
Indeed, those graduates aren't special, but some of the adults I know are DEFINITELY "special" .... to the bone!!! ..... ED that is

I sympathize with your frustration and gave you the star for addressing this issue and clarifying for the rest of us. The speech is a good one, and a concept we would all do well to turn back to occasionally. A life lesson...not one to be learned, mastered, framed and set on a wall but rather something to help us overcome our daily weaknesses.

Good on you for being patient with me, it is appreciated.

Originally posted by NightShift
I sympathize with your frustration and gave you the star for addressing this issue and clarifying for the rest of us. The speech is a good one, and a concept we would all do well to turn back to occasionally. A life lesson...not one to be learned, mastered, framed and set on a wall but rather something to help us overcome our daily weaknesses.

Good on you for being patient with me, it is appreciated.

Thank you for taking the time to look at it to better form your opinion. Many won't and those are the ones who are frustrating.
We're all entitled to make mistakes, it's when we don't correct our mistakes that they become a problem.

Can this guy give this same speech throughout all High Schools?? Pleeeeezzzz??? This is the same thing I teach my kids. There is always someone out there that is better than you. There were even reports that someone was better than Michael Jordan playing street ball on the Playgrounds in New York. The message is clear and true.

Its not a bad thing and its nothing you should fret about. The key is, finding that Competitive nature in all of us that urges us to be the best. Ban Dodgeball, Ban Tackle football in Elementary School, Give B's to Students who should of got a C, Increase the Minimum Wage, Give a hand out to a person who has 15 kids at the age of 32, etc. Our Society is turning into a "I deserve it" society and not a "I need to work for it" society.

Thank God we still have someone like this who is teaching our kids. But, here is the sad part. Only ONE video of someone like this unless its a Comedian (love both of those guys by the way). Sad State of Affairs we have.

Word of Advice, since I am now Old enough to give it. Parents, Get your Head out of your ARSE and teach your kids how to be Respectable Adults and dont be afraid to do the following:

1. No Cell Phones until the age where you think your kid can handle it (18)
2. No Earings until the age of 16
3. No "Going Out" until the age of 16
4. Do your freaken Homework no matter if you think its stupid, cuz I do. (I am not your Teacher in School, but I teach you to do your Homework)

Screw it, this list could take me all night. The bottom line is that Parents only care about them selves and it is sickening the trend that has gone on the last 10 years or so.

Juss sayen.

reply to post by PurpleChiten


Unless there's subtitles, watching it would be a moot point.

Do you have anything useful to add or are you going to continue to goad people?

reply to post by hoochymama


You can't tell other people how to raise their kids. They will scoff at you and tell you to "# off".

Whatever happened to society where people kept to themselves and didn't concern themselves with how others raised their kids, etc?

I learned about reality through my father. He gave me this b.s about how if you work hard, you'll work your way up the ladder, etc. What he never told me was that you have to kiss ass or know the right people to get what you truly want in life.

I haven't given up. I have earned a lot of the things that I have in my life.

Do you really think that putting down today's generation of teenagers will help?

reply to post by pravdaseeker


I hate it when [SNIPPED] call kids spoiled just because they've had an education and have had enough to eat. Parents are supposed to look after their kids, parents are supposed to love them and comfort them - that's their job!

Most of your post is unpleasant and bitter, plz don't try to tell everyone that their lives should be full of suffering and struggle and pain (there will be plenty of that in everyone's life, good parenting or not). It makes you looks like some Ayn Rand fascist. And so does that idiotic 'spoiled babies' rantist doing the graduation speech you quoted.

it's probably this exact speech that some fat, half-crazy cop says to themselves as they smash their fist into some innocent teenagers head for sitting on the wrong part of the sidewalk. The whole post reads like abusive authoritarian garbage.