Quote Originally Posted by Ktrain:
I have to disagree with this. He isn't intending to beat these kids spirits down. He is just letting them know that, as special as they may think they are at that moment, there are millions of kids that are in that exact same mindset.
He is also encouraging them to realize that graduating high school really isn't that big of a deal. Also, that striving for something more is what they all should be pursuing. Also that they shouldn't just pick a job/career or pursue an interest just because they think it will make them rich and famous, or even moderately comfortable. He is pushing them to pursue the things that they love, which is something most people sacrifice along the way in order to pursue the things I just mentioned.
I don't think this teacher gave this particular speech in order to shatter dreams or to bring the kids down. But rather in hopes of realizing that what they have just accomplished pales in comparison to what they can accomplish if they have the right mind set.
How many of us thought "finally high school is done and I can relax a bit"? I know I did and immediately was lost after high school. The real world swallows up a lot of people and they lose sight of what they really want to do in life.
I give this guy a lot of credit for giving a speech that was definitely against the grain and outside of the box. He didn't conform to the typical commencement speech. Which is appropriate, since he is essentially telling the kids not to conform to a lot of what society has been teaching them over the previous 18 years.
I respect your thoughts Scal but I have to disagree with them.
Let's talk about the first paragraph because I will become a bit long-winded in response to the entire post.
When exactly did these kids, or most any kids in any high school, think they are 'special' for graduating? Are they running around the halls hooting and hollering with their diploma in their hand? Are they bragging to friends and family for accomplishing what most people do in their lifetimes, something that is largely unremarkable?
Who here, on this site, thought they were special for graduating? If a feeling exclusivity for this achievement is prevalent among these kids, it should be evident among some of those who graduated, even gamblers.
So who here was basking in the glow of graduation at their high school ceremony?
Those who answer in the affirmative are usually on the fringes of failing and eked out a diploma, and those people definitely have something to celebrate because it probably is one of their biggest achievements up until that point in their lives.
This peddling of the "you are not so special" mantra is a myth because most, if not the overwhelming majority, do not feel that way.
I certainly didn't. I looked at is as an accomplishment and was a significant step towards higher education and finally getting a job. Period. That's not self-centered in any way. That's completely normal and many of these kids feel the same way.
So my question is this: The school forces you to have a graduation ceremony. It forces you to wear a cap and gown and provides you with passes for your family. THE SCHOOL arranges for all the pomp and circumstance that accompanies this celebration. Most importantly, it even arranges for who will be the commencement speaker, even a ne'er-do-well like this one.
Where in the world does this guy get off telling these kids THEY think THEY are special because they are attending a ceremony the school arranged? THEY are simply doing what they are told. Would not attending the graduation satisfy him?
If anything, the speaker should address the school, not the students with regard to the alleged pomposity the graduation ceremony delivers.
The students are simply marching along to the beat of the school and society's drum.