High School Teacher Gives Tough Love Graduation Speech: Are You Exceptional or Just Like Everyone Else?
SodaHead News
2012/06/11 13:00:00
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Usually, graduation speeches encourage grads to charge into the world with their chins held high, that diploma proudly tucked under their arm. You've graduated college; you're exceptional; it's time to make something of yourself. But that's not exactly how David McCullough Jr.'s speech went when the English teacher spoke at Wellesley High's commencement this year. On the contrary. He told graduates they're just like everyone else, and the controversial message immediately went viral.
McCullough said, "You are not special. You are not exceptional ... Even if you're one in a million, on a planet of 6.8 billion that means there are nearly 7,000 people just like you ... You've been pampered, cosseted, doted upon, helmeted, bubble wrapped ... We have of late, we Americans, to our detriment, come to love accolades more than genuine achievement ... The sweetest joys of life, then, come only with the recognition that you're not special. Because everyone is." What do you think of the tough love speech?
McCullough said, "You are not special. You are not exceptional ... Even if you're one in a million, on a planet of 6.8 billion that means there are nearly 7,000 people just like you ... You've been pampered, cosseted, doted upon, helmeted, bubble wrapped ... We have of late, we Americans, to our detriment, come to love accolades more than genuine achievement ... The sweetest joys of life, then, come only with the recognition that you're not special. Because everyone is." What do you think of the tough love speech?
Top Opinion
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El Prez 2012/06/11 17:21:45I'm exceptional!
+10Because I have spent the better part of my life making sure that I am exceptional. However, by the standards set by Mr. McCullough, I am not unique. Unique is rare, exceptional is more easily attained. The later day inclination to give trophys for participation, praise all miltary personel as heros and in general dilute real achievment and heroism, has created something of a feeling of special priviledge among some of our youth. The "tough love" speech might be useful so long as the message of carrying on to find your exceptional character is contained within. He was trying to wake them to the truth and that is always good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?...
I am pretty unique too.
Intelligent is eons higher than smart, this guy may be book smart but I wouldnt ever deem him intelligent.
A honest and straightforward , ^NO frills attached man that's for sure.
I allowed her to fight most of her battles when she was growing up. I think that the teacher who gave that lecture should have given it to the parents years before and not loaded it on the students. Many parents are the ones who need to hear that and blaming the students for their parents failures as parents is just not right... I do agree with him in what he said, for the most part, but it was directed at the wrong people. Parents need to be told to teach their children how to think logically, how to present their arguments with conviction but respectfully, how to be secure in themselves - and not falsely thinking they are all that and then some...
Our school district wanted to advance our daughter by 2 grades when she was in 2nd grade - and we declined. Why? Because we wanted our daughter to understand that sometimes things in life are rough and you just have to deal with it. We told her that she would probably be bored quite often - even being in the gifted program - but it was her responsibility to help other kids and to find ways to expand her learning. We were extremely poor but took her to...
I allowed her to fight most of her battles when she was growing up. I think that the teacher who gave that lecture should have given it to the parents years before and not loaded it on the students. Many parents are the ones who need to hear that and blaming the students for their parents failures as parents is just not right... I do agree with him in what he said, for the most part, but it was directed at the wrong people. Parents need to be told to teach their children how to think logically, how to present their arguments with conviction but respectfully, how to be secure in themselves - and not falsely thinking they are all that and then some...
Our school district wanted to advance our daughter by 2 grades when she was in 2nd grade - and we declined. Why? Because we wanted our daughter to understand that sometimes things in life are rough and you just have to deal with it. We told her that she would probably be bored quite often - even being in the gifted program - but it was her responsibility to help other kids and to find ways to expand her learning. We were extremely poor but took her to places that would excite her and challenge her. We made her take responsibility for her actions - always. That included when she failed to turn in her homework (stuffed in her desk and we then discovered she has ADD) and got a "D" on her report card when in the 4th grade. The teacher wanted to take the papers and grade them and then give her a grade based on those homework papers - but we wanted her to learn a lesson. We worked together to help her with her ADD. She never got another "D."
My point is that in this kind of situation, the kids were not the ones who should have had this lecture. It was seriously misdirected. Parents should have to sit through this speech at the beginning of every school year.
Oh, and as far as anger goes... If my "anger" managed to make that teacher do what he should have done and directed that speech to parents before those young people graduated from high school and were on their way to real life - then the speech would have been completely unnecessary. He, then, could have been encouraging those students instead of berating them.
Finally, someone speaks the truth to the graduates instead of filtered content. It's about time these students heard the honest answer as to what lies ahead. It beats high expectations, only to face disappointment. They need to know that success requires them to work their A$$ off - it won't be handed to them on a gold-plated platter by Mom and Dad.
I'm working for my own benefit, not for anyone else's.
There are no free rides in the real world.
Our Liberal public schools have created another generation of parasites, even lazier than the last.