Teacher tells students: You're not special

[Flecktarn92]

Shouldn't he have said none of you ARE special?

[ubermensche]

Ha! Finally someone who isn't afraid to tell the truth. Graduating from highschool is nothing. I wonder why they hold such biga$$ ceremonies for it. Graduation just gives another excuse for teens to get drink and do some LSD. My HS diploma is sitting somewhere under a big pile useless junk in the a$$-middle of nowhere.

[IraGlacialis]

I wonder why they hold such biga$$ ceremonies for it. Graduation just gives another excuse for teens to get drink and do some LSD.

LSD is still used en-masse?

As for why they hold ceremonies for it: why hold huge ceremonies for anything? Justified or not, graduation is considered that formal initiation into young adulthood before kids now scatter to the wind (be it college, military, or straight into the work-force). So I can see the reason for the ceremony.

[tea drinker]

Pretty good speech. I like professors who are like this.

They learned something from him, educators should be able to push boundaries.

[Mujo2000]

It is worth reading the entire speech because it is less of an bucket of ice water than the article makes it out to be. Pretty much the "you are not special" comment is more along the lines of the "if everybody wins, can you really call them winners?" argument.

It is not so much knocking the kids down; rather it is telling them to not live and do what they do to be "exceptional" or part of some glorifying statistic (because does it really matter in the grand scheme of things?), but to live for oneself. In the end, it is mentioned that they are still unique, which contradicts some of the statements on this thread.

I agree. The speech is a whole lot more nouanced than the little bit you get from the article.

He starts off sounding really bitter, but the speech ends well. He has great points though.

[Sousuke]

Sensationalist title - as usual.

Amazing speech, he made some really good points. And for those who hate on it - read the whole thing.

Kudos to him.

[Reichswehr]

He is wrong. Way too many young people are Special.

Special Needs that is.

[ubermensche]

LSD is still used en-masse?

As for why they hold ceremonies for it: why hold huge ceremonies for anything? Justified or not, graduation is considered that formal initiation into young adulthood before kids now scatter to the wind (be it college, military, or straight into the work-force). So I can see the reason for the ceremony.

Meh, I have no idea about LSD, it was just the first thing that came through my mind.

I just feel that prom is something overrated. Yeah, it's all fun and sh1t to graduate from HS, but seriously, it ain't that much of a challenge...

[Noons86.]

The whole speech was pretty good, and definitely worth reading. And as usual, a sensationalist headline with a few select quotes to make it sound gloomy.

But I wonder how many people here who applauded the speech only read the selected quotes, and would be disappointed by the whole speech?

[IraGlacialis]

^^^^^
x2

I just feel that prom is something overrated.

Not sure how prom came to mind. For me, it was for both for juniors and seniors, thus not really being connected to graduation.

[usa320]

good speech and good point.

[Chimera]

reminds me of this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6wOt2iXdc4

[Laptop Hobo]

Participation ribbons!