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

reply to post by WeRpeons


In Alberta teachers make 55 - 80, 000 salary per year to spew garbage about how if we didn't have corporate greed and capitalism we would still be in the stone age. About how we will never move away from Oil because it is "the only way". 80% of the junior teachers in alberta are women. And guess what? They are all flaming sexists who discriminate BLATANTLY against anything with a penis, and they get away with it. Because they are teachers "and they are ALWAYS right".

The ones who aren't sexist say "get out" almost impulsively when something even breathes wrong, or because they don't like them. But this is a non-issue, right?

Oh and I forgot to mention how the Alberta schools union owns shares in tobacco company in Canada, amongst every other company that produces things that are harmful to kids.













I would rather bathe in acid than become a teacher because they are the lowest form of scum on this planet next to politicians, "entertainers", bankers, and CEO's.

reply to post by Unity_99


No he's not a DOOFUS, as your ignorant self just implored. He is telling them the truth, these kids now a days need to be woken up, and realize their world is not the only one. Not everyone makes it, but atleast try. I see your kids are probably as ignorant as you, sadly. Like they always say, its the PARENTS!

reply to post by albertabound


I think that is my daughter's english teacher from tenth grade, oh wait she only hated WHITE children. and Black. She did that crap to my daughter who is AP HONORS and never EVER failed ANY class much less English! What a joke.(As a teacher I mean)

A good speech for a graduating class should not be about how they are or aren't special...but rather, what potential they have.
Will they fall short of their goals, their dreams, will they overachieve, etc...

The person giving the speech was in the wrong in context. She decided to use some obscure political grandstanding verses discuss the issue at hand.
She said matter of factly to the entire class that they weren't special
How does she know?
Perhaps the person that will cure cancer or build a warp drive is sitting in that audience...its a false claim.

I don't know if anyone in the crowd was special, but I do know that woman was a nutcase for claiming something she cannot possibly know

Potentially there was special people in the crowd...sitting right next to abject failures..what determines one from the other is how they persue the future endeavors.

This speech...was nothing special.

I would however prefer we spoke a bit more like this about nations though...America is not inherently special, nor is it a evil empire..it is the product of where we push things...American people are not all special, or freedom loving patriots, or communist desiring traitors, etc...it is so diverse that you cannot possibly apply a label.

I suspect (without reading much of the thread so far), that the people that enjoy this speech, think that somehow the US is super magical special and become angry at anyone saying different.

well i didnt graduate, does that mean im special?

imo the teacher was taking it out on the kids


some of you say she was opening their eyes and telling them the truth.
who is she to tell them who they are and what theyre worth?

just because everyone is special doesnt mean no one is anymore.
we're all blinded by our beliefs i guess

Originally posted by babybunnies
It's absolutely FRIGHTENING to find out the complete lack of real world skills that many college graduates have these days.

Real world, or old world?
As we move more and more into the tech age, these devices and new methods of communication will become more commonplace.
telecommuting, e-workers, etc...this is only going to continue increasing as we progress further...so, maybe its no longer important to have the mentality of getting outside the bubble and comfort zone in order to achieve things..perhaps this is a sign of a society change the same way the automobile changed our concept of dwellings and habitats...suddenly you could be a big city worker without needing to live in the actual city (aka, the birth of suburbs, and a whole new way of life outside a city that didn't involve cows),

Society changes all the time, and many people stuck in the old ways curse and concern over the new ways when they come.

Originally posted by TheGrandWarlock
well i didnt graduate, does that mean im special?

imo the teacher was taking it out on the kids


some of you say she was opening their eyes and telling them the truth.
who is she to tell them who they are and what theyre worth?

just because everyone is special doesnt mean no one is anymore.
we're all blinded by our beliefs i guess

See, I agree with you, I don't know though cause she said go out and make your life special, but it seemed to be said (IMO) to make them feel worthless and crappy so that the last part about making your life special would fall on deaf ears because they are now like "WTF?Why even try?" I mean that is just a great part about mind control, they tell you you're not special, so translate : You will never amount to anything so therefore, by the time they get to what the class should have heard about making their life, they are already discouraged. I don't know that's just how I see it. I am sure the Veldictorian did not appreciate the speech at all. I am sure that those children who earned full scholarships to Universities like Harvard did not appreciate that speech because it kind of lowers their accomplishments to the abject failure sitting beside them, And they are absolutely not equal IMO.

Originally posted by pravdaseeker
It never happened that a student could not distinguish "fantasy" from reality and its consequences. SOMEHOW a bunch of kids these days cant seem to tell the difference between a VIDEO GAME and actually doing something awful...WHY is that?? Perhaps another thread eh?? hmm...

I absolutely agree with you there. Video games have become increasingly used to normalise the perception of military violence. They are used as a form of propaganda. You will notice that your speaker gives a happy reference to obsessive video game players?

I'm glad you are now asking about the actual causes of these problems.

Originally posted by TheGrandWarlock
well i didnt graduate, does that mean im special?

imo the teacher was taking it out on the kids


some of you say she was opening their eyes and telling them the truth.
who is she to tell them who they are and what theyre worth?

just because everyone is special doesnt mean no one is anymore.
we're all blinded by our beliefs i guess

"She" didn't say anything considering it was a man who gave the speech....nit-picking I know, but makes me wonder if you even bothered to read the speech or just the article about the speech.

Good post!

Unfortunately, the educational system will continue to produce indoctrinated kids instead of critical thinkers so long as the current socio-economic system is intact.

I know it's been mentioned here a lot, but I'll say it again. This system isn't interested in having a bunch of critical thinkers. It wants people that follow directions, just smart enough to opperate in a very narrow section of the economy.

Do your job well, but don't ask any questions.

So kids, which many are now well into adulthood, don't question where the things they consume come from and what happens to the waste after it's consumed. The majority of the industrialized world, some regions more than others, have been spoiled because of available resources and technology.

The bright side, which is ironically the dark side too, is that it cannot last forever. It's absolutely unsustainable whether the elite want it to be or not.

Sure sounds like a speech right out of the old communist handbook. "You are not special, you are not unique, you are no better than the worst and just as good as the best... Family is nothing, state is everything." That's my interpretation.

I am an overprotective parent and the wife is doubly-so. We do our best to make sure the kids are always safe. We tell them every day that they are special and wonderful and capable of anything; positive reinforcement in large doses. We are not concerned about the chances of our girls succeeding in life. They will always have the support of their family, and whether they are 7, 17, 27, 57, if they ever need Mom or Dad to come help them, we'll be there.

“Yes, capable adults with other things to do have held you, kissed you, fed you..

That's what parents do, and it is their "things to do". It's not a chore for a parent to care for their kids. Everything else in life is the chore. Sure sometimes that diaper is extra stinky and messy, and sure sometimes the terrible-twos are exactly that, and teenagers can be overly-dramatic about the smallest things, BUT MOST PARENTS WOULD NOT TRADE ANY OF THOSE MOMENTS FOR ALL THE BORSCHT IN THE USSR.

All kids need to be told they are special and capable of anything. Yeah they shouldn't be told that they are entitled to everything. And they need to be taught EARLY in life that all actions have consequences, but also that there are rewards for hard work and maximum effort.

reply to post by primus2012


I'm saying! And to add insult to injury there are kids sitting there in that audience maybe very few but they are there that have worked their butts off and gotten scholarships and stuff and achieved a lot in the high school years, if my daughter was one of them I would kind of be ticked with the teacher going on about how they are not anything special. Clearly anybody who acieves honor marks and full scholarships ARE very special and unique.

reply to post by pravdaseeker


Couple all that with a rich daddy that makes sure you always come up on top no matter how incompetent you are, like the last 2 Bushes, no wonder this country is so screwed up. Hopefully, we can get someone who worked his way up like Obama to continue rather than Mitt Romney to screw it all up back into the stone age like Dubya.

Originally posted by albertabound
reply to post by WeRpeons

 

I would rather bathe in acid than become a teacher because they are the lowest form of scum on this planet next to politicians, "entertainers", bankers, and CEO's.

I would reserve that appellation to the folks who are trying to sell the rest of the world their dirt oil.

Originally posted by primus2012
Sure sounds like a speech right out of the old communist handbook. "You are not special, you are not unique, you are no better than the worst and just as good as the best... Family is nothing, state is everything." That's my interpretation.

And this is evident in this thread, that each of us will hear the words spoken and derive our own conclusions. Though, I am having a hard time finding in the speech where he expressed that kids are not unique; though I guess we can infer it. But inference doesn't equate to expressing it.

But like you said, its your interpretation but I wonder did you read the whole speech or are you commenting solely on the "you're not special" and "you're not extraordinary" bits of it?

I am an overprotective parent and the wife is doubly-so. We do our best to make sure the kids are always safe. We tell them every day that they are special and wonderful and capable of anything; positive reinforcement in large doses. We are not concerned about the chances of our girls succeeding in life. They will always have the support of their family, and whether they are 7, 17, 27, 57, if they ever need Mom or Dad to come help them, we'll be there.

I too tell my two young sons they are special because, well, they are to me. But outside of my home, they are no more special than the kid next door or the kid down the street; across town. I didn't see that in the speech, or at least didn't see it as a personal jab at parents for thinking their kids special and loving them.

“Yes, capable adults with other things to do have held you, kissed you, fed you..

In which at the end of that paragraph he says the following

And now you’ve conquered high school… and, indisputably, here we all have gathered for you, the pride and joy of this fine community, the first to emerge from that magnificent new building…

I don't see a discount for the pride and joy that the parents sitting there in the crowd watching their budding young adults move on to their next part of their life. And why would they be more special than the last year that graduated or the next year that does?

All kids need to be told they are special and capable of anything. Yeah they shouldn't be told that they are entitled to everything. And they need to be taught EARLY in life that all actions have consequences, but also that there are rewards for hard work and maximum effort.

And his speech, in whole, spoke of not feeling entitled, that they are capable of anything and that they should love and be selfless and live life to find their own extraordinary or their own special. I am not understanding how you equate this to communist dribble.

No longer is it how you play the game, no longer is it even whether you win or lose, or learn or grow, or enjoy yourself doing it… Now it’s “So what does this get me?”

He is speaking to having some self-worth and strive to do things to enjoy them, to grow and learn. I think you didn't read all what he spoke.

I do agree with this speaker, however, I feel she generalized the class a bit much. There are some people who i feel that they are well aware about how hard the real world will be. And i feel this as i just graduated two days ago. Most yes, have no idea what they are getting themselves into. I kind of feel that it is the generation before ours whose fault it is though. They raised us to feel this way. Also, the BS high school requirments for graduation. For example, I was required to take a speech class. Instead of that class i could have taken a course like outdoor education or senior strat which basically teaches life skills. I find the requirments very stupid needless to say. But i suppose learning how to prepare an impromptu speech is important than some sorts of life skills...

reply to post by pravdaseeker



Maybe this is just a USA phenomenon.
Because i remember my head of year(UK) when i was 14 basically telling us in assembly that we are coddled and that once you get out in the real world your gonna get screwed and eaten alive if you don't start taking things seriously and start thinking about consequences

Still i never had that sense of being special and didn't know any one who did. There were proud ones that (thought they) had everything figured out.

I was a cocky # but never actually thought i was better then anyone.
Honestly kids need to be cocky #s or else they won't have that competitive edge to get forward in the world.

Really it almost sounds like you had some bad experiences with 'popular' kids in school.
And are still bitter about it.

Originally posted by White Locust
Obviously somebody missed the thread on the power of a single thought from earlier in the week. Although this guy has a valid point, a good parent and role model would not come out and ram this down someone's throat and put out their fire. So while you tell your kids they are not special, I am meanwhile teaching my kids how to be a soldier in this ultra competitive world we have. My own mom and stepdad beat the odds and moved my brother and i out from under welfare, food stamps, government housing, through doctorate and grad school level educations. It was no accident. It all started with a thought and a lot of willpower.

While some of you may be laughing at this story, some of the students probably did too. But i think it is terribly sad if even one student has his fire put out. One last thought, the OP, sorry you got picked on in HS. Sure sounds like you have some anger to deal with.

Did you actually watch the video or read the transcript?

Originally posted by albertabound
This is what I LOVE about the education system; it's filled with people who, despite being ridiculously over paid, having a completely corrupt onion (in a good way, for' the teachers), and who get away with murder in terms of how [awful] they treat their students, are so bitter they can't even give kids some hope going into the real world.

Did you even watch the video or read the transcript? If not, then do so, then come back and comment.

Originally posted by solongandgoodnight
i remember before i graduated all i heard was, "you think the world owes you something? they owe you nothing!" (in a hateful voice) and do you know what i got out of that kind of attitude? nothing. i just always thought they were A holes. different people work different ways. i need all the encouragement i can get. maybe some need to be cut down to size. anyway that has been over eight years ago and i am doing great. God, or whatever you would like to call him, has blessed me greatly, and i never expected anything from anyone. Try your best to do what's right, try to stay motivated and in your own right you will be successful. doesn't encouragement sound a little better than "you're not special."

i for one think that is a lie. everyone is special in there own way. we are all unique and young kids like this shouldn't allow themselves to think that they are not. just my two cents. i'm sure i will be crucified.

If everyone is special, then there is nothing special about being special and in reality, none of them are special at all