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

Originally posted by Realtruth

Originally posted by pravdaseeker

What you have are young adults with a huge over inflated sense of self importance, who dont know ANY real skills for the real world in general. Kids whose world is DESTROYED because so and so "UNFRIENDED" them at Facebook...(Hey it happened to my buddies daughter, just this week..lol)

And who's fault is this?

It's the fault of the system and society they are brought up in.

Children are born with a blank slate.

I think the teacher is an A number one a-hole since he is part of the decayed system, that allows for these things to happen.

What a damn hypocrite!

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

Did you watch the video or read the transcript???

reply to post by ldyserenity


.... all you non-conformists are just alike ....
Yes, I know the play on words will be wasted on many, but those who do comprehend it will at least enjoy it

Originally posted by ldyserenity
On the second part of your post. There is a BIG difference with telling someone they are not an individual, and telling them to make their life extroidenary. That is their life that isn't special by any means but they are individuals, and some people could give a hoot about having an extroidenary life, some just want to be happy and really DGAF about what others think or say about them, and that is a different topic altogether. Doesn't make them less of an individual. The only people that speech appealed to is the ones who want to make themselves special. Whic translates "egoists". I'd rather teach my children to be kind instead of being self important. Self important people want attention. I never wanted to have a special life, being loving and nurturing and providing for my family and being happy is all I ever wanted. So I still have to disagree with his speech. What I understand of what you are saying though, I can see that being a good speech for those who care to be deemed "privileged", that's really what he meant while making this speech. With great power comes great responsibility, some just would rather not have that much of a burden in life, and some it isn't a burden because they misuse it and act atrociously anyway, I certainly wouldn't cal those people special. They're anything but. JMO.

OK, try to follow it this way... He wasn't telling the kids they, as individuals weren't "special" he was telling them that BEING "special" isn't special, especially since EVERYONE is special... do you follow this at all?

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

It's very clear that you neither watched the speech or read the transcript, you don't even realize that the teacher was a MAN.

I have embedded the video, I have given the link to the transcript, I even went as far as to POST the ENTIRE transcript right here on the thread for you and still, you haven't looked at it, you haven't even put forth any effort at all, you just spew out how the headline made you feel instead of addresing the topic of the thread.
Yes, you are indeed special, may I call you Ed?

reply to post by pravdaseeker


Thanks for the article OP, nice read.

I'm sure there will be people who will say "well, my kids are a special and unique snowflake" and they will get absolutely nothing from reading that article and will continue to raise a generation of emo weaklings; but I salute the teacher for having the courage to tell the truth. In this ridiculous country that it's becoming, he probably even had the fear of oversensitive parents and principals making a fiasco over it.

There is always a balance, a golden middle. You should not tear your children down and be a bad parent but I believe you are being equally bad when you pamper your kids and indirectly set them up for failure. I've seen it in my family, where my distant cousins had a mom that always told them they were the best, they were top of the class, best in sports etc. You know what happened, when they grew up and realized mom was full of doodoo? Both are semi depressed individuals with severe personality issues... one has, after numerous nervous breakdowns from trying to be the best in school, best in law school, best in yada yada yada, now become obsessive compulsive and washes his hands every 15-20 minutes because he's lost it. You know what, he still lives with his mom and she still tells him the same shizznit.

Find a balance, be honest with your kids, give them the support they need but don't make the mistake of creating ego monsters. One may THINK they are doing nothing wrong but you can do GREAT harm to your kids by being overly zealous.


Khar

Originally posted by SaturnFX
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.
(snipped for brevity)

It is absolutely, 100% clear that you did not read the transcript, you did not read the OP, and you did not view the video, any of the three would have shown you a clear picture of what actually happened, but instead, you read the headline and jumped in feet first up to your eyebrows with no concept of what was actually being discussed.
I have embedded the video, I have linked to the transcript, I have even posted the ENTIRE transcript right here in this tread. Take 2 minutes and do one of the three, then come back and comment your opinion based on reality instead of your opinion of what the headline says.

Originally posted by pravdaseeker
Dear ATS Readers, Writers,

I LOVE this news story... after having been to several graduation gatherings over the years...I find it refreshing and just what most of these pampered people need to hear.

I was seeing it EVERY year, the speeches, that ONLY inflated the students micro -world of peers and self important people... those who strive to be so popular, and get the coolest "green" or Politically correct "title" as a student.

They do not realize that 6 weeks after graduation, MANY who were supposedly their best friend will act like they never knew them..etc. Then they MOVE ON to the newest form of total garbage competition... "SO..WHICH university are YOU attending... I AM attending "X"....!

Like one isnt worth speaking to unless they are in your "league", or attending a higher cost college..

Yet we are inundated with honor roll students who can NOT tell time on a analog clock, let alone FIGURE IT OUT!! Cuz they had everyone figuring it out for them all their life.. NO CHALLENGES..

Students who head off to college without a CLUE on budgeting money, etc.. they just KNOW they are the greatest gift to mankind since Christ, walked the Earth...lol.. and their poop dont stink... EVER.

What you have are young adults with a huge over inflated sense of self importance, who dont know ANY real skills for the real world in general. Kids whose world is DESTROYED because so and so "UNFRIENDED" them at Facebook...(Hey it happened to my buddies daughter, just this week..lol)

In general, kids are quite caccooned through life.. over protective parents and the nanny state have created some pretty lame graduates...They can spout the greenhouse propaganda to the letter, but dont have a clue to check over their car for a road trip so they have a safe journey, or change a tire, GOD FORBID, thats what TRIPLE A is for, right?

And when I get a job it BETTER BE something other than flipping burgers, cuz I am better than that!

A lot "think" they deserve a 80k/yr job right off the bat! No serving time in the learning and working world..

This is JUST a generalization, but over the years I have seen more and more of these frikkin airheads graduate, and are dumber than a box of rocks with the smart ones picked out! lol.

Kids need survival skills taught to them.. world survival skills... in the working world... times are going to get brutal for emerging young adults to try and make a go of life, and be successful..

Granted, that is if there is a world for them to grow old in... as we hurtle towards another global conflict..

NO WONDER THEY ARE MESSED UP... look what "we" gave them?

Kudos to this speaker to the students!! We need more of them.

Pravdaseeker

I'm sure it wasn't your intention but you post come off as extremely arrogant. Yes you pointed out that this was just a 'generalization" but that disclaimer does not hide your dislike of these students.
Just because the world is harsh and they may not know the truth of what living in the real world is does not mean they shouldn't be congratulated for completing college, regardless of what you think it very much is a big accomplishment. You're going to tell me that if/when your son/daughter, if you have one, completes college your going to not tell them how great a job they did? You'll just tell them how unimpressive and ordinary they are?
I'm sorry if this world was cruel to you but should we dash the hopes of all children just because the world isn't easy? That seems idiotic to me.
What would you have to say to those who worked 2 or 3 jobs to put themselves through college without any help? Is what they have done not worthy of some sort of praise? It's not as easy as you seem to make it out to be to get on the honor roll and to get high marks in college. While yes, there is many students who scrape by doing the minimum and use social programs and their parents help to fund their way through college but they can't give each individual student their own graduation speech. So they usually say something inspirational and congratulatory.
Your post just comes off as an older man/woman complaining about how easy kids have it these days and how you have it so much harder then all of them and came out much better then they did. Again this may not be your intention but you should be aware of how it makes you sound toward others.

This one line seems to sum up exactly how you feel about this generation, and it's just absurdly biased and incorrect.

Yet we are inundated with honor roll students who can NOT tell time on a analog clock, let alone FIGURE IT OUT!! Cuz they had everyone figuring it out for them all their life.. NO CHALLENGES..

Generalizations like this show your arrogance clearly for all to see.

For those who couldn't be bothered to read the links, watch the video or read the transcript because it wasn't on the exact same page they happen to navigate to and it would be too much strain on their index finger to click on the mouse. here is it again. It is valuable and important.


Transcript of the speech AND the video in one convenient place!!!! lybio.net...

reply to post by albertabound


Wow, I can tell just by your post the deep seeded hate you have for teachers. Maybe you had a teacher you didn't like, or maybe that teacher was bias against males. It's pretty narrow minded that you would paint all teachers with the same broad brush.

Like I've said before, I worked in the private sector for 10 years, I know perfectly well you will always find colleagues or associates in any business that can have negative attitudes, bias opinions, and just be plain annoying. People are not made out of the same mold. They all have their faults. For heaven sakes, teacher's do too! We don't live in a perfect world and you can't expect to like every person or teacher you cross paths with. I had some boring teachers myself, and I also had some outstanding and life changing teachers that I remember and am now friends with today.

I don't know if your still in high school or a graduate. It's hard to believe that there wasn't a few teachers that you will always remember as being good concerned teachers. If you didn't, your story falls on deaf ears. If you haven't, maybe you should have taken inventory of how your behavior in class may of changed how teachers were constantly reprimanding you.

Students have a tendency (especially this generation) to always blame their teacher or other students. They never want to take responsibility for their own actions. Case in point, a student threw a wad of paper at another student a couple of weeks ago in my class. I told him to pick it up and throw it in the trash can and don't do it again. He refused to pick up the paper because he said another student threw it at him first. I told him, you were the one caught throwing it, take responsibility for your actions. He still refused until I told him if he didn't pick it up he would end up receiving a detention. Simple things like that go on every single day! Students would rather get a detention, instead of picking up a crumpled sheet of paper and dropping it in the trash can. It's just boggles my mind.

I get complaints from parents every once in awhile claiming that I'm picking on their son or daughter. Little do these parents know, it's not picking on the child, it's trying to motivate them to stop being lazy and start doing their assignments. Would you just rather have the teacher give up and say oh well just sit there and I'll just give you an "F". Some high school teachers will do that, but the majority of teachers just can't handle seeing a student disrupt other students or fail them when they're intelligent and capable enough to pass the class. I hate to inform parents, but their children don't always tell the truth.

We have video cameras in all our hallways. Our district has caught numerous students having sex in stairways over the years. I clearly remember a case where the principal informed the mother that her daughter was caught on tape giving a boy oral sex. She denied that her daughter would ever do such a thing. The principal called her into the office and showed her the video. She still denied it was her daughter!!!!!

All I'm saying to you is don't let one particular teacher cloud your total view of teachers. Their are a lot of good caring and creative teachers out there. There are also some lazy and boring teachers out there. You get that in all walks of life.

When you're faced with injustices you have two choices, either adjust your ways to satisfy the person in authority and than move on, or legally prove that an injustice has been taking place and than take legal action.

Originally posted by WeRpeons
reply to post by albertabound

 

Wow, I can tell just by your post the deep seeded hate you have for teachers. Maybe you had a teacher you didn't like, or maybe that teacher was bias against males. It's pretty narrow minded that you would paint all teachers with the same broad brush.

eh, when people do that, I just check their profile and 2 or 3 of their posts and it becomes crystal clear....
The problem, 99% of the time, is with them, not with the teachers or the schools or anything else, it's all on them.

ETA: further in your post you say that sometimes you have to tell the parents that their child doesn't always tell the truth. One of the easier ways of doing that is to say "Don't believe everything they say about me and I promise to not believe everything they say about you". That lets them know that children aren't always truthful or at least not always aware of perspective as well as opens up dialogue and has the parents address their child with what may or may not have been discussed to ensure they are at least communicating with their children.

I think all people should be called in for 1 week of substitute teaching just like jury duty. The background checks could be performed through the court system that already does scanning for jury members, they recieve jury pay and are excused from their job without fear of reprimand and they get to experience what it is actually like with an actual teacher supervising them of course, for the safety of the students and ONLY for the safety of the students. Probably the In School Suspension class would be the best place to do it. Call it "community outreach" and let it be used to build a rapport with the general public.
It could be very valuable to everyone involved and change a LOT of attitudes.
They could go ahead and make the minimum age 21, or even older, I'd even go with 30 since that's the age when most parents have had children. They would get to experience the school right there in their own community, they would see what the teachers have to work with on a daily basis, they would see the effective as well as the ineffective administration and they would actually have an idea of what goes on in the schools and enable them to be better parents and better prepare their children for what's to come. Those without childre need it too, so open it to everyone who passes the general background check and change these nasty attitudes with experience.

Originally posted by PurpleChiten

It is absolutely, 100% clear that you did not read the transcript, you did not read the OP, and you did not view the video, any of the three would have shown you a clear picture of what actually happened, but instead, you read the headline and jumped in feet first up to your eyebrows with no concept of what was actually being discussed.
I have embedded the video, I have linked to the transcript, I have even posted the ENTIRE transcript right here in this tread. Take 2 minutes and do one of the three, then come back and comment your opinion based on reality instead of your opinion of what the headline says.

I read the transcript.
He started off on some rant about marriage being ultimately useless and sexist (his perception).
Goes on to point out that the world is big and your just a bit player, and anything you do or accomplish is ultimately meaningless in the grand scheme of things
then tells people to do things that you feel is important..
after he got done saying ultimately nothing is important, nobody is important, this world isn't even important, or the entire galaxy.

Freaking emo's.

He then continues on about what should motivate is what -he- finds important...

He has a subconscious self importance coming out...he dismisses every motivation except for her own, and then tries to pass off her perspectives of importance as some sort of objective truth.

Its judgmental bull. I agree with him on many things personally, but objectively, what a twitty thing to say. It would be similar for me to stand up to a vast audience and discuss how they shouldn't believe in a deity because it makes no sense, therefore believe in the value of humanity...may be my opinion, but who am I to tell others what I see as a fundamental truth to myself?

Check this out:

You’ll note the founding fathers took pains to secure your inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness–quite an active verb, “pursuit”–which leaves, I should think, little time for lying around watching parrots rollerskate on Youtube.

What if my pursuit of happiness is just that...wanting to make neat parrot videos on youtube..what if this is my desire in life, to bring a bit of happiness and joy to others having a bad day and want a few minutes to watch a funny parrot video that makes their life a little less drab?

He decided thats not the proper way to find a pursuit of happiness...he decided that what could turn into a profound piece of media art, which may one day reshape a part of society (but probably wont), isn't up to his standards of what he deems the pursuit should be.

This speech is nothing special, his demands are nothing special. I stand by my initial post, Not sure what the problem is your having with it.

These kids don't need to be ultimately told your pointless existance means nothing, so do as I say.

And personally
I am special
I know I am..my mother tells me I am, and who knows me better than mom

reply to post by SaturnFX


I invite you to watch the video so you can discern the inflection.



It's 12 minutes long, but it really is extremely inspirational. You can see the look on the faces of the students, they are agreeing with him, they are appreciative of it, they truely understand what he is saying to them.
The comments regarding weddings is clearly said in jest when you see it in the video. I promise you it is not a waste of your time in any way, shape or form and you will walk away from it a better person.
Please, take a moment and view it and see if it changes your mind. Please, also, since you have not been adamantly horrible about it as others have, set an example and come back and post after watching the video and let us know if it changed your opinion or perception.

I humbly ask you to take the time to do this in order to contribute to the good of all and hope you will be willing to take me up on the request.

Thank you

reply to post by PurpleChiten


Whats the point?
The transcript tells me all I need to know..not sure what facial expressions would teach me:
Consider this line, which annoyed the hell out of me

If you’ve learned anything in your years here I hope it’s that education should be for, rather than material advantage, the exhilaration of learning.

What complete bull.
People learn for a variety of reasons...sure, matters of philosophy and literature, you learn from a sheer desire to know..but learning the functioning of a water treatment system isn't something that brings you joy..its something that brings you a paycheck, so you will (if thats your job) push through the rather dull and mind numbingly boring technicals enough to understand the system so you can get paid..thats it.

Society runs on many levels..he is painting a picture that intellectual curiousity is the only valid reason to continue education. You should only study mechanics if you are damn near aroused by the automobile, or an electrician only if you are in awe at the marvels of electricity..
No, sometimes you learn simply to comfort yourself and not sleep on sandpaper (a means to an end for the persuit of happiness).

I don't care about the students reactions...they would react equal to Lady Gaga saying clothes makes you who you are, so wear something glittery. They are impressionable students wanting to find profound statements from a senior of society...but frankly, they would have been more appreciative with that one guy that did that "dance like nobody is watching you" speech.

Subjectively, I have no issue with the guys speech...it almost mirrors my own viewpoints. it is a good article to post...objectively, this was not a speech to give to a graduating class...more of a sociology class lecture...I recommend not watching the video actually..just read the transcript and ponder the lines and how they tend to clash as he continues on.

Originally posted by SaturnFX
reply to post by PurpleChiten

 

Whats the point?
The transcript tells me all I need to know..not sure what facial expressions would teach me:

The point is that the written word does not hold all that the spoken word does. Inflection is everything, the voice is eloquent, the language, as spoken, cannot be matched by any amount of spelling, grammar or flowery verbage. The spoken word is more powerful than the written word if the written word has built nations and torn down barriers, just imagine what the spoken word can do.

If someone texts you "no", does that have the same impact of someone telling you "no"? You could easily get angered over the text when in reality they were smiling and saying it more as "nah, that's ok" as opposed to "no way, I will not under any circumstance EVER do it"... there is much to be gained from hearing it, as opposed to reading it.

Perhaps the key that should be focused on after watching the video is : If everyone recieves a trophy, then the trophy loses it's meaning.
perhaps the title should have said "You're not special.... because everyone is special" which is an actual statement he makes in the speech and it's brought out much more in the video than in the text. He's not putting them down in any way, shape or form and that can be clearly seen in the video. He is building them up, he's telling them they are EXCEPTIONAL just because they exist and they are capable of great and wonderful things, but the word "special" has lost all meaning due to the overuse of it and we should focus more on doing things because of the good that it brings instead of the accolades.
He even states that it no longer matters about how you play the game or if you win or lose... it's the accolades that everyone seeks and the accolades just aren't that important. He tells them how to love, how to live and how to really appreciate life and get the absolute most out of it as possible.

Listening to it, it is one of the most uplifting and empowering speeches you could ever hope to hear.

Please, take the 12 minutes and allow this to change your life. I promise you, beyond a shadow of a doubt, it will be life changing to you... or at least opinion changing to you.

Please, step up, take the challenge, grab the bull by the horns, step out on a limb, ... experience it, then share what you experienced. I promise to give you a star after you do it and post about it regardless of what you say.

Originally posted by pravdaseeker
"special-ness"

You wouldn't happen to be referring to one of the greatest movies of all time?

I think of True Stories often. This thread made me think of it again. Thanks for giving me an excuse to post a great scene.

Originally posted by OrphenFire
Times are already brutal for young adults. We can't get jobs. You need experience to get a job. You need a job to get experience. This world sucks.

This is a fallacy I've been hearing since I got my first job at 15, in 1990. Yes, experience helps in all cases, but what is more important is to write your resume in such a way as to relate the experiences you've had to the job you're targeting, to target the right jobs, and to network.

Want to go into sales? Get a job waiting tables, or one of those crappy telemarketing jobs, or do one of those obnoxious multi-level marketing (MLM) things (Amway, Primerica, etc.) I've seen people hired for sales jobs starting at $65-75k/year, straight out ofcollege who had done MLM. In and of itself, its a total joke for most people, but if used to demonstrate and gain experience, even that can be useful. And generally, anyone who can read/write, and scrounge up $75 can do it.

Want to make $80k/year as a trauma-certified ER nurse? Go volunteer at a hospital, get your CNA / PCT, start making $12-14/hr doing that while the hospital pays for you to go to nursing school. Be willing to go to school full-time while working 30-40+ hrs per week.

Find a trade union with in-demand jobs and get into it. Wind and nuclear power is so desparate for employees they're paying full-ride for people to go to school and be under contract to work for them a couple years after.

These are just two examples which can virtually guarantee you a job if you shake the poor-me attitude. I'm sure people can come up with dozens of other examples. You just don't, and never have, simply filled out an application and say you don't know anything or have any experience and think you'll get hired. To get my first job at a grocery store, I was recommended by a friend's dad who was the neat dept manager. They had a stack of applications for cart pushers from a bunch of other high school kids. Guess who got hired - the guy with the networked recommendation.

It really is barely harder now than it was in the Clinton years for young people to get work - its just that, as always, you need SOME ki d of experience, even if its things you've done on your own time that you can relate to the job you're interested in. Social skills (networking) helps as well. Without anything to offer, of course nobody would hire you over better candidates. And there are very few people who truly have nothibg to offer, you just need to change your thinking and realize that things yoy have done or know can be related to the potential job, in a way that nay catch the eye of a hiring manager.

In short, YOU need to make it happen, even when unemployment us back to 4%, with the approach you and many young people take, you'll simply continue to be part of that 4% - soneone has to make up that portion of the population.

The last thing is, you need to look for the right job. You're not likely to get hired no matter what for many jobs until yoy have actual job experience in the field/job. Take the crappy job that could be a stepping stone if you play your cards right.

reply to post by dogstar23


That is actually excellent advice! I hope all who hope to move ahead reads it thoroughly!

Originally posted by dogstar23
In short, YOU need to make it happen...

This requires a sense of self-worth and desire that so far hasn't been exhibited that much in this thread, let alone outside of the world of ATS. Talk to many who found their passion and made it to a point where they are doing what they love and desire and many will give the same advice you did.

You have to cut your teeth somewhere and many it seems think that by merely going to college for XYZ degree will get you a job doing XYZ. People that desired to be a radio jockey got an internship at the radio station swabbing floors. People who wanted to run their own restaurant, bussed tables. And on and on.

But such actions require humility, foresight and desire. Which as I stated, many here are offended with and cannot fathom that the world isn't always handed to them on a platter.