Hey grads, you're not special

[MTM]

Love this. After covering nine commencement ceremonies in three weeks and hearing "we're the best class ever," "we did it" and "it's not an end, it's a beginning" more times than I cared to, this guy's speech is refreshing.

"Wellesley High English teacher David McCullough Jr. told graduates "You are not special. You are not exceptional," quoting empirical evidence:

"Across the country no fewer than 3.2 million seniors are graduating about now from more than 37,000 high schools. That's 37,000 valedictorians ... 37,000 class presidents ... 92,000 harmonizing altos ... 340,000 swaggering jocks ... 2,185,967 pairs of Uggs," he said in the speech published in the Boston Herald."

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/high-school-graduation-speaker-tells-students-not-special-145709954.html

 

[Brian]

His father, the Pulitzer prize-winning historian and Ken Burns narrator. gave the commencement speech at my college graduation.

Out of habit, I kept waiting for him to start talking about the civil war or baseball during the speech.

 

[LongTimeListener]

I take issue with one thing -- based on the way some schools now view the word "valedictorian," there are probably more like 100,000 or more valedictorians at the 37,000 schools. In my area, the paper once printed bios of one school's 26 valedictorians.

 

[Brian]

You now have kids claiming 4.5 GPAs on a four-point scale. That's just darling.

 

[MTM]

One of the districts I cover makes anyone with a 4.0 GPA a valedictorian, meaning some schools have more than 20.

It also puts the kids who excelled in AP courses in the same pool as the ones who took basic classes and managed to get all As.

 

[Stitch]

This CEO says you should travel and follow your passions. Too bad you can't do that on a barista salary.

http://lifeinc.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/05/12008767-ceo-advice-for-grads-travel-learn-follow-your-passion?lite

 

[Herbert Anchovy]

There were three million high school graduates in 2011.

If everyone is special, then no one is.

 

[waterytart]

You now have kids claiming 4.5 GPAs on a four-point scale. That's just darling.

In our district, an A in an honors class is 5 points, and, in an AP class, it's 6.

 

[Mystery Meat II]

Love this. After covering nine commencement ceremonies in three weeks and hearing "we're the best class ever," "we did it" and "it's not an end, it's a beginning" more times than I cared to, this guy's speech is refreshing.

"Wellesley High English teacher David McCullough Jr. told graduates "You are not special. You are not exceptional," quoting empirical evidence:

"Across the country no fewer than 3.2 million seniors are graduating about now from more than 37,000 high schools. That's 37,000 valedictorians ... 37,000 class presidents ... 92,000 harmonizing altos ... 340,000 swaggering jocks ... 2,185,967 pairs of Uggs," he said in the speech published in the Boston Herald."

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/high-school-graduation-speaker-tells-students-not-special-145709954.html

It'd be 3,200,001 were it not for some kid in Texas.

 

[Riptide]

Also: Wear sunscreen.

 

[Ace]

One of the districts I cover makes anyone with a 4.0 GPA a valedictorian, meaning some schools have more than 20.

It also puts the kids who excelled in AP courses in the same pool as the ones who took basic classes and managed to get all As.

My son's school was the same way, and I kind of like it that a kid who takes regular classes and gets all As can get listed as a valedictorian, too.

That's harder than getting a 4.0 or better when you have a dozen classes worth 5.0.

 

[HanSenSE]

One of the districts I cover makes anyone with a 4.0 GPA a valedictorian, meaning some schools have more than 20.

It also puts the kids who excelled in AP courses in the same pool as the ones who took basic classes and managed to get all As.

My son's school was the same way, and I kind of like it that a kid who takes regular classes and gets all As can get listed as a valedictorian, too.

That's harder than getting a 4.0 or better when you have a dozen classes worth 5.0.

The kids who don't take AP classes try just as hard ...

 

[spikechiquet]

One of the districts I cover makes anyone with a 4.0 GPA a valedictorian, meaning some schools have more than 20.

It also puts the kids who excelled in AP courses in the same pool as the ones who took basic classes and managed to get all As.

My son's school was the same way, and I kind of like it that a kid who takes regular classes and gets all As can get listed as a valedictorian, too.

That's harder than getting a 4.0 or better when you have a dozen classes worth 5.0.

The kids who don't take AP classes try just as hard ...

Nah...I was one of those that could have taken AP classes. I was happy with my 2.67 GPA and state school where I rocked it out to a solid 2.71...and look where I am now!

 

[BTExpress]

Now that we have that out of the way, might as well finish the job.

Parents, your kids aren't special, either.

 

[podunk press]

I don't think there is anything wrong with celebrating the high schoolers.

They'll all be beat down, bitter, frustrated and either working in retail or absorbing crushing grad school debt in four years anyway.

 

[Stitch]

I became bitter the summer after graduating.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I always think that "follow your passion" is weird advice, particularly to kids that young. I'm 35, and I'm still not exactly sure what my "passion" is. "Journalism" seems a little broad.

The better advice: Now is a great time to sample a lot of different passions.

 

[TigerVols]

My wife just sat in a blazing high-noon California sun through a 2-hour graduation ceremony that featured 3 songs and 20 -- that's right, 20 -- students' speeches.

And it was for 6th graders.

 

[spikechiquet]

My wife just sat in a blazing high-noon California sun through a 2-hour graduation ceremony that featured 3 songs and 20 -- that's right, 20 -- students' speeches.

And it was for 6th graders.

My unborn child will have 1, make that 2 graduations....high school and college...the rest are expected!

 

[RickStain]

My wife just sat in a blazing high-noon California sun through a 2-hour graduation ceremony that featured 3 songs and 20 -- that's right, 20 -- students' speeches.

And it was for 6th graders.

I am so, so sorry.