"You're Not Special!"
America’s failing public schools are in disarray for a variety of reasons, from the NEA to local teacher unions to cell phones to television to parental and student apathy–to the promotion of self-esteem as the essence of education.
Delivering the Wellesley High School commencement speech, David McCullough Jr., Wellesley High English teacher, punctured rather than punctuated his students’ grossly-inflated sense of self which often comes at the extravagant expense of learning.
Skipping the customary platitudinous remarks at commencements, those oft-undeserved plaudits for achievement, the vacuous entreaties to get out there and conquer the planet and strive to accomplish all that you can be, those trite speeches that inspire more yawns than inspiration, McCullouch quickly cut to the quick with a forthright wake-up message to students: ”You’re not special. You’re not exceptional.”
Whether the upscale Wellesley kids appreciated the putdown, which may have burst hundreds of upscale adolescent bubbles, their parents and other attendees at the commencement clearly did love it and they reacted with spontaneous applause and guffaws at the articulation of commonly-held, frequently-disguised educational truths.
Far more than their teachers, honest parents realize their kids had been pumped up with unmerited praise by educators for four years.
Honest parents know some of their cherubs have been praised for simply ”trying,” praised for not bullying “different” peers who were weird, praised for achieving a “B” in Global History because a realistic grade of “C” or “D” would deflate their kidlets’ resumes and tender egos, and be totally undemocratic and inequitable to lazy clods, etc.
Complemented by bizarre awards in and out of school for “participation,” not for winning in sports and other activities since now besting an opponent is not only deemed unfair but un-American, kids today deserved to be brought down a peg or two if they expected to compete in the real world. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=25302.)
America’s failing public schools are in disarray for a variety of reasons, from the NEA to local teacher unions to cell phones to television to parental and student apathy–to the promotion of self-esteem as the essence of education.
Delivering the Wellesley High School commencement speech, David McCullough Jr., Wellesley High English teacher, punctured rather than punctuated his students’ grossly-inflated sense of self which often comes at the extravagant expense of learning.
Skipping the customary platitudinous remarks at commencements, those oft-undeserved plaudits for achievement, the vacuous entreaties to get out there and conquer the planet and strive to accomplish all that you can be, those trite speeches that inspire more yawns than inspiration, McCullouch quickly cut to the quick with a forthright wake-up message to students: ”You’re not special. You’re not exceptional.”
Whether the upscale Wellesley kids appreciated the putdown, which may have burst hundreds of upscale adolescent bubbles, their parents and other attendees at the commencement clearly did love it and they reacted with spontaneous applause and guffaws at the articulation of commonly-held, frequently-disguised educational truths.
Far more than their teachers, honest parents realize their kids had been pumped up with unmerited praise by educators for four years.
Honest parents know some of their cherubs have been praised for simply ”trying,” praised for not bullying “different” peers who were weird, praised for achieving a “B” in Global History because a realistic grade of “C” or “D” would deflate their kidlets’ resumes and tender egos, and be totally undemocratic and inequitable to lazy clods, etc.
Complemented by bizarre awards in and out of school for “participation,” not for winning in sports and other activities since now besting an opponent is not only deemed unfair but un-American, kids today deserved to be brought down a peg or two if they expected to compete in the real world. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=25302.)
