Graduation speech 2012 you are not special - Teacher tells graduating class: you’re not special - NY Daily News
In a commencement speech in , high school teacher David McCullough Jr. told students "you are not special." He is now expanding the advice in a new book.
For a middle-aged high-school teacher and suburban dad, it has been a dizzying experience. Enter the Nobel laureate: He was busy at his laptop.
I was busy being nervous. We did not speak to one another. He is a smallish man, I can report, with a gray beard, a professorial mien, and sensible shoes. He is also, as we all know, powerfully smart, supremely accomplished, hugely influential. Or to a four-day tourney of any kind in Orlando. And, further, I suspect his wonderfulness was not celebrated when he had been something less than wonderful.
‘You’re not special’ graduation speech sparks buzz
Probably his parents did not hire a pricey consultant to shepherd him through the college-application process; nor did they lean on his teachers to let him retake tests on which he did poorly, or, better, online book reviewers just change an unwelcome grade because the, um, cat died.
Perhaps it came upon him when he was thinking about other things.
College 101Probably it ignited in tinder gathered from his observations of the world around him in his meanderings as a kid. Most likely he encountered struggles in a class or two and buckled down and persevered.
Maybe someone challenged one of his suppositions, identified a flaw in his reasoning, a deficiency in his research.
Likely someone offered, with little regard for his self-esteem, a criticism of something he had written. Commencement addresses typically focus on singing the praises of the graduates, their accomplishments, and their potential.
And nobody remembers mine. As for McCullough, he is looking forward to returning to the classroom. His book is scheduled to be released sometime after Christmas.
A year after Trump's election, York, Pa. From coat check to kitchen, Boston restaurants are rife with sexual harassment.
The Boston Globe Tweet Share. I was aware of the grandstand full of friends and family.
The town, home to Wellesley College, Babson College, and several other private schools, is affluent and well-educated. Former astronauts, famous writers, and brilliant scientists have all resided in Wellesley.
The town is known for its excellent public school system, its many golf courses, and its proximity to downtown Boston. The town also has a nurturing atmosphere in which children thrive.
These kids are born and bred for success. Since he first began teaching 26 years ago, McCullough says, priorities have shifted greatly.
