Quite the Valedictorian speech

[luvsJack]

I agree! If there was money on the table I would not choose to rely on any counselor for this. The responsibility lies with the applicant in my opinion.

But in some cases it’s the counselor that knows about and has the information for the scholarships. Not all are found through google. And even some of those require something from the counselor.

The responsibility lies with the person whose job it is to get the information to the student. Besides, it’s great that you and other parents will pull out all the stops to assist their kid. What about the kids that don’t have that? That is where it’s imperative that the counselor do this part of the job.

 

[snappy]

I did not pull out all the stops for our kids. I am sure some do and I have met the helicopter parent type as well.

There are a lot of students in each graduating class in many schools. Many students should start their university search during junior year. University choice often is made based on the student’s interest. That’s up to the student and hopefully the parents.

 

[DisneyOma]

C'mon - she wasn't looking to "have issues addressed". The time for doing that in any productive way was long past. She was calling out people and trying to embarrass them in a way she probably though was edgy and clever. Not exactly a brave warrior for truth and justice...

I guess you forgot the part where she stated that she had been snubbed by office staff multiple times and had to get her parents involved? I think you missed some of the important info in the article.

No, I'm not saying everyone should hire a private college coach, or even that anyone should have to resort to that. I'm saying that sometimes we need to rely on ourselves to get things done, like researching and tracking scholarship deadlines. She chose to publicly blame others for things she could have done herself.

Nope, not agreeing on this at all - if guidance has the info, it should be available for the students in a way that doesn't require them to have to know about it existing through other people besides guidance. Put it all in a packet, have the kids sign that they have received the packet, have a 10 minute class meeting to explain the packet. That's what we do, so no one misses out on local scholarships that are not online, not open to anyone besides the students graduating from our high school that year.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Nope, not agreeing on this at all - if guidance has the info, it should be available for the students in a way that doesn't require them to have to know about it existing through other people besides guidance. Put it all in a packet, have the kids sign that they have received the packet, have a 10 minute class meeting to explain the packet. That's what we do, so no one misses out on local scholarships that are not online, not open to anyone besides the students graduating from our high school that year.

I can see local scholarships being something intimately known by well..local people.

The truth is though this girl could have lost out on some $$$$ if she didn't research herself so I'm hoping she did research herself as well. There are thousands of scholarships each year available. I would never expect only the guidance counselor rather than the student themself to weed through them all. I don't think it's unreasonable for schools to have a list of maybe some more well-known ones out there but scholarships in general really are ultimately up to the student's responsibility.

Seriously if someone wants to vet through this list for the 2020 freshmen group go for it but it's only 1 resource of scholarships https://www.unigo.com/scholarships/undergraduate-students/scholarships-for-college-freshmen Also imagine doing that for possibly hundreds of students. BTW I counted 12 scholarships on the first page and there are 275 pages in just this one resource. It's a master resource so it covers the nation even though some are location specific but you get the idea. I remember a scholarship I read when I was looking up back in 2006 for someone with blue eyes for pete's sake lol.

 

[Magical2017]

Where is it written that the speech has to be inspiring? If it's written somewhere, our new superintendent didn't read it. More on that after I respond to the other quoted posts -

I don't know the policy or the details about the parameters of her speech. I stated so in my original comment, but I will amend my comment to say that it is MY OPINION that the speech given by a valedictorian should be persuasive, uplifting, moving, inspiring, or any number of adjectives that would have allowed her message to come across differently.

 

[CT Yankee]

I can see both sides also. I have seen more than my share of worse-than-useless teachers and administrators who have gotten far away from the mission of educating students. It seems like these problems have been stewing and ignored for years - maybe she felt that the last resort was a public airing of grievances.

 

[luvsJack]

I did not pull out all the stops for our kids. I am sure some do and I have met the helicopter parent type as well.

There are a lot of students in each graduating class in many schools. Many students should start their university search during junior year. University choice often is made based on the student’s interest. That’s up to the student and hopefully the parents.

I have older adults (30+) that come in my office almost every day and are completely lost on the process to get in school. And that is community college level where acceptance is a formality. And we expect a junior in high school to know these things with no guidance?

You may not have pulled out all the stops but chances are you gave some guidance. So did I. Some kids don’t have that.

We have several honors students that apply for some huge scholarships and get them. But it is with the guidance from the honors advisors. They help them each step of the way. Assuming that a 17 year old should be able to just step off and do these things on their own is a bit much. Can some? Sure. But not all.

And it still goes back to the simple fact that it is the counselor’s JOB to do these things. Even if they simply have a list of sites to go to or gives out a packet like the pp said, All that should be expected is the person to simply do their job.

 

[ten6mom]

She obviously wasn’t paying much attention in English class. “You were always unavailable to my parents and I”. Sheesh!

Thank you because honestly my first thought was, "The VALEDICTORIAN made that glaring error?????"

 

[PollyannaMom]

How do you know what her intentions were? If this was an adult woman, accepting an award from her job and she called out bosses who were less than leaders or even abusive, would she be though of in the same light?

But wouldn't an adult, if they didn't approve of where an award was coming from, simply not accept it? You don't take something from someone and then use the acceptance speech to blast them. It's just not the right way to handle things. What this girl did was for shock value. And it might make her popular with the other students she "entertained" but it won't change her high school outcome - which was obviously pretty good if she finished at the top of her class.

I can see both sides also. I have seen more than my share of worse-than-useless teachers and administrators who have gotten far away from the mission of educating students. It seems like these problems have been stewing and ignored for years - maybe she felt that the last resort was a public airing of grievances.

Unfortunately, I think a lot of that has to do with all the other things educators are expected to do nowadays that have nothing to do with what's best for their students. There's so much data and paperwork and "communication" replacing actual student-centered contact. Their job descriptions have changed dramatically, and I agree - not in a good way.

And counselors simply have too many students. It sucks, but there were times my DS's college planning appointments got put off because the same counselor was also handling emergency situations with students. It's something to be improved, certainly, but not something to ruin the happy mood of graduation with.

 

[luvsJack]

But wouldn't an adult, if they didn't approve of where an award was coming from, simply not accept it? You don't take something from someone and then use the acceptance speech to blast them. It's just not the right way to handle things. What this girl did was for shock value. And it might make her popular with the other students she "entertained" but it won't change her high school outcome - which was obviously pretty good if she finished at the top of her class.



Unfortunately, I think a lot of that has to do with all the other things educators are expected to do nowadays that have nothing to do with what's best for their students. There's so much data and paperwork and "communication" replacing actual student-centered contact. Their job descriptions have changed dramatically, and I agree - not in a good way.

And counselors simply have too many students. It sucks, but there were times my DS's college planning appointments got put off because the same counselor was also handling emergency situations with students. It's something to be improved, certainly, but not something to ruin the happy mood of graduation with.

I don’t know. If someone was well into their career or even at the point of retiring, had tried to fight the bad things in their company with no outcome, I could understand a powerful speech being given in hopes to make things better for the rest of the employees. Why wouldn’t they accept the award? They worked for it. They deserve it. Just going away quietly doesn’t resolve anything.

 

[Pink Partridge]

Is it really fair to assume that what she says in the speech isn’t issues that need to addressed? Because she is a teen, it should just be wrote off as lack of impulse control or petulant?

Take out space in the local newspaper if you want to blast people that you feel have failed you.

Don't involve an entire graduating class and their guests on a very special day.

Selfish.

 

[luvsJack]

Take out space in the local newspaper if you want to blast people that you feel have failed you.

Don't involve an entire graduating class and their guests on a very special day.

Selfish.

Do we know for sure she wasn’t speaking FOR her graduating class? Maybe they felt the same way?

Can’t just assume she was the only one that felt that way.

 

[CT Yankee]

But wouldn't an adult, if they didn't approve of where an award was coming from, simply not accept it? You don't take something from someone and then use the acceptance speech to blast them. It's just not the right way to handle things. What this girl did was for shock value. And it might make her popular with the other students she "entertained" but it won't change her high school outcome - which was obviously pretty good if she finished at the top of her class.



Unfortunately, I think a lot of that has to do with all the other things educators are expected to do nowadays that have nothing to do with what's best for their students. There's so much data and paperwork and "communication" replacing actual student-centered contact. Their job descriptions have changed dramatically, and I agree - not in a good way.

And counselors simply have too many students. It sucks, but there were times my DS's college planning appointments got put off because the same counselor was also handling emergency situations with students. It's something to be improved, certainly, but not something to ruin the happy mood of graduation with.

This is true.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Do we know for sure she wasn’t speaking FOR her graduating class? Maybe they felt the same way?

Can’t just assume she was the only one that felt that way.

You can have some students who feel the way she felt and yet think it was not the right place to air it all out. You can have some students who don't feel the way she felt.

Unless she got permission from all the students beforehand and all the families beforehand...it would have to be unanimous too IMO.

 

[luvsJack]

You can have some students who feel the way she felt and yet think it was not the right place to air it all out. You can have some students who don't feel the way she felt.

Unless she got permission from all the students beforehand and all the families beforehand...it would have to be unanimous too IMO.

I just don’t agree. She had the opportunity to bring some things to light that the graduates had to deal with and she took it.

She probably could have worded it in a way to highlight that they all succeeded in spite of the issues or in a more passive-aggressive way.

Here is the thing, aren’t we always telling our younger generation to bring about change? To speak out for themselves and others? To try to right a wrong? And then they do and we tell them “ now is not the time”. We tell them “don’t embarrass those that wronged you, take an ad out in the paper that will get pushed back to page 32 and not seen” or “go to the same people you have been going to with no results and expect different results”. “Just let it go”. Sounds like major mixed messages to me.

 

[AppleDumpling]

I’m all for freedom of speech, but agree with those who feel it was not the time or place to address these issues. IMO, she was disrespectful not only to the school and its staff, but to her classmates and their families. She also showed herself to be dishonest in choosing to go off script from the speech that was submitted and approved in good faith.

It’s possible she may face backlash from potential employers and maybe even the college she’s set to attend, from people who won’t look upon this favorably. The internet is forever. And I also feel sorry if she has younger siblings who may attend this school.

 

[snappy]

If she attended that high school for the duration she had 3 or 4 years to address her concerns. Ample time. In my opinion the best way is to deal with issues is as they arise when resolution will be of help to you, not as you exit.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I just don’t agree. She had the opportunity to bring some things to light that the graduates had to deal with and she took it.

She probably could have worded it in a way to highlight that they all succeeded in spite of the issues or in a more passive-aggressive way.

Here is the thing, aren’t we always telling our younger generation to bring about change? To speak out for themselves and others? To try to right a wrong? And then they do and we tell them “ now is not the time”. We tell them “don’t embarrass those that wronged you, take an ad out in the paper that will get pushed back to page 32 and not seen” or “go to the same people you have been going to with no results and expect different results”. “Just let it go”. Sounds like major mixed messages to me.

The event was for all students graduating.

Take note that what you're talking about isn't what I was talking about. I don't think you realize what I'm saying. It's not about younger generation, bring about change yada yada yada. Gah that's just a cop out here and to be honest doesn't do anyone any good service. I think we all can understand things in the global sense. I've already said a few times what she could have done/should have done and ways to bring notice and I really hope she did at least some of those things.

It's about the venue she used which was a graduation event for all students graduating and their families.

Frankly I think taking her case to the state Board of Regents, calling out in the news if they didn't pay her any attention, etc would have done more to bring light to the issue and in a much better way than hijacking a graduation event meant for fellow students not just her.

But yeah YMMV obviously here.

 

[Colleen27]

I just don’t agree. She had the opportunity to bring some things to light that the graduates had to deal with and she took it.

She probably could have worded it in a way to highlight that they all succeeded in spite of the issues or in a more passive-aggressive way.

Here is the thing, aren’t we always telling our younger generation to bring about change? To speak out for themselves and others? To try to right a wrong? And then they do and we tell them “ now is not the time”. We tell them “don’t embarrass those that wronged you, take an ad out in the paper that will get pushed back to page 32 and not seen” or “go to the same people you have been going to with no results and expect different results”. “Just let it go”. Sounds like major mixed messages to me.

I don't think we're really sending that message to our young people. I think we're mostly telling them to sit down, shut up and wait for their turn. Because for as much as we pay lip service to the "go out and change the world" inspirational message, we also dismiss young people in a million ways as not worth listening to or taking seriously. We call them whiny, entitled, spoiled, etc. if they want to make a middle class living with their college degree, we mock them for living with their parents when they've got five-figure student loan debt and $30K/year entry level jobs, etc. And stories like this one are a big part of why.

If she was really about trying to right a wrong, she wouldn't have waited until commencement to speak out; she'd have been at school board meetings, writing op-eds to the local papers, reaching out to "problem solver" teams at local media outlets, etc. And she'd be talking about the systemic problems - administration not dealing with an ineffective and intoxicated teacher, front office not coordinating on the most basic of tasks or too overwhelmed to do their jobs, etc. - rather than individuals, both in terms of the problems in the school and in terms of their impact ("Students who rely on scholarships for access to higher education are shortchanged." sounds a lot better than "I almost missed out."). Instead, she chose a very self-centered message and approach, but one that was almost sure to go viral. That embodies all the very worst stereotypes of the younger generation, and will serve as an excuse for people who heard this story to dismiss other young people with a more substantive message/call for change.

 

[AppleDumpling]

In my opinion the best way is to deal with issues is as they arise when resolution will be of help to you, not as you exit.

I agree. A graduation ceremony is also known as commencement. As in a new start. It should focus on the graduates’ accomplishments and hopes for the future. If I had been in that audience, I would’ve been disappointed that the top student decided to end on such a downer.

For any of you who watch Modern Family, this story reminds me of the episode where Alex is valedictorian of her middle school class. Not the same situation but similar. She plans to make a scathing speech aimed at all the kids who were mean to her because she’s a nerd. In the end, she chooses to take the high road and turn it into a positive message for all.