Quite the Valedictorian speech

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Feel free to lump me in. I think she's a brat.

lol totally fine by me

 

[Southernmiss]

Disagree; I think most schools do care that their students have the wherewithall to apply for scholarships and take steps to be sure info is available. Regardless, we have no way to know what the school in question actually did /didn't do.

I live in the county that this school is in, although not the direct neighborhood.
This district has had several scandals recently and is a mess, all after-school tutoring, summer school, etc was cancelled this year because of a budget fiasco. I highly doubt one student complaining about their counselor would be addressed in any way at their meetings, just ignored more likely. If the valedictorian of the school wasn't given any help applying for college, do you think any other students at the school got help? Wouldn't you at least try to make sure the most likely student from your school got into college if it was your job to help them? My guess is the counselors are too busy with discipline cases and their district budget fiasco doesn't allow for more staff. This school is 2 miles from a huge border crossing to Mexico, 99% minority and 70% economically disadvantaged; these kids need help if they are interested in college. I'm guessing very few of their parents have experience applying for college or even know how to start the process.
I don't have any kids who go there or know anyone so this is all just what I've heard on the news about the district, but I wouldn't be surprised if everything she said was true and known about before and no actions had been taken.

I think ImDMous' post got over looked

 

[luvsJack]

Ok for the last time..the last time. I know what I said. I said they may be building a case I never negated that part. You interpreted that to mean they NEEDED to build a case. I've really tried to get that aspect through to you that I know for sure 100% that they didn't NEED to build a case. I even tried to give another example related to unemployment benefits but alas I don't think you're getting it. I'm refraining from further commenting on the matter with you.

Lord have mercy. You always do this. You make a statement. Someone says "but that's not true" (or whatever, not being literal here) and you come back and say "I didn't say it was". And then its "I am not commenting anymore".

I did not interpret anything other than what YOU said. And you seem to be hung up on the word "need". I am not saying they don't need to, to keep from getting sued. This isn't being late for work everyday or taking a 2 hour lunch. Documentation may be needed to terminate someone in those cases. I am saying when its in their contract and says "immediate dismissal" that is exactly what it means. Teacher found drunk, escorted off campus, not coming back. Period. 99% of all schools would handle it in exactly that manner.

Y

 

[LittleMissMagic]

If she was a good speaker and delivered this speech with charisma and enthusiasm, I think my opinion about it would be much different.

But she was monotone the entire time and was struggling to read at some points. It sounds whiny, and it also makes it seem like she's reading off someone else's thoughts - not her own.

 

[luvsJack]

Disagree; I think most schools do care that their students have the wherewithall to apply for scholarships and take steps to be sure info is available. Regardless, we have no way to know what the school in question actually did /didn't do.

Evidence: Schools are measured on MANY, MANY, MANY details. These include the building itself, the number of highly qualified teachers, cafeteria food, and what guidance counselors do for problem students, to help all students register, to help with scholarships, and many other details -- all those things count towards the school's public report card score. If a school isn't "up to muster", the state will take it over /fire all personnel. No one wants this.

The school can't control everything upon which they're graded (for example, we have very limited control over student attendance and whether students try their best on state exams) ... so why would any school NOT manage simple things like availability of scholarship information?

I think most schools do care or at least some part of schools care. But one counselor not doing their job can have a huge negative effect on the students. I have seen it myself.

 

[luvsJack]

If she was a good speaker and delivered this speech with charisma and enthusiasm, I think my opinion about it would be much different.

But she was monotone the entire time and was struggling to read at some points. It sounds whiny, and it also makes it seem like she's reading off someone else's thoughts - not her own.

I do agree. She definitely isn't a good speaker. Unusual really for a Valedictorian.

 

[Monykalyn]

I wonder how many who thinks she’s a brat have kids actually in a school with problems? I also only got the link with four quotes I think, so no idea of rest of speech. Funny when people who are uncomfortable want to label people as troublemakers or “brats” (as in sit down shut up I don’t want to hear it now only when it’s convenient for me)
Example: elementary teacher in our district who is just god awful. Students, complain, parents complain, it’s been escalated , every year parents request to have kid removed from her classroom. She literally destroys kids love of learning at an age when most kids still love school. SHE’S STILL THERE- 3 principals, 2 superintendents later. And this is one of the BEST districts and elementary schools. If a student called out in a speech on graduation day about succeeding in spite of trying to be destroyed I assure you many parents in this town would stand up and applaud.
My own personal experience with teacher who was a drunk when I was in 8th grade- he was a good teacher, when he wasn’t hungover, but he ignored problems in his class. Had a kid who would always try to sit behind me to snap my bra. Tried to move, talk to the teacher (who didn’t do anything) the counselor etc. nothing changed until the day I got so fed up I slapped him so hard he had my hand imprint on his face rest of day. If you don’t think this kind of stuff doesn’t still happen- well you either don’t have kids in high school, or have a rose colored glasses on.

As far as counselors- yes they are overwhelmed, but nothing changes UNTIL someone stands up and says ENOUGH. our HS counselors are nice enough but worthless. Don’t you think they should know which schools take composite scores off ACT for scholarships? FYI the college sight doesn’t say that either, it’s just “understood”. Yeah great how are we supposed to know? Oldest lost huge money by not knowing.

College advisors aren’t much better. Oldest has had to pretty much plot her own way even though her major is geology. All she needs is advise on when courses are usually offered when to get done in time to graduate-half the time the guy had no clue. It seems if kids want to get the internship/work experience then you have to go on your own and hope it works out. This is at a major university too!

 

[tex1989]

Reading through the comments here is like taking a stroll down memory lane. I get all misty eyed and nostolgic. I graduated from high school in 1977 and college in 1981 and my MBA in 1990 and my MS in History in 1996. Basically every comment here was in play during everyone of my educational experiences. High School advisor that did not care? Check. College advisors that did not care and threw a list of requirements for graduation across the desk at me during my manditory meeting with them? Check for all three degrees. Drunk Teachers and Professors? Check. A high School Civics teacher that was put in a temporary building as far away from other classes as they could get him with a personal bathroom in it and a cot he slept on during off hours? Check. Having to do my own research for scholarships coming out of high school? Check. And this was darn difficult in the days before the internet. How did I do it? Got a copy of the school newspaper from the previous two years May edition that provided a list of scholarship winners and what scholarships they offered, and then called to see what the criteria was for each. Wound up getting $5,000 scholarship in 1977 and attended University of Houston which cost me $250 a semester in tuition. Check.

The moral of the story is quite simple. Life lesson actually. You have to be the master of your own destiny. You expect help in these areas, but if you miss opportunities, deadlines, or scholarship opportunities it is not because of someone else. It's because you did not do the right things for you! We somehow have come to a point of some idealic world where it is others responsibility to lay it all out for us and we assume no personal responsibility. This girl was valedictorian of her class for goodness sakes and should have been celebrating doing it in spite of the obsticles she feels she faced. Revel in it enjoy it, don't take the opportunity to call people out. Our culture is all about blaming others for failure and even in many cases, pre blaming people for any future shortcomings on their part, ( the Mommy didn't love me syndrom, I know harsh but very true in the world we live in today)

Enjoy your success, keep it up and succeed in the world. Let others be on your way to the top.

 

[Colleen27]

I live in the county that this school is in, although not the direct neighborhood.
This district has had several scandals recently and is a mess, all after-school tutoring, summer school, etc was cancelled this year because of a budget fiasco. I highly doubt one student complaining about their counselor would be addressed in any way at their meetings, just ignored more likely. If the valedictorian of the school wasn't given any help applying for college, do you think any other students at the school got help? Wouldn't you at least try to make sure the most likely student from your school got into college if it was your job to help them? My guess is the counselors are too busy with discipline cases and their district budget fiasco doesn't allow for more staff. This school is 2 miles from a huge border crossing to Mexico, 99% minority and 70% economically disadvantaged; these kids need help if they are interested in college. I'm guessing very few of their parents have experience applying for college or even know how to start the process.
I don't have any kids who go there or know anyone so this is all just what I've heard on the news about the district, but I wouldn't be surprised if everything she said was true and known about before and no actions had been taken.

But then, why not say those things? Why confine the speech to a litany of personal grievances, rather than saying "If I, as the valedictorian, couldn't get help finding scholarships, what kind of chance did the less gifted among our class have?" Why not say "Despite attending school board meetings, speaking with the principal, (or whatever else she attempted), these issues were allowed to continue?"

I wonder how many who thinks she’s a brat have kids actually in a school with problems?

I have - the state of our local public schools and the experiences my oldest had there are the main reason my younger two attend(ed) private schools, and I graduated from a university with an equally useless advising department (fortunately within a small, close-knit major where the department head and long-time professors more than made up for what was lacking at the university level). I still believe there is a right and wrong way to address systemic dysfunction, and that focusing on the individual level is not the way to do it. It makes the speaker come across as self-centered and petty, where talking about the bigger issues - like whether the counselors are in fact too overburdened by discipline and other problems to be effective resources for the high-achieving and college-bound - makes a much more effective call for change (though even in that, it is very likely that the school board and district administration is bound by financial and legal concerns; having covered school boards for a few years now, I know our local district leadership is very aware of their shortcomings but lacks the resources to resolve them effectively).

 

[PollyannaMom]

Having to do my own research for scholarships coming out of high school? Check. And this was darn difficult in the days before the internet. How did I do it? Got a copy of the school newspaper from the previous two years May edition that provided a list of scholarship winners and what scholarships they offered, and then called to see what the criteria was for each. Wound up getting $5,000 scholarship in 1977 and attended University of Houston which cost me $250 a semester in tuition. Check.

Brilliant!