Speechtacular

Speech

Good Afternoon.

My name is XXXXX and I would appreciate a round of applause after everything I say.

I never thought I would make it this far; standing here with soon to be graduates and soon to be super seniors. Yet here we are just a few short months from graduating from one of the best schools in Washington State.

When writing my speech I considered three important things: Persistence, ingenuity, and friendship. These three words are the basis of the most incredibly boring speeches ever written. This is why I wrote them on a paper and burned it. Looking back on this first draft it looked like propaganda for the habits of mind posters you see in all of your classrooms. This is now what we should look back on as learned in our tenure at Tahoma.

I started again thinking; what would make my speech extremely interesting. I couldn’t think of anything. Before we leave this class and lose all the memories of paper ball shooting contests and insulting the Canadian race. Let us think back on what we have learned over the last several months we have shared together: how to fall asleep with your head still up, how to text using a backpack or the person in front of you, and even how to flirt with girls by pushing on their chairs with your feet. While these are not the things we should keep with us; it is what the educational system today has pushes us to. We should engage more in classrooms: start debates, and reenact trench warfare after dark. These would be stories I could tell my grandchildren.

If someone approached me and asked me what I would take from the last four years. I honestly could not tell them. I have learned to do my homework while putting forth as little effort as possible. I have learned that bus drivers are ruthless and will cut you off once the bell sounds. I have even learned that after three years in his classes Mr. Parr does not know my name. These “lessons” are of no literal importance. I will never apply them in the real world or refer to them in a board meeting. I will never even story my bored grandchildren with them.

So I was told that I had to give you a message; something inspirational. So I was thinking about it this weekend instead of having a good time. What I came up with is truly rousing. And I have a story to illustrate the point.

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