SOUND OFF: 'You’re Not Special’ Commencement Speech Goes Viral
From local bloggers to international news outlets, teacher David McCullough's speech has gone viral.
Wellesley High School’s graduation was anything but out of the ordinary, that is, until one teacher told students they weren't special.
On Tuesday, The Swellesley Report posted the speech by WHS English teacher David McCullough in which he tells students that despite years of coddling, they’re in fact “not special.”
The post on Swellesley Report has been picked up by several major media outlets including Boston.com, Huffington Post, Yahoo! and other sites, according to Swellesley. The Swellesey Report even created a new post dedicated to the viral-ness of his original post.
So what do you think? Did McCullough's speech cross the line or was it spot on?
Or, even better, if were the one at the podium, what message would you want to send to graduates?
Marylou Lynn
10:46 am on Tuesday, June 12, 2012
I decided to reserve judgement till I actually heard the whole speech. I am glad I did. I hope the fact that this went viral means that a lot of people will hear it. Clearly it included a lot of specific references for those students. and much humor, but also a serious message of the importance of doing things for the sake of doing them and helping others, and not just for what you can gain materially from them.