Tuesday, July 13, 2010

A speech every high school prinicipal should give

I lifted this article written by Dennis Prager (whose writing I much admire) off the WorldNetDaily website. I thought it made a lot of sense. Which, of course, is why it will never happen.
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He writes: If every school principal gave this speech at the beginning of the next school year, America would be a better place.

To the students and faculty of our high school:

I am your new principal, and honored to be so. There is no greater calling than to teach young people.

I would like to apprise you of some important changes coming to our school. I am making these changes because I am convinced that most of the ideas that have dominated public education in America have worked against you, against your teachers and against our country.

First, this school will no longer honor race or ethnicity. I could not care less if your racial makeup is black, brown, red, yellow or white. I could not care less if your origins are African, Latin American, Asian or European, or if your ancestors arrived here on the Mayflower or on slave ships.

The only identity I care about, the only one this school will recognize, is your individual identity – your character, your scholarship, your humanity. And the only national identity this school will care about is American. This is an American public school, and American public schools were created to make better Americans.

If you wish to affirm an ethnic, racial or religious identity through school, you will have to go elsewhere. We will end all ethnicity-, race- and non-American nationality-based celebrations. They undermine the motto of America, one of its three central values – e pluribus unum, "from many, one." And this school will be guided by America's values.

This includes all after-school clubs. I will not authorize clubs that divide students based on any identities. This includes race, language, religion, sexual orientation or whatever else may become in vogue in a society divided by political correctness.

Your clubs will be based on interests and passions, not blood, ethnic, racial or other physically defined ties. Those clubs just cultivate narcissism – an unhealthy preoccupation with the self – while the purpose of education is to get you to think beyond yourself. So we will have clubs that transport you to the wonders and glories of art, music, astronomy, languages you do not already speak, carpentry and more. If the only extracurricular activities you can imagine being interesting in are those based on ethnic, racial or sexual identity, that means that little outside of yourself really interests you.

Second, I am uninterested in whether English is your native language. My only interest in terms of language is that you leave this school speaking and writing English as fluently as possible. The English language has united America's citizens for over 200 years, and it will unite us at this school. It is one of the indispensable reasons this country of immigrants has always come to be one country. And if you leave this school without excellent English language skills, I would be remiss in my duty to ensure that you will be prepared to successfully compete in the American job market. We will learn other languages here – it is deplorable that most Americans only speak English – but if you want classes taught in your native language rather than in English, this is not your school.

Third, because I regard learning as a sacred endeavor, everything in this school will reflect learning's elevated status. This means, among other things, that you and your teachers will dress accordingly. Many people in our society dress more formally for Hollywood events than for church or school. These people have their priorities backward. Therefore, there will be a formal dress code at this school.

Fourth, no obscene language will be tolerated anywhere on this school's property – whether in class, in the hallways or at athletic events. If you can't speak without using the f-word, you can't speak. By obscene language I mean the words banned by the Federal Communications Commission, plus epithets such as "nigger," even when used by one black student to address another black, or "bitch," even when addressed by a girl to a girlfriend. It is my intent that by the time you leave this school, you will be among the few your age to instinctively distinguish between the elevated and the degraded, the holy and the obscene.

Fifth, we will end all self-esteem programs. In this school, self-esteem will be attained in only one way – the way people attained it until decided otherwise a generation ago – by earning it. One immediate consequence is that there will be one valedictorian, not eight.

Sixth, and last, I am reorienting the school toward academics and away from politics and propaganda. No more time will devoted to scaring you about smoking and caffeine, or terrifying you about sexual harassment or global warming. No more semesters will be devoted to condom wearing and teaching you to regard sexual relations as only or primarily a health issue. There will be no more attempts to convince you that you are a victim because you are not white, or not male, or not heterosexual or not Christian. We will have failed if any one of you graduates this school and does not consider him or herself inordinately lucky – to be alive and to be an American.

Now, please stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of our country. As many of you do not know the words, your teachers will hand them out to you.

12 comments:

  1. If there was such a school with such a principal. I would dust off my MA and teaching cert (That have never been used I might add) and volunteer to teach for free.

    OK hopefully I could at least get minimum wage out of the deal. No gold plated benefits or 100K a year pension needed.

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  2. Dennis Prager (man after me own heart), you get an A+ for this composition and are hereby assigned to duty as the National Director of Educational Policy Reform in order to implement its stated goals and corrective measures. You will find many eager, willing and able supporters to assist you, to wit: PioneerPreppy and millions of like-minded educators.

    God bless you, sir, and God bless America.

    A. McSp.

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  3. Until I re-read the beginning of your post I thought this was being put forth as an actually written letter by a real principle. I was going to check snopes.com to verify as it didn't sound plausible. Surely the attack dogs of the politically correct et al would have torn someone like that to pieces well before they ever were able to attain a position of power within our "enlightened" educational system.

    Sure would be nice had it been more that just a sentiment. Dennis is right on.

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  4. Would that this were required reading at the beginning of every school year in every school in this country!
    --
    Sam....

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  5. Dennis Prager is a very sensible man.

    Public schools have long been the prime indoctrination centers used by progressives. Through schools, they have a captive and impressionable audience they can manipulate. It's shameful, but progressives have no shame.

    Anonymous Twit
    USA

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  6. Hey--this sounds like our homeschool choir! 200 kids get this talk at the beginning of every school year from the loving choir director. The only part missing is the talk where she speaks to the girls after she has the boys leave the room and tells them how they WILL dress appropriately with their bodies covered and their clothes the proper size. She even explains WHY they should dress modestly. And without hurting their feelings--imagine that!

    They all survived, they come back to choir year after year and stay in touch with her long after they graduate. Heck, she and her husband and family are invited to graduate's weddings and they bring their kids to meet her when they start their families.

    Kids NEED boundaries--they CRAVE them. They WANT to be proud of their country, work hard and accomplish something they can be rewarded for if only the leaders in the school districts (and this country) would show them how.

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  7. And if there were such a principal, I might consider sending my kids to school! My house would be so much cleaner and I would be able to practice my flute seriously again - lol (No offense meant to those homeschoolers whose homes are immaculate - it's just that I'm NOT one of you!)

    KatieJ
    Germany

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  8. I'm pretty sure if similar versions of this were used in schools around the world the the entire world would be a better place. Would definitely be beneficial here in New Zealand.

    Thank you for sharing

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  9. I really do believe the students, the serious ones, all over the country would truely welcome these guidelines. It's the Teachers that need to grasp the change for the better!

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  10. I wrote to Mr. Prager and told him my wife and I couldn't agree more. However, if any principal in our public school system ever DID do or say any of these things, he'd be out of a job by the next day!

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  11. KatieJ, do I understand correctly that you're a homeschooling mom in Germany?

    A. McSp

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  12. Dennis Prager should be our next " Czar for Education ", someone tell Obama to get on it ok? He has had enough practice it should just roll off his tongue.

    Tina

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