
Brian Stack
The movement of schools across the country from a traditional to a standards-based or competency-based grading model is calling into question the age-old practice of asking the valedictorian and the salutatorian to be the speakers at graduation.
New Hampshire’s Concord Monitor recently published a story describing how several New Hampshire high schools have already abandoned this model in favor of one that opens up the privilege of being selected as a graduation speaker to a much broader cohort of deserving students.
The practice of calculating class rank is obsolete in today’s educational environment. In a recent Phi Delta Kappan article, University of Kentucky professor and educational reform author Thomas Guskey explains that “Class Rank Weighs Down True Learning.”
Guskey argues that schools must decide whether their intent is to select or develop talent. Selecting talent, he explains, is indicative of poor teaching, because it is achieved when teachers and schools create the greatest possible variation of assessment scores so they can distinguish between students with greater talent from those with less.
Because the achievement of academic excellence is supposed to count for something at a school, and it’s a clear and clean way to do it, and that child has earned the right to speak to the class. Let’s not do a lottery, okay? How about “most blonde”?
The “high achieving” student will probably have scholarship offers. They tend to write essays, forgetting that the college application process is over.
Class President is a better choice. More in tune with the students.
One speaker, not two.
Please God, no athletes
Not class president. Who needs “most popular” giving that speech? Anyway, often they both speak. Or let’s just give up and admit that school is a place to score drugs.
It’s best not to let a high achieving students speak. They might get ideas that high honest achievement is the best approach to life and will be rewarded.
I’d personally like to hear more from a variety of students and less from the adults.
Why not a poet or a musician?
Some schools actually have it open to anyone and there are “tryouts” so that the speakers can be the creative kid who has a great message for other students. It shouldn’t be popularity or highest GPA gets to speak. As a result of this “open call” the student speakers are excellent – so much better than any other speakers. You actually look forward to listening to the speakers, rather than falling asleep! We all have different gifts, so why shouldn’t the performer get the chance????
The skill to write is secondary to the power to influence. Let the students pick their influencer, not the BOE, not the administration, not the teachers. Ask the question of the seniors: who among you moves you, who inspires you, who speaks to your soul and who is a voice that will cast you out into the world with the power of their story to do great things. That person should be your speaker.
Let’s just let EVERYBODY speak…That would be the FAIR thing to do
I likethe idea of influencers speaking to the class yet I would open itup to fellow students and adults as well. I can support moving away from the top 2 speaking. Tradition hashad it that focusss on the past memories and the other on inspirations for thefuture. These too can pass or be woven in an influencer’s speech.