An English Teacher At Wellesley High School Essay - 966 Words

As an English teacher at Wellesley High School, in the accomplished community of Wellesley, Massachusetts, David McCullough, Jr. confronts the paradox of reality versus the popular assumptions perpetuated by well-meaning parents and delivered a shockingly poignant attack on the Wellesley High School graduates’ self-perception and preparedness. In addition, he outlined the parents’ role in creating and maintaining this deception. Mr. McCullough used his knowledge and insight of the Twenty-first Century youth culture, humor, and steadfast opinion that his target audience of high school graduates is aphoristically, NOT SPECIAL. However, Mr. McCullough limited his audience’s sensitivity to his assertion using ethics, logic and pathos and later provides a positive, passionate and humanistic world view of how to have a well-lived life. Mr. McCullough begins his speech by recognizing his audience and the privilege of being selected as the graduation speaker stating, â€Å"Dr. Wong, Dr. Keough, Mrs. Novogroski, Ms. Curran, members of the board of education, family and friends of the graduates, ladies and gentlemen of the Wellesley High School class of 2012†. Acknowledging the audience by name or position, Mr. McCullough is able to set the audience at ease. This is a nod to them being part of the same community. Wellesley High School is located in Wellesley, Massachusetts, a well healed community with excellent public schools and private colleges with aShow MoreRelatedBiography of Sylvia Plath942 Words   |  4 PagesWarren, to Wellesley, Massachusetts which was closer to Plath’s grandmother. Aurelia had acquired a teaching job at Boston University in the medical-secretarial training program. 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She was once described as â€Å"one of the most celebrated and controversial of postwar poets writing in English† (â€Å"Sylvia Plath†). Many of her poems talked about her own mental issues, her marriage problems, conflicts with her parents that were left unresolved, or her vision of herself. Before her death at the age of thirty, Plath had a multitude of followersRead MoreDuring The Last Couple Of Years, Chicago Public Schools1795 Words   |  8 PagesDuring the last couple of years, Chicago Public S chools (CPS) have gone through many difficulties; ranging from teacher strikes to low funding, which has tremendously taken a toll on the students attending these schools. The Illinois Policy Institute, which writes to inform the public of issues affecting Illinois states, â€Å"Seventy-five percent of students at the lowest-performing elementary schools failed to meet standards on state exams. 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