Senior Speaker Materials

 

Guidelines for Writing a Commencement Address

The draft you write for consideration does not need to be a final version, but should give the panelists a clear idea of what you plan to say in your speech. The traditional commencement address has had content which reflects back on the class's experiences and also gives advice or guidance for the future. The tone should be one which inspires and motivates the listeners.

Although the Commencement Address is directed at the graduating class, the message needs to be meaningful and appropriate for the adult audience present as well. Content, language, or style which parents or grandparents might find offensive is not suitable for a Commencement Address.

Humor can be an effective minor element of a Commencement Address. The predominant message, and consequently the predominant writing style, should be serious, thoughtful and inspirational.

 

Format: This a general map of graduation speeches.  It is not required. Feel free to be creative. But as a starting point, you might want to observe the following steps.

 

Introduction--

* Attention getting anecdote

* Establish a theme -- Past speakers have used themes like the qualities of Eagles or the symbolic importance of bridges

* Set purpose or message

 

Body--

* Reflect on events of past 4 years

* Reflect on present status

* Reflect on where things are headed

 

Conclusion--

* Re-emphasize message

* Closing thoughts and anecdotes

 

A few helpful suggestions:

Though you may want to fill your speech with inspirational quotations, and heartfelt thoughts of hope, be careful of overusing clichés. Because they have been used so often, clichés do not always hold much power within a text and tend to be easily forgotten by an audience.

On the other hand, the most memorable speeches are those that tell some type of story. Typically, speakers will use either brief anecdotes or longer narratives to convey their message. As opposed to citing bland clichés that are easy to forget, stories tend to stay with people and carry a stronger emotional and intellectual impact.

 

Here are some samples of past commencement addresses.

2018

2017

2013

2012

AVReading Newsletter March: Changing the Tone

 

As teachers, one of our favorite “go-to” activities for a fun day in class is playing games.  These can be a lot of fun.  I am always a little taken aback how a usually reserved or quiet class can be whipped up into a frenzy when the element of competition is introduced.  It is fun to see these people engaged and even passionate about winning the prize, even when that prize might be something insignificant, like a Jolly Rancher.  

These games are great for review days, where actual test items can be converted into “trivia questions” that students try to answer for individual or team points.  It is an attractive choice for teachers, in part, because there are so many online resources and tools that make “gaming a lesson” quite easy—Kahoot and Gimkit to name a few.  These games are fun and dynamic and a good choice every once in a while.

However, they can also create a tension within a community, especially if those games are carried over long periods of time.  Now for content areas like physical education where students actually sign on for broom hockey or badminton, this is a voluntary choice made by students, or just simply an expectation they have of the class from the start.  However, when we center or design other content areas around the gaming model, it changes the feel of the class. 

So much of our educational system is already founded on a level of competition.  Whether it is the informal competition of students comparing grades and test scores with one another, teachers who curve their grades off the top performers, or the normative scales of most standardized tests.  Whether we knowingly do this or not, we design our classes a little like our free market economy, where we see points or high grades as a highly valued commodity.  This creates a type of competition for those points or high grades. 

This is not to say that we should not have grades or that we should not “curve” tests.  It is simply acknowledging the sometimes hyper competitive atmosphere that schools can foster.  In this atmosphere, there will always be winners and losers. That is the nature of any game.  Unfortunately, this is not always the best environment for students to learn.  

The message here is to simply be aware of the competitive elements we have added to our classrooms. Here are some thoughts about how to adapt our competitive atmospheres to ones that are a little more collaborative in nature.

Goals versus Victories.  Some games can be modified by changing the emphasis from defeating another team or individual to attaining an independent criteria.  For example, if it is a standard trivia question format, the goal can be set at answering seven of the ten questions correctly.  

Extra Credit.  I know that there are some deep philosophical struggles that educators have with extra credit, but I do not have those.  I see it as another tool in the toolbox, especially for some of my students who are regularly disengaged by other attempts.  For some inexplicable reason, some students get more excited by the two points of extra credit than the 100 points they might get if they actually completed their projects.  I like to use the extra credit to get them invested in activities they might not normally want to do.  For example, in a recent letter assignment I offered them a couple of extra credit points for using Shakespearean language.  Or the day before a speech assignment, I gave extra credit points for students who could stand and deliver a 20 second speech without moving their feet, leaning or swaying, and keeping their arms at their sides.  These activities are designed so that they are not out to beat anyone, but to attain a specific standard or target.  

Class Goals.  On occasion, I will set a class goal and then offer a treat or reward if they can meet that goal.  I might tell them that if at least 80% of the class completes a given activity or assignment by a certain date, I’ll bring in donuts!  These simple steps can shift the subtle emphasis away from trying to defeat others to forming collaboratives students can work towards a common goal. 

 

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