Outspoken Valedictorian

Not the proper venue, perhaps.  Apparently, however, frustration overcame etiquette, and Nataly Buhr decided to tell it like it is. Furthermore, what she decided to do is one way to hold a school somewhat accountable for what amounts to malpractice of education — a horror which, in large part because of tenure, has infiltrated all school systems, even the best of them. I myself have seen this malpractice of education over the years, but in the past four years or so, it seems to have accelerated, even in Honors and Advanced Placement courses.

Blurb for the video below:

Gradation is supposed to be one of the happiest nights for students, instead a South Bay valedictorian took to the podium to call out a teacher and other staff in her commencement address that has since gone viral.

San Diego valedictorian graduation speech:

From Valedictorian delivers scorched-earth graduation speech (New York Post, June 13, 2019):

A California valedictorian delivered a scorched-earth graduation speech in which she thanked her guidance counselor for having “absolutely no role in my achievements” and a teacher who was “regularly intoxicated during class.”

Sardonic senior Nataly Buhr didn’t mince words in her speech to San Ysidro High School’s class of 2019 last Thursday, according to video posted [above].

She started by thanking, in earnest, her “hard-working” parents before launching into a tongue-in-cheek tirade. {She also commended some excellent teachers by name]

“To my counselor, thanks for teaching me to fend for myself. You were always unavailable to my parents and I, despite appointments,” Buhr deadpanned while dressed in a white cap and gown. “Only in these past few weeks, with the awards ceremonies and graduation coming up, did you begin making your appearance.”

She added, “And might I note, you expressed to me the joy in knowing that one of your students was valedictorian when you had absolutely no role in my achievements.”

The plucky teen also gave a shoutout to the “staff in the main office” for teaching her to be “resourceful.”

“Your negligence to inform me of several scholarships until the day before they were due potentially caused me to miss out on thousands of dollars,” she said.

Buhr drew thunderous applause from her fellow seniors when she brazenly called out “the teacher who was regularly intoxicated during class this year.”

[...]

Unsurprisingly, school officials were not pleased with the stunt....

Read the rest HERE.