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Post by ajsweetpea on Jun 14, 2019 18:11:29 GMT
From USA Today:
San Ysidro High School valedictorian Nataly Buhr’s speech at her school’s graduation ceremony started normally enough.
In a video of the address shared by CBS 8 in San Diego, Buhr’s thanked those who helped her along the way, including friends and family. She praised a few teachers at her San Diego-based high school by name and said they were “intelligent” and invested in their students’ education and well-being.
Then she changed course. After the niceties, Buhr slammed her counselor for being “unavailable.”
“Only in these past few weeks, with the award ceremonies and graduation coming up, did you begin making your appearance,” she said. “And might I note, you expressed to me your joy in knowing that one of your students was valedictorian when you had absolutely no role in my achievements.”
Buhr wasn’t done. She said the main office staff taught her to be resourceful because of their “negligence to inform me of several scholarships until the day before they were due, potentially caused me to miss out of thousands of dollars.”
By then, Buhr’s audience of students was abuzz. She capped her speech with an address about “the teacher who was regularly intoxicated during class this year.”
That remark drew gasps from the crowd.
“Thank you for using yourself as an example to teach students about the dangers of alcoholism,” she said. “Being escorted by police out of school left a lasting impression. I hope that future students and staff learn from these examples.”
She did not name the counselor or the teacher she said was intoxicated.
Manuel Rubio, a spokesperson for the Sweetwater Union High School District, told the San Diego Union-Tribune the speech was “inappropriate and out of line.”
“While we definitely welcome the concerns of students and their families regarding any situation at one of our schools, doing so in such a manner without any prior knowledge of this situation by the school, is not the right way of handling this,” Rubio said in an email to the newspaper. “Ultimately this takes away from what should have been a day of celebration for the school and their community.”
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What do the Peas think? Did she go too far?
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Post by Legacy Girl on Jun 14, 2019 18:18:27 GMT
"Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness."
~MLK
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 29, 2024 11:25:10 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2019 18:21:15 GMT
I'm sorry I couldn't stop laughing imagining all the shocked faces  Especially this “the teacher who was regularly intoxicated during class this year.” That remark drew gasps from the crowd............  |
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PrettyInPeank
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by PrettyInPeank on Jun 14, 2019 18:23:30 GMT
Absolutely she went too far, and this will haunt her for years. This could be grounds for a defamation lawsuit as well if it jeopardizes someone's career in any way.
Giving her the public platform to speak publicly was a privilege that she childishly misused, and future employers who Google her name will forever be weary of hiring her. Should have just complained on her social media page if anything.
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Post by redshoes on Jun 14, 2019 18:23:42 GMT
Wow, just wow....I hope she thought about her future employers on this one....serious lack of judgement on the appropriate time, place and manner of communication.
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scrappinmama
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,016
Jun 26, 2014 12:54:09 GMT
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Post by scrappinmama on Jun 14, 2019 18:35:11 GMT
She did not make a good choice and I hope that it doesn't haunt her later.
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Post by Mel on Jun 14, 2019 18:44:54 GMT
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Deleted
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Sept 29, 2024 11:25:10 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2019 18:45:57 GMT
The students gave her a standing ovation and cheered her loudly there are many videos of this posted on line. |
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ellen
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,734
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Post by ellen on Jun 14, 2019 18:49:47 GMT
What a brat. A few years ago we had a student who decided to lash out during her commencement address. People were embarrassed for her.
School counselors have a tough role. Most schools don't have nearly enough to meet the needs of their student body. They have to put so much energy into kids who might not even graduate that they don't have a lot of time for the kids who are going to be fine without them.
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Post by Crack-a-lackin on Jun 14, 2019 19:01:23 GMT
It’s the kind of speech many people would like to make, but completely inappropriate for that setting.
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Post by mom on Jun 14, 2019 19:07:28 GMT
While she might be the smartest one in the class, she certainly isn't the most mature. This speech will haunt her (as it should) for the rest of her life.
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Post by JustCallMeMommy on Jun 14, 2019 19:13:36 GMT
At my high school, the student graduation speakers had to submit their speeches in writing and deliver them in advance to a panel. They were told in no uncertain terms that their microphone would be cut if they went off-script, and I've heard from a later administrator that they were always prepared to do so if the situation called for it. Cutting the speaker off wouldn't get the best press either, but I would really not want to listen to a student air their grievances.
This is the type of thing that will result less student speakers in the future.
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Mary Kay Lady
Pearl Clutcher
PeaNut 367,913 Refupea number 1,638
Posts: 3,082
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Post by Mary Kay Lady on Jun 14, 2019 19:13:38 GMT
Here's a LINK to the video. She's young and doesn't realize that what she's done and said can have lasting consequences. She may feel justified and vindicated, but the negative impact can change the course of her life. |
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freebird
Drama Llama
'cause I'm free as a bird now
Posts: 6,927
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Post by freebird on Jun 14, 2019 19:16:17 GMT
Such a little snowflake. I bet she's fun at parties, not that she probably gets invited.
Unclench, that yardstick will slide right out.
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Post by busy on Jun 14, 2019 19:17:50 GMT
I think she made a bad choice, but I think the "haunting for the rest of her life" business is a bit overblown. In the past, yes, but our cultural norms are evolving and now this kind of action going viral often results in more opportunities, not fewer, for those people. I bet she'll be just fine. I'm just cynical enough to think she knows that too.
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Post by tentoes on Jun 14, 2019 19:22:43 GMT
I hope they get the drunk teacher some help. Sounds like everybody in the audience knew who she was talking about. Being drunk in class is not appropriate either. This may not have been the best place to bring it out into the open (for the student).
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Deleted
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Sept 29, 2024 11:25:10 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2019 19:29:52 GMT
Not the right platform; however, the administration was stupid not to shut off the mic so that's on them.
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Post by 950nancy on Jun 14, 2019 19:37:22 GMT
I think she made a bad choice, but I think the "haunting for the rest of her life" business is a bit overblown. In the past, yes, but our cultural norms are evolving and now this kind of action going viral often results in more opportunities, not fewer, for those people. I bet she'll be just fine. I'm just cynical enough to think she knows that too. I come from a career as a teacher and as much as I want to think this wrong and inappropriate, I would like to think that this will shake up that school to its core if it is needed. The principal and higher admin need to look at what was said and see if it was a kid gone rogue or a wake up call. I had a chemistry teacher in high school and he came drunk 2-3 days a week. He reeked of alcohol. I struggled in that class and think a teacher who was sober might have been a better fit for me. If she's the valedictorian, she's got her poop in a group, and I believe will find a place in this world regardless of her tell-it-like-she-sees it speech. |
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Sept 29, 2024 11:25:10 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2019 19:55:32 GMT
I totally agree with 950nancy. “While we definitely welcome the concerns of students and their families regarding any situation at one of our schools, doing so in such a manner without any prior knowledge of this situation by the school I call BS on this - if the students were aware of a drunk teacher, the faculty was aware. Sounds like the admin needs to take a look in the mirror. |
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likescarrots
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,879
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Post by likescarrots on Jun 14, 2019 20:15:34 GMT
I don't blame her and I think that most of you calling her a snowflake have no idea how it feels to be treated like you're worthless by the people who should be propping you up and inspiring you as a young person.
I was told by my teacher I was stupid for not participating in the pledge of allegiance when I was in highschool (I stood with my hands at my sides respectfully every day, I just didn't say the words or put my hand over my heart). I was told by the same teacher, also the football coach who passed all of the football players in my class despite them never doing the work, that I would never get accepted to college - as a kid that did not have college graduate parents nor did they have a clue about it or the time to help figure it out (I now have a masters degree). I was told by other teachers that I was going to hell for not being a Christian.
I recently watched as Facebook blew up about that teacher retiring and what a great man and coach he was, what a loss it would be for him to go. As a teenager who grew up in an unstable house, the past thing I needed was to go to school and have a teacher make me feel worthless. What I wouldn't give to have been able to tell those people what a dispicable person he was and how he treated some of his students.
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Post by littlemama on Jun 14, 2019 20:21:21 GMT
She could have written a letter to the School Board, Superintendent and Principal expressing those concerns. Of course, if she was looking to get her 15 minutes of fame, I guess she succeeded.
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Post by miaow on Jun 14, 2019 20:21:53 GMT
I think it was inappropriate, but like Jennifer posted above, speeches here have to be turned in to administration and when you go off track, the microphone is turned off. I was surprised that didn’t happen.
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ashley
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Post by ashley on Jun 14, 2019 20:33:57 GMT
I’d almost prefer to hear someone call out wrongs then the usual vapid nonsense these speeches typically consist of.
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Post by librarylady on Jun 14, 2019 20:39:46 GMT
likescarrotsI am sorry that after graduation you didn't ask to speak to the principal or superintendent and let them know how you were treated. I would not have had the courage to do it at age 18, but maybe by 25 or 30, I might have had the courage to go speak to admin. Admin needs to know what is done when the eyes who do the evaluation are not there. This young lady got to say bluntly what she wanted and got to "Tell them off." I do think it will come back to bite her. Job supervisors will shy away because of the fear that she will handle things inappropriately. Depending on the situation, this will go away in 4-5 years, or it will haunt her for many years. Too bad that her parents didn't advise her to say these things at another time.
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Post by bc2ca on Jun 14, 2019 20:42:22 GMT
I don't see her as a snowflake, but a very frustrated student who felt powerless watching incompetence and lack of accountability surrounding her.
FWIW, this school falls within the Sweetwater Union School District which has been mired in corruption for years with multiple felony and misdemeanor charges resulting in jail time for the previous administration. The current administration is facing a state audit and SEC investigation related to financial misconduct.
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Deleted
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Sept 29, 2024 11:25:10 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2019 21:12:57 GMT
I don't see her as a snowflake, but a very frustrated student who felt powerless watching incompetence and lack of accountability surrounding her. I agree. We teach our children, as they grow, to stand up for themselves and for what is right, to be assertive and confident.That is exactly what she did. She wasn't being rude or angry. She respectfully thanked, by name, the teachers that had made a positive contribution to her education. Why shouldn't she speak up about the staff that couldn't care less about the students. She might, through being so vocal about the incompetence of some of them, help the next set of graduates not to have the same experience that she has had. |
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Post by busy on Jun 14, 2019 21:17:25 GMT
I don't see her as a snowflake, but a very frustrated student who felt powerless watching incompetence and lack of accountability surrounding her. FWIW, this school falls within the Sweetwater Union School District which has been mired in corruption for years with multiple felony and misdemeanor charges resulting in jail time for the previous administration. The current administration is facing a state audit and SEC investigation related to financial misconduct. Holy crap. With that information, I no longer think it was a bad idea! |
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Post by compeateropeator on Jun 14, 2019 21:32:49 GMT
Absolutely out of line. The upside is every one of those students will never forget their high school graduation and will have a "you won't believe what happened at my graduation" type story to share on some message board in 10 or 20 years.  |
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Post by myshelly on Jun 14, 2019 21:39:33 GMT
She could have written a letter to the School Board, Superintendent and Principal expressing those concerns. Of course, if she was looking to get her 15 minutes of fame, I guess she succeeded. How do you know she didn’t? Maybe they tried all the legitimate channels and then felt this was her last option. I think most of the peas are being overdramatic. I don’t believe she’ll have any negative consequences. And truth is an absolute defense to defamation. |
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Sarah*H
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,011
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Post by Sarah*H on Jun 14, 2019 21:50:21 GMT
The thing is, everyone says people should use the proper channels in cases like this. Is there any place the proper channels really work? Maybe it's just my kids' district but we all know exactly who the problematic staff are and the administration does too but no one ever does anything about it. The guidance counselor who doesn't show up for work, the secretary who is so mean that no one wants to talk to her, the xxx teacher who is flatly incompetent, the xxx teacher who is a perv, the xxx principal who won't discipline bullies. I guess I'm tired of pretending that situations like this are ever really dealt with until someone like this girl finally breaks the chain of command and says out loud what everyone else whispers.
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