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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

A Speech Every American High School Principal Should Give

By Dennis Prager.

To the students and faculty of our high school:

I am your new principal, and honored to be so. There is no greater calling than to teach young people.

I would like to apprise you of some important changes coming to our school. I am making these changes because I am convinced that most of the ideas that have dominated public education in America have worked against you, against your teachers and against our country.

First, this school will no longer honor race or ethnicity. I could not care less if your racial makeup is black, brown, red, yellow or white. I could not care less if your origins are African, Latin American, Asian or European, or if your ancestors arrived here on the Mayflower or on slave ships. The only identity I care about, the only one this school will recognize, is your individual identity -- your character, your scholarship, your humanity. And the only national identity this school will care about is American.

This is an American public school, and American public schools were created to make better Americans. If you wish to affirm an ethnic, racial or religious identity through school, you will have to go elsewhere. We will end all ethnicity, race and non-American nationality-based celebrations. They undermine the motto of America , one of its three central values -- e pluribus Unum, "from many, one." And this school will be guided by America 's values. This includes all after-school clubs. I will not authorize clubs that divide students based on any identities. This includes race, language, religion, sexual orientation or whatever else may become in vogue in a society divided by political correctness.

Your clubs will be based on interests and passions, not blood, ethnic, racial or other physically defined ties. Those clubs just cultivate narcissism -- an unhealthy preoccupation with the self -- while the purpose of education is to get you to think beyond yourself. So we will have clubs that transport you to the wonders and glories of art, music, astronomy, languages you do not already speak, carpentry and more. If the only extracurricular activities you can imagine being interested in are those based on ethnic, racial or sexual identity, that means that little outside of yourself really interests you.

Second, I am uninterested in whether English is your native language. My only interest in terms of language is that you leave this school speaking and writing English as fluently as possible. The English language has united America 's citizens for over 200 years, and it will unite us at this school. It is one of the indispensable reasons this country of immigrants has always come to be one country. And if you leave this school without excellent English language skills, I would be remiss in my duty to ensure that you will be prepared to successfully compete in the American job market. We will learn other languages here -- it is deplorable that most Americans only speak English -- but if you want classes taught in your native language rather than in English, this is not your school.

Third, because I regard learning as a sacred endeavor, everything in this school will reflect learning's elevated status. This means, among other things, that you and your teachers will dress accordingly. Many people in our society dress more formally for Hollywood events than for church or school. These people have their priorities backward. Therefore, there will be a formal dress code at this school.

Fourth, no obscene language will be tolerated anywhere on this school's property -- whether in class, in the hallways or at athletic events. If you can't speak without using the f-word, you can't speak. By obscene language I mean the words banned by the Federal Communications Commission, plus epithets such as "Nigger," even when used by one black student to address another black, or "bitch," even when addressed by a girl to a girlfriend. It is my intent that by the time you leave this school, you will be among the few your age to instinctively distinguish between the elevated and the degraded, the holy and the obscene.

Fifth, we will end all self-esteem programs. In this school, self-esteem will be attained in only one way -- the way people attained it until decided otherwise a generation ago -- by earning it. One immediate consequence is that there will be one valedictorian, not eight.

Sixth, and last, I am reorienting the school toward academics and away from politics and propaganda. No more time will be devoted to scaring you about smoking and caffeine, or terrifying you about sexual harassment or global warming. No more semesters will be devoted to condom wearing and teaching you to regard sexual relations as only or primarily a health issue... There will be no more attempts to convince you that you are a victim because you are not white, or not male, or not heterosexual or not Christian. We will have failed if any one of you graduates this school and does not consider him or herself inordinately fortunate -- to be alive and to be an American.

Now, please stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of our country. As many of you do not know the words, your teachers will hand them out to you.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

If only there was someone that would give that speech we would have a chance to save this country, but it will never happen

Anonymous said...

While I agree in part with 12:17 PM, I disagree that it will never happen. I continue to pray for our country and that the ears, and minds of some of our leaders will be opened to what the people of the United States of America want. I pray that we, the people, will not let the liberals take away our freedoms. Every child attending our schools should hear this. We are forgetting these prinicples are what America is about. And our children need to be reminded of it on a daily basis.

Anonymous said...

Amen! and pass this out to ALL parents and students at student orientations, or first day of school, maybe every other day for the first month of school. Some have problems comprehending.

Anonymous said...

Why can the students in Washington High chant "black power" and "we got the power" in class and not be held accountable?

Anonymous said...

Because their school leaders are spinless and lack the ability to stand tall in the saddle and do the right thing. After all we don't want to offend anyone, and we don't want to hurt their young feelings, and we don't want to make waves because we are afraid of what they might do. On and on and on and on it goes. No backbones, no guts, and hence no glory.

Anonymous said...

I agree with 1:59..our school administrators and our own government have no backbone. We let other peoples take over our country and our lives.

Anonymous said...

AMEN!!!!!!!! Give a copy of this to everyone in AMERICA!!! Not, just the schools!!! Please Lord save our Country!! (especially in Nov - No repeat of the last 4 years)

Anonymous said...

You will never hear this spoken. Can you imagine the backlash if someone actually made such a sensible speech? They would have the aclu, naacp, cair and every other anti-American hate group in the country all over them. There would be saw suit after law suit. Our freedom of speech has already been taken away by these groups and they will continue to terrorize us until we wake the hell up and rid our country of the cancer that is taking us down.

Anonymous said...

That's really great!

lmclain said...

Why won't it ever be said or done? Because we have TRAINED every single person to bring a lawsuit whenever their "feelings" are hurt. My parents (and millions in my generation) were raised to understand that life ain't always fair or nice. You get knocked down, you get insulted, you get hurt sometimes (physically and emotionally), but you move on, do what's right and don't let other people define you or hold you down. You can't be a victim unless YOU want to be one. The speech was perfect in every sense. An AMERICAN would have no problem with any of that and I would send my kids to that school in heartbeat.

Anonymous said...

He left out one thing.
"We will NOT teach to the TEST!
We will make sure you get a quality education and leave here with more knowledge than what's going to be on the next test!"
Other than that, I wholeheartedly agree!