Graduation speech 2015 elementary

I always love my job. This year has been wonderful. It has been a marvelous trip with all of you. I am so glad to have had the opportunity to get to know you. I am so glad for the opportunity to work with you every day.

And it is the fact that I see you every day which probably always fools me into thinking that I will have time to give you a word of advice, or to show you one thing or the other, and suddenly, the time is gone!

But before you go, I've got something to say: Some advice.

Success has an easy recipe:

Give yourselves permission to care. There are a lot of people in this world who are afraid of caring. Afraid to show that they care because it is uncool. It is uncool to be passionate about things.

It is so much easier to lose when you've shown everyone that you don't care whether you win or lose. It is so much harder to lose when you show that you care.

But you will never win unless you also stand to lose.

Basically don't be afraid to show passion. Don't be afraid of your own passion.

Be kind to others. It's easy to mock, to be cruel. Don't take the easy path. The easy path is dangerous. It reinforces your assumptions and stunts your curiosity.

Which leads me to the next thing - Did I say I only had one thing?

Be curious. Always keep your sense of wonder. The more curious you are, the more you get rewarded with knowledge, and the more you know, the more interesting things are, and it goes on and on. Why are penguins black and white? Why does Hamlet pretend to be mad? Why do churches have spires? What are spires?

Curious people are more alive. There is a sparkle to them. They are interesting. But more so because they are interested.

Don't pretend to be too cool to be interested in things, because that is the tremendously uncool thing. Give your passion free reign, be kind, be curious, be honest, and work hard, and everything will turn out just fine.

There. that wasn't hard, was it?

Oh, but wait! be grateful. Go thank your teachers today. You didn't just pop out, like Venus out of the sea-foam, fully formed, you are the result of the labour of many teachers, and your parents. Your parents! Remember to say thanks to them today. Remember to thank them occasionally for the thousands of tasks they perform so you can have a good life.

Ingratitude is a terrible quality and one that will not make you many friends.

And where are your glasses? Wear your glasses! Don't make fools of your parents by having them spend money on this brilliant tool you have, your sight, and then not wear them! Always. I'm not kidding.

So. Passionate, kind, curious, honest, hardworking, and thankful.

I hope I've left you

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