Cut Off During Valedictorian Speech

[dust1n]

[joke]
You give logical reasons. The school has issued no logical reasons for its actions. It has clammed up.

"Student speakers were told that if their speeches deviated from the prior-reviewed material, the microphone would be turned off, regardless of content," the school said in a statement on its Facebook page. "When one student’s speech deviated from the prior-reviewed speech, the microphone was turned off, pursuant to District policy and procedure."

http://www.burlesonstar.net/localnews/ci_23411906

The school administrators were following District policy and procedure. How about being terminated? Is that a logical reason for the administrators' actions?

 

[MysticSang'ha]

This ispe dixit rule/argument everyone keeps tossing around certainly seems to be aimed at preventing kids from being amazing.

Definition of amazing:

Causing great surprise or wonder; astonishing.
Startlingly impressive.

​

How can you be startlingly impressive when there is no room to be startling?

Excuse me? No room to be amazing? I teach kids how to choreograph their own work. I give them a stage to show their work. I organize crew, I market the show, and I give them tools for composition in their work. There are only a few things they are not allowed to do, but within that wide range of expression, they have many possibilities to grow and to develop.

This valedictorian was given plenty of room to be amazing. It had to fit in the parameters of the ceremony and of school policy. That isn't censorship. It's responsible event planning.

 

[crossfire]

What actually happened was that the school told all the speakers their policy was to cut off the mic if the speaker went off script, then they enforced their policy when one of the speakers went off script. That sounds really boring to me, and I'm as much of an anarchist as the next person.

If there's anything more to the story, we don't know what it is. For example, we don't know why the kid was so hell bent on deviating from his own speech - one that he wrote himself, that was already given the thumbs up by the school administrators. My best guess is that he wanted to lead the audience in a prayer, hence lumping religious freedom and freedom of speech together with some biblical crap in his rant after the mic was cut off, rather than only free speech. What's your best guess?

My best guess is that he meant exactly what he said.

You guys don't have to put up with this **** anymore. (Being threatened with having your microphone cut.) This is the United States, and the Constitution guarantees us freedom of speech. Don't let this stupid rule condition your future actions. Don't be afraid to speak up, and don't forget what happened here.

 

[dust1n]

So do the adults have their speeches vetted too?
I see no point in a ceremonial speech that is not the view of the speaker. Though I agree it should be suitable for the occasion and timed to length. But any recriminations if it is not, should be for later.
The ceremony itself is mocked if what is said is just propaganda for the establishment..

The ceremony was already mocked the moment he mocked the ceremony in his speech..

 

[crossfire]

Excuse me? No room to be amazing? I teach kids how to choreograph their own work. I give them a stage to show their work. I organize crew, I market the show, and I give them tools for composition in their work. There are only a few things they are not allowed to do, but within that wide range of expression, they have many possibilities to grow and to develop.

Excellent. You don't have to approve every step they plan to make. {Unlike the school's requirements.} Your students just have to follow a few guidelines. Kudos! :clap

This valedictorian was given plenty of room to be amazing. It had to fit in the parameters of the ceremony and of school policy. That isn't censorship. It's responsible event planning.

I disagree.

 

[dust1n]

Unless that "bratty kid" has been given the role of valedictorian... One would think that such a honor would come with some latitude. It is a given that such a person is recognized for being both intelligent and eloquent. Heaven forbid they stray from scripted comments... especially when those scripted comments must be approved of, in advance. One would assume the unscripted "off the cuff" remarks would be as intelligent and eloquent as the pre-approved remarks. Censorship, anyone?

One would think so incorrectly. And what does eloquence have to do with being a valedictorian.

We might be able to agree with you it is censorship had one followed your assumptions. But they are... assumptions.

 

[Alceste]

My best guess is that he meant exactly what he said.

You guys don't have to put up with this **** anymore. (Being threatened with having your microphone cut.) This is the United States, and the Constitution guarantees us freedom of speech. Don't let this stupid rule condition your future actions. Don't be afraid to speak up, and don't forget what happened here.

If he meant what he said, why didn't he think to include it on the speech he wrote beforehand? You know, the one the school told him not to deviate from if he didn't want his mic cut off?

I still want to hear your best guess as to why you think he felt so passionately that he needed to say something that he didn't bother to write down in his speech beforehand. You've ruled out a prayer, but you haven't explained why.

 

[dust1n]

As far as I can see there is no purpose in having the rule.
If you don't trust the speaker why choose him.

Why even bother to have a graduation, instead of a speech?

 

[dust1n]

Not just kids either. It's people no matter what age in front of a captive audience. The stage and the podium is a privileged position, and carries responsibility with it. It is not a soapbox. Not an open-mike night. Not a youtube moment.

I guess some don't realize that the extended families of over hundreds of kids are present, and that the are their to see, you know, the one time the kid will graduate, not a 18 year play a political martyr. It's so incredibly insulting...

 

[dust1n]

Where are you getting all this extra information? The school hasn't "clammed up" or issued "gag orders" (they couldn't if they wanted to) according to the OP. They've explained that they told all the speakers the day before that their policy was to switch off the mic if the speaker went off script, regardless of content. What more do they need to say?

When substance lacks, make up the facts.

 

[Alceste]

As far as I can see there is no purpose in having the rule.
If you don't trust the speaker why choose him.

From what I've read, the policy is the result of various unspecified problems they've had in the past with speakers simply winging it rather than sticking to their prepared speech. There are lawsuits currently going on about secular, state funded schools promoting Christianity through prayer, allowing teachers to promote their religious convictions in the classroom and and imposing Bible-based changes to the curriculum. This particular school was in the middle of exactly such a lawsuit and had been advised by a lawyer to follow a very clear policy of non-denominational practices, such as a moment of silence instead of a guided prayer.

So the reason for the rule, in such a litigious country with such clear constitutional protections against the fusion of church and state, is understandable.

As far as trusting the speaker is concerned, they did. He wrote his own speech. They only cut him off for not sticking to it. IOW, they trusted him and he betrayed their trust, and suffered the consequences.

 

[Magic Man]

This ispe dixit rule/argument everyone keeps tossing around certainly seems to be aimed at preventing kids from being amazing.

Definition of amazing:

Causing great surprise or wonder; astonishing.
Startlingly impressive.

​

How can you be startlingly impressive when there is no room to be startling?

There seems to be a disconnect here. It's perfectly possible to be startling or impressive with a preplanned speech. Requesting to go over the speech beforehand doesn't mean it can't be great or inspiring. They didn't cut anything out of the speech, just said not to deviate from what he had written. All he had to do was write the astonishing/startling/inspiring/amazing stuff beforehand and let them read it, and then he was more than welcome to say it at the ceremony.

 

[Alceste]

What do I need to do to get you to use that cane on me?

Launch into Bye Bye Miss American Pie at the twelve minute mark.

 

[dust1n]

I have had to use the cane before with people who ramble too much between songs. Officially, it's "three songs or fifteen minutes - whichever is shorter", and I watch the clock. It's my role to make sure everybody gets their turn on stage before the audience drifts away. There are other rules too, like "no recorded accompaniment". Nobody is there to watch karaoke. There's always somebody who takes it upon themselves to rage about how stupid the rules are, but I don't really care. If they can't find a competent guitar or piano player to back them at an open mic, that's their problem.

Oh man, how would I ever do my experimental free jazz improv mixed with samples?

 

[Alceste]

Oh man, how would I ever do my experimental free jazz improv mixed with samples?

You could probably fool me and the audience by bringing your computer on stage disguised as some kind of bizarre invention of your own, and look like you're doing something to it to make the sounds come out.

 

[dust1n]

This ispe dixit rule/argument everyone keeps tossing around certainly seems to be aimed at preventing kids from being amazing.

Definition of amazing:

Causing great surprise or wonder; astonishing.
Startlingly impressive.

​

How can you be startlingly impressive when there is no room to be startling?

Just because you learned a new fancy term from logic, doesn't actually mean anyone is using it, and more specifically, the notion isn't reinforced at all when the means you use to determine ispe dixit is via ispe dixit.

 

[dust1n]

This ispe dixit rule/argument everyone keeps tossing around certainly seems to be aimed at preventing kids from being amazing.

Definition of amazing:

Causing great surprise or wonder; astonishing.
Startlingly impressive.

​

How can you be startlingly impressive when there is no room to be startling?

I'd say the first step is not to talk about your mic being cut off; it's likely to lead to your mic being cut off.

 

[Alceste]

This ispe dixit rule/argument everyone keeps tossing around certainly seems to be aimed at preventing kids from being amazing.

Definition of amazing:

Causing great surprise or wonder; astonishing.
Startlingly impressive.

​

How can you be startlingly impressive when there is no room to be startling?

I teach my students the difference between improvising and song writing, and encourage them to try their hand at both, giving them strategies for improving their technique and finding patterns that are pleasing to the ear. When they are performing publicly, I insist that they stick to songs they know well and have practiced. Songs I've heard them play, that I know they're ready to perform. Often, that will be their own compositions that they've written with my guidance and infectious enthusiasm for musical self expression.

What I don't let them do at performances is just bang away randomly on their instruments making godawful, disorganized, endless noise (that's how we start with the improvising). Not only would that be a potentially humiliating experience for the student, it would also reflect quite poorly on me as a music teacher.

Without exception, their written compositions are more startling and amazing to everybody listening than their improv by a long mile.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

Excellent. You don't have to approve every step they plan to make. {Unlike the school's requirements.} Your students just have to follow a few guidelines. Kudos! :clap

Thank you, but during the development of what they create, and what we all rehearse, and what is expected of the stage, mistakes can happen, but I draw the line at blatantly and willingly going off-script.

I disagree.

Then I'll ask you what I asked Terry - how would you organize an event like a graduation?

 

[Me Myself]

This ispe dixit rule/argument everyone keeps tossing around certainly seems to be aimed at preventing kids from being amazing.

Definition of amazing:

Causing great surprise or wonder; astonishing.
Startlingly impressive.

​

How can you be startlingly impressive when there is no room to be startling?

If he didnt feel he could be amazing with a preplanned speech, he could have just said so instead of going against rules cause of his incompetence.