This girl is a hero. Effing awesome. She is paradoxically proving two sides of the educational debate at once: on one hand, she makes a very reasoned argument against school as we know it, on the other hand, she went through twelve years of public school and obviously came out of it bright, free-thinking, and articulate.

PS: the expressions on the faces of the adults behind her are amazing.

thedailywhat:

Motivational Speaker of the Day: Coxsackie-Athens High School Valedictorian Erica Goldson makes valiant use of her graduation speech to selflessly rip the American educational system a new one.

Excerpt:

Some of you may be thinking, “Well, if you pass a test, or become valedictorian, didn’t you learn something? Well, yes, you learned something, but not all that you could have. Perhaps, you only learned how to memorize names, places, and dates to later on forget in order to clear your mind for the next test. School is not all that it can be. Right now, it is a place for most people to determine that their goal is to get out as soon as possible.

[otts.]

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