Graduation speaker tells students they are "not special" - WDRB 41 Louisville - News, Weather, Sports Community

Graduation speaker tells students they are "not special"

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A Massachusetts teacher is defending his recent commencement address in which he told graduates --they are *not* special.

Wellesley High School English teacher David McCullough Junior is an internet star.  But he says he was simply telling students what they needed to hear.

McCullough went on to say that if everyone is special, then no one really is.  He told the graduates that they've been pampered all their lives by parents, teachers and others, but now they need to slip up and make mistakes as they try to make it as adults.

Despite the bluntness of McCullough's remarks, many critics are heaping praise at the speech, saying it is a wake-up call for a generation some say is self-centered and over-protected.

To watch the entire commencement speech, click here.

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  • Thanks to a grant from Norton Healthcare, this story and others are available in real-time closed captioning on WDRB.
    Thanks to a grant from Norton Healthcare, this story and others are available in real-time closed captioning on WDRB.