At Brown, once I uncovered my interest in law and public policy, all of my classes pushed me to be critical. Of those 25 teachers, only a very small handful taught in a manner that really made me think-be critical, question and learn. And after having 25 or so different teachers, I admit the gross negligence of my high school educational experience. I attended a public high school with approximately 200 students in my class and 1200 overall. To find one’s voice is a banality, and to borrow from one of my heroes, James Baldwin, “a banality because it is very frequently stated, but rarely, on the evidence, believed.” So what exactly does this mean and how does it happen? Well, to begin, a truism: life is like basketball.… no, in all earnestness, this boils down to criticality, apotheosis, and V for Vendetta. It is the recognition and acceptance that today, more than ever, there is so much unknown: a global pandemic that now feels ‘normal’ to live in an historic, yet fraught, election where the statement, “People should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people” leaves one questioning Lockean ideology and political theory the death and conviction in the wake of George Floyd reassuring that “fairness, justice, and freedom are more than just words, they are perspectives.” These realities necessitate that each of us develop and have a clear understanding of who we are and, in doing so, find our own voice. My talk today, “Perspective in the Unknown,” while not a misnomer, I admit is a bit of a misdirection. The challenge and fun is finding all the different possible viewpoints to write about the historical event, thus, the different perspectives. The first question I ask is, “what happened?” Clearly, everyone can see what just occurred. For that, I thank you for the honor of sharing this day with you.Īs my former students and their qualified scholars can attest, each year, my classes begin with a unit on perspective, many of you may recall this exercise (drop book). One that I have no doubt has led to my being up here today.

However, the following year was also the first year that I taught three US History sections and while I had had the opportunity to begin to know your class in other areas of the school, basketball and advising, that year marked the beginning of a much more intimate relationship. Four years ago, when you began as members of Class IV, it was the first and only year during my tenure here at Nobles that I did not teach ninth graders HHC. Hall, the board of trustees, faculty and staff, alums, parents, guardians, siblings, friends, guests and all those that have supported each and every one of you to this day, hence, we celebrate the Class of 2021.

Teacher kindergarten graduation speech