OGHS Speech to Honor Students

I was looking for a good way to start a speech. I've been told that a good speech opens with a joke, but a great speech just starts, so let’s get right to it…

Knock knock. (Pause here – Just kidding) Who's there? A great speech.

It’s good to be back at Oak Grove. This town and this school have been through a lot since I graduated. The term “panther strong” conveys the community’s strength, and I’m proud to be a graduate of this school. Since then I went to college, grad school and got a full-time job.

Now I’m filled with wisdom to pass on. Mostly what not to do. One thing I’ve learned and continue to be taught is that I don’t really know anything.

I’m reminded of a quote inscribed on a tower at Central Missouri. It says “Who is wise? He who learns from every person”. And it’s written in 4 languages, so I've even learned foreign languages from a building. That statement reminds me of how I can approach any given interaction; by listening to others, and trying to learn from them. Seeing what they have to teach me. You can learn from anything or anyone, if you are open and willing to reflect and find the lesson. Every single person is better than you at something, and knows something you don’t. Make it your mission to find out what that is, and to learn from them. It’s also a way to show interest in that person, and be more likable. There’s going to be someone in the world who’s better at you at the thing you’re good at. Stay humble. The only time you’re not learning is when you are speaking. So yes, I could stand to spend more time learning.

But I’ll tell you what I have learned since graduation, and hopefully you can find value for at least one piece of information.

First, I’ll tell you how to get good grades. It’s actually pretty simple, and everyone knows this secret; though few are willing to admit it, or may be unable to concisely summarize it. With your GPA, I’m guessing you already know. But here it is; “Do the Work”. That’s it, three words. How you’re evaluated in school is not who is the smartest, most athletic, or most popular. Which, by the way, I was not the smartest individual in my grade. Your academics come down to if you did the necessary work or not. This means a different amount of effort for different people. Some of this is innate intelligence; some people have better memories than others. Part of it is your interest in the subject matter. But essentially, if you do the work to read the materials, listen to the instructor, take good notes, study the material until you truly understand it, do additional practice if you need to, and do all of your homework, then you will get good grades. Simple, right? It all depends on how much work you are willing to do. And some of this requires sacrifice, or at least prioritizing your time. You will sacrifice leisure time, spend mental effort, and have to manage your time using self-discipline. Really, it’s more of prioritizing those school activities over procrastinating, relaxing, or whatever hobbies you have.

I was very good at being a student; I did all of the work, read all of the books. I had great notes, and the illegible handwriting associated with high IQ. Notes so good and illegible, that people wanted to borrow them. One time I didn't even get them back. She's probably still trying to read them, but I learned that you should always make a copy and keep the original. If there was an assignment, I did it. For me it was a kind of satisfying completionism. In college, I would take classes in the morning, do my classwork, go to practice, and then have the evening to myself. Many of my friends were in class mid-day, so I was still able to hang out with them in the evenings, because I already took care of my work earlier. And I would do my homework early in the week or plan it accordingly, so I could still do something on the weekend. You do not have to sacrifice a social life to find success in school. In fact, I urge you to ensure you have a satisfying social life (at whatever level you feel comfortable); and not just the online kind. Humans were meant to be social creatures, and interpersonal relationships are key to our health, wellness, happiness, and future success. After all, it’s now what you know, it’s who you know.

I know that studying can be tedious, so here are a few of my most impactful tips. I seemed to have a knack for picking up on the important points from the teacher that would be key concepts and likely to show up on the test. If they write it on the board, it’s important. If they ask the class for questions about what they just said, it’s important. If they repeat an example multiple times, it’s important. The key is taking good notes. Listening, figuring out what matters, and writing that down in your own words. Later, you should read your notes back to yourself, and do so aloud. That process does 5 things; you listen, interpret, write, read, and speak. Each of those performs a different mental function, and engages your brain to learn in different ways; when you hear, process, use your hand to write, see the words, and vocalize them. All of those develop different neural pathways to ingrain the material in your memory.

I also had a lucky pencil that never failed a test. Some might say it was my preparation that led me to be confident that I knew the material when it came time to take the test. But was it the pencil? We’ll never know…

So why would you put in the effort to get good grades? That’s fairly obvious rhetoric, as all of you have proven your desire and ability to excel in the classroom by being here. But in case you need a better reason than “my mom made me do it”, here are a few.

One reason is that it serves as a signal of your ability for those who don’t know you. Going from high school to college, it shows the admissions office that you should be accepted, and sets you up to get academic scholarship, preferential enrollment, preferential dorms, or other perks. At Central Missouri, the honors college students were able to enroll in classes first, meaning I got the class subjects and times that I wanted. Which is a huge benefit when you can control your own class schedule, curriculum, and hours; especially when you’re an athlete, work part time, or generally have things you want to do. Going from college to a job, it indicates that you are a great candidate. Here’s why your grades are an indicator for hiring managers.

The fact that you got good grades means you did the work. You’re able to set and achieve a goal. You paid attention to detail. You showed patience and self-discipline to study, and dedication to your schoolwork. You showed the ability to delay your own gratification, and that you have the ability to learn. In other words, you proved your intelligence and your positive habits in a very measurable way. Which is important, because humans take mental shortcuts even when doing complex things like judging others.

Life isn’t fair. That manifests itself in different ways for different people. But in general, the term fair is relative. How you perceive your environment is relative to your expectations. Yet you can’t control your environment; you can only control your expectations, and your attitude. Or you can change the environment you’re in.

Regardless of how fair it is, people make first impressions that have a lasting impact. They use pre-requisites and screening devices, such as diplomas and GPA, to simplify the decisions they have to make. Decisions such as hiring a recent graduate.

A second reason to achieve academic excellence is the prestige. Once you achieve something, nothing and no one can ever take that away from you. Get straight A’s, an academic achievement award, or graduate with honors - These are your accomplishments for life. They’re something to be proud of.

Unfortunately, the accomplishments you achieve at a given stage of life seem to reset once you reach the next one. If you thrive in high school, its helps where you start in college; but you still have to do the work in college and prove yourself at that level. Again, this helps you land a good job, but you then have to prove yourself at work. Which sounds daunting, but those who succeed at one level are the best equipped to carry that success over to the next.

That’s because of the habits you adopt. Getting good grades, being a high achiever in school - that’s the end result. The truly valuable outcome is the process it takes to attain this. Those same habits that formed which people interpret as indicators that they want you to join their team, or university, or company. The most important reason to get good grades is so you can actually learn the materials, and give yourself a foundation to be a well-rounded, interesting, and informed individual.

Develop good habits, and the results will follow. One of the most important habits you can form is a desire to learn, a curiosity about the world around you. Develop a hunger for knowledge, and a passion for sharing that knowledge. I enjoy some subjects more than others, but find it helpful to branch out and learn a little bit about a lot of different topics. It helps me hold a conversation with others on a wide variety of subjects. While you’re in school, you may come across some classes that seem pointless, such as your general studies, or generic core classes. For me it was fine arts. But while I was by no means going to major in them, having an exposure to a subject brought up some really interesting thought points.

When reading an article, I came across a concept; that there are not a lot of genuinely new ideas, but most of the successful innovations and groundbreaking ideas came from reworking 2 or 3 non-related ideas and combining them in new and interesting ways. Combining subjects between different fields, or applying solutions from one field of study to another, unrelated field. Like mobile technology and driving. Or movies and subscriptions and internet.

A few closing thoughts:

To be good at school, you have to do the work. Simply being intelligent won’t cut it. What’s more important than a grade is that you understood the material, and developed positive habits that will enhance the rest of your life. A life full of learning. One of the best ways to do that is to read; so read more.

Also, don’t forget that there is more to life than school. Your friends and social relationships will be the most memorable parts of your college and life experience. I don’t ever wish that I had learned less in school, or not done as well as I did. I took every advantage of the school system while I was in it, and learned everything I could. I’m proud of that. This time is yours, so make the most of it.

But I also recognize that I would have liked to do more social activities. Friends, family, and personal relationships will lead you to a happy life. Networking is, after all, the building block of a career. And that’s not my favorite thing about how the world works. I wish it was all merit based, because then I’d be near the top, as would all of you. But humans are innately social creatures, and society reflects that.

Remember that everyone can teach you something. If you’re the smartest person in the room, then you’re not in the right room. You’re not being challenged, you’re not growing. Don’t be afraid to fail, because that is when you learn the most.

Surround yourself with people who you would emulate, people with good habits. You are a representation of the 5 people you hang out with the most. Your close relationships will be your support when times get rough. You won’t go through life alone.

Thank you for listening, I hope you found something useful. Congratulations on your outstanding academic achievement; I wish you the best in your continued efforts to excel in the classroom and in life.

Thank you.