![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
graduation, aka the horrors of public speaking
Wow. I've graduated. Now I can finally say "now that we've graduated". For the past few weeks it's been "now that we've. . . finished high school." I like precision. But now with quotation marks and punctuation, if you notice. Where does the period go? Inside the quotes, I think. Oh well. This is actually not so much an oversight of the high school's--I mean, they never taught it, but I remember getting my beloved English teacher last year to go over all this stuff with us.
In any case. I probably should say something profound? But I don't feel profound. lol. All I've been thinking about all day is giving my speech. Sooo nervous. I've never spoken in public before, and this was probably about a thousand people. So I've been tense since forever. I've distracted myself by thinking about this week's Buffy and Angel. It's the series finale today (or rather, UPN is airing the series finale today) of Buffy, and Angel is "Dead End", which is the sexy Lindsey episode. So it's a big week! And I'm nervous about the recording, because The first episode of Buffy season 4 was on last night, and the tape totally spazzed out. :( Ah well.
Anyway. XD As you can see, I've been trying not to think about things. But I was told that I read the speech very well! Which is something of a miracle. People can't understand when I speak to them, I usually speak very fast. So when I was practicing the speech, I was focusing on enunciating, and also on going extremely slowly. And I was worried when I sat down, because when I actually gave the speech I wasn't thinking about going slowly. But I think that when I'm speaking, I automatically get at least a little clearer, because I haven't had too many problems at Bethpage. So people said I did well. And my speech was lovely and short. Or at least, short.
The valedictorian's speech was lovely, period. It also wasn't that long. But it was just really nice. All about being a good person, as opposed to being about success and ambition. Really nice. I actually listened! I'm horrible at paying attention during speeches.
Also--to quote Buffy during "Prom", because everything comes back to Buffy, "And I got a toy surprise!" The principal gave me, Johnny (valedictorian), and the two class presidents who were MCing and were also up on the platform thing little stuffed graduating bears. :D They're so cute! And me and Johnny also got pens from the board of education. They're nice, but not as nice as the toy surprise. :)
They also lost all of our diplomas! wooo! I mean, all four of us. Not everyone's. Because they gave out the diplomas by row, and we weren't in the rows. (I mean, ok. They give you the diploma holder when your name is called and all that. But then afterwards you go into the school and get the actual diploma--so there's no name confusion) And no one could find our diplomas. In the end they were on the principal's chair. But we were already the last ones to leave the field and then it took a while to find them. 15 minutes? I don't know.
The graduation is held on the football field, and we had a gorgeous day. It wasn't too hot because it was nice and breezy. Although the wind did cause some problems. It made weird noises in the mic (I found this worrying XD). And caused severe issues with the caps. There's a word for them, but I can't remember it and definitely can't spell it! It was so nice, though--one of the class presidents bobby pinned my hat on, right before the processional. She's one of the popular people, and we're not friends, but she is very sweet--we took dance class together in 2-4 grades. XD Also, the tassels caused severe problems. It kept blowing into my mouth during my speech, so finally I flipped it back. Never let it be said that I'm not decisive!
ok. I think I'm going to go outside and be with family. Sadly, not a lot of family was able to come. It's ok. I don't mind--it's very boring and my speech was not interesting or personal. But I felt a little like, "oh." when the valedictorian had 30 family members. XD His family is just like that, though. So it's cool. But they're sitting outside now, as I said, and getting another lawn chair seems like so much work. . .
I think I'm going to try and avoid public speaking in the future.
Work tomorrow!
In any case. I probably should say something profound? But I don't feel profound. lol. All I've been thinking about all day is giving my speech. Sooo nervous. I've never spoken in public before, and this was probably about a thousand people. So I've been tense since forever. I've distracted myself by thinking about this week's Buffy and Angel. It's the series finale today (or rather, UPN is airing the series finale today) of Buffy, and Angel is "Dead End", which is the sexy Lindsey episode. So it's a big week! And I'm nervous about the recording, because The first episode of Buffy season 4 was on last night, and the tape totally spazzed out. :( Ah well.
Anyway. XD As you can see, I've been trying not to think about things. But I was told that I read the speech very well! Which is something of a miracle. People can't understand when I speak to them, I usually speak very fast. So when I was practicing the speech, I was focusing on enunciating, and also on going extremely slowly. And I was worried when I sat down, because when I actually gave the speech I wasn't thinking about going slowly. But I think that when I'm speaking, I automatically get at least a little clearer, because I haven't had too many problems at Bethpage. So people said I did well. And my speech was lovely and short. Or at least, short.
The valedictorian's speech was lovely, period. It also wasn't that long. But it was just really nice. All about being a good person, as opposed to being about success and ambition. Really nice. I actually listened! I'm horrible at paying attention during speeches.
Also--to quote Buffy during "Prom", because everything comes back to Buffy, "And I got a toy surprise!" The principal gave me, Johnny (valedictorian), and the two class presidents who were MCing and were also up on the platform thing little stuffed graduating bears. :D They're so cute! And me and Johnny also got pens from the board of education. They're nice, but not as nice as the toy surprise. :)
They also lost all of our diplomas! wooo! I mean, all four of us. Not everyone's. Because they gave out the diplomas by row, and we weren't in the rows. (I mean, ok. They give you the diploma holder when your name is called and all that. But then afterwards you go into the school and get the actual diploma--so there's no name confusion) And no one could find our diplomas. In the end they were on the principal's chair. But we were already the last ones to leave the field and then it took a while to find them. 15 minutes? I don't know.
The graduation is held on the football field, and we had a gorgeous day. It wasn't too hot because it was nice and breezy. Although the wind did cause some problems. It made weird noises in the mic (I found this worrying XD). And caused severe issues with the caps. There's a word for them, but I can't remember it and definitely can't spell it! It was so nice, though--one of the class presidents bobby pinned my hat on, right before the processional. She's one of the popular people, and we're not friends, but she is very sweet--we took dance class together in 2-4 grades. XD Also, the tassels caused severe problems. It kept blowing into my mouth during my speech, so finally I flipped it back. Never let it be said that I'm not decisive!
ok. I think I'm going to go outside and be with family. Sadly, not a lot of family was able to come. It's ok. I don't mind--it's very boring and my speech was not interesting or personal. But I felt a little like, "oh." when the valedictorian had 30 family members. XD His family is just like that, though. So it's cool. But they're sitting outside now, as I said, and getting another lawn chair seems like so much work. . .
I think I'm going to try and avoid public speaking in the future.
Work tomorrow!
no subject
no subject
no subject
Although... what the Henker's a valedictorian?
no subject
Oof. A valedictorian is the student in the class with the highest academic average. However, our averages are weighted, and weighted stupidly. Basically, there are three different levels of class--Regents, which is the basic level (the Regents are New York standardized tests that you have to take at the end of the course, hence the name), then honors, which goes beyond the Regents. And then AP. AP is Advanced Placement. It's basically a college course, and if you do well enough on the AP test at the end of the year, you may be able to get credit from your college for taking it. Just taking it looks good on a college application, though, cos it's hella hard. You may have heard me mention my AP exams--first two weeks of May. Anyway. Usually there isn't an AP and an honors--when the AP is offered by the school, you have that, and when it's not you have honors. But anyway, honors and AP classes both get weighting--in other words, your grade in the class gets bumped a little higher. APs more than honors. Like, honors classes' grades are multipled by a factor of .005 and AP classes is .01. Something like that. Wow, I'm distracted. Oh yeah. My point is that there are honors music classes, that get weighted the same as others. . . there's something crazy.
And I'm the salutatorian--meaning I'm the second in the class. However, my unweighted average is significantly higher than the valedictorian, who is indeed extremely good in music. However, apparently this was part of his mother's plan--to get his grades additional weighting by taking the honors music courses (meaning the higher quality band and choir). And I've been in classes with him, he didn't work hard. Or at all. So I'm fairly bitter about this whole thing. Hence the really, really long explanation when I could have told you valedictorian and saltutatorian in 2 sentences. Sorry about that.
However, I feel better now, because I got to give a short little speech and he gave a long one, and it was really excellent. So it turned out ok. But I still feel cheated.
Congrats on graduation :-D
Technically the period (and any punctuation) goes inside the quotes. This is certainly the way I was taught in school.
You'll notice that computer-geeks and programmers and similar will often put punctuation outside the quotes in some cases though. This isn't proper, but it's a holdover from programming techniques. In computers anything inside quotes is a string, and you don't put anything not inside the string inside it. "Angel." and "Angel" are different strings, you see. So when quoting text that doesn't have punctuation, it can be hard to punctuate properly.
The biggest one in this case is when quoting a non-question in a question, certainly for me anyway. Logic plus geek-instinct mean that it feel wrong to put a question-mark inside a quoted non-question. (Even though it's less wrong than putting the punctuation outside the quotes)
Heh. That was a pointless comment. But it's food for thought. :)
Thank you! :)
I think with a question you do actually put it outside. Because otherwise you're definitely making your quote a question, and not the sentence. I think the punctuation thing only applies to a period. Although, obviously, I'm not sure. But it doesn't really make sense the other way.
Re: Thank you! :)
I asked an English teacher.
Re: Thank you! :)
no subject
Me? I still bemoan the fact that the "Sunscreen" screen speech didn't come out until 1999 or something...way too late for my graduation.
Now. Listen to Miss Katie very, very, very carefully:
When you go to college? Do everything in your power to avoid student loans and credit cards. They are evil.
And that's my one bit of life advice for you.
::hug:: Yay for you!!!
no subject
Thank you for the advice :D I've been informed that I have small, interest-free loans. Hopefully I'll be ok--debt sucks. And I've also been told that my brother managed to stay away from credit cards, and he's a huge spender, so thrifty me should be ok--especially now that I've been warned. Forewarned and forearmed :)
no subject
no subject