I wrote this draft of speech for my cousin who is guest speaker at the graduation rites of Astorga Elementary School where we completed our primary education.
Distinguished guests (acknowledge dignitaries present one by one), parents, friends, good morning.
Many years ago I was a pupil here and was fortunate to hone my basic education, to begin my first step towards achieving my goals. Our life was simpler, less complicated then. We played games in the school yard before our classes started then at the end of the day, we did gardening. We cut the grass in the lawn, we watered the flowering plants around the school and we planted vegetables and crops in the school garden. Those I think instilled in us the good values that prepared us to face life. The role of our teachers was never more key to what we have become. They were our second parents, they were our parents in school, they disciplined us thus everyone of us should not forget the importance of our teachers. And to our teachers, remember we are the second parents here in school, we have a crucial role to play in the pupils' future.
We didn't waste a lot of time on social media, on TikTok, on Mobile Legend like what most kids do today. I would say we were more productive, spent more time reading and studying. I am not saying they are bad but pupils' engagement on the internet must be curbed by parents. Again, let me emphasize, parents should manage their kids' access to the internet and usage of cellphones. Yes, they are essential in the social growth of an individual but the pupils should not spend much of their time on these. Their use of the internet should be managed by the parents. The role of the parents is key here to focus their children's time on a productive and educational agenda which will help in their growth up the ladder of education. The internet is a source of much information that the pupils need. During our time, access to the encyclopedia was critical, today it is the internet. Thus the parents are needed to supervise their children's access to the internet, to their mobile phones, so they won't engage in unproductive endeavors.
To our young graduates, aim at the stars, even if you don't hit them, you will land on the moon. We don't lose hope, we strive, we fight onwards to reach our goals. Very important is to set our own goals, it will be our driving force to persist, to continue and to not surrender. If we have no goals, we're like floating in limbo, we have no clear direction. Those who have no goals, remain where they are but those with realistic goals, often succeed in whatever they do in their lives.
I know it's not easy, the future is not a walk in the park. Challenges and difficulties we will encounter along the way. If we persist, we can surpass them but if we are weak, we will surrender easily. Cases like this the parents' roles come into play. As parents, we must be there to guide and encourage our children to aim, pursue and achieve what they want. We all must remember, all that we do is for our own future, what we want to be years from now, when we grow old.
There will be tough challenges as we move forward trying to attain higher education. Some of you may continue to the summit of education and become professionals in whatever field. Some of you may not be lucky to finish that kind of education, but always remember to become responsible citizens, does not require one to be professional. Simple jobs that sustain our life may be enough as long as we become an asset to the society, to the community. We are not a liability to the community, that is more important, being a citizen contributing to the betterment of our community.
Whatever we become, always remember we are brought up as Christians, we should be good to our fellow human beings. Being good begins within us, what we are influences our neighbors, our friends. We should not be a burden to our parents, to others. If everybody absorbs this thinking, there's no reason the future will not be better for all of us.
Let me share this story for us to reflect upon.
One day, a man passed by a garden and saw a butterfly cocoon which was about to open. The man stopped, watched a beautiful butterfly slowly coming out, it struggled for hours trying to get out of the cocoon, then stopped. The man realized the butterfly couldn't get out. So he thought he could help, so he took a scissor, cut the cocoon so the butterfly could come out. The butterfly successfully came out but the wings were shriveled, the body was tiny and withered. It was able to come out of the cocoon, but was unable to fly due to the wounded body. What's the moral of this story?
This simply shows us the significance of struggle in life. Different struggles in life are necessary to make us stronger. Let's never get disappointed when we face struggle and surrender, and never stop trying until we succeed in life. Only those who are brave to fight the odds are bound to succeed.
Always remember, aim for the stars, if you miss them, you will land on the moon.
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