Senior breakfast speech: Mr. Miesch encourages students to be humble, gentle, patient and loving

Senior+breakfast+speech%3A+Mr.+Miesch+encourages+students+to+be+humble%2C+gentle%2C+patient+and+loving

Todd Miesch, English teacher

First of all I would like to say thank you for allowing me to be able to speak here at the Senior Breakfast. Not only is this a privilege, but it is an honor as well. This morning, I am not going to be handing out Miesch money nor am I going to be singing, tripping, or rapping. I have not been one that jumps on bandwagons and do the newest and coolest things or start doing things to get a laugh. That’s just not me. 

This morning is simply going to be talking about truth. There are four things that I want to talk to you about. These are four words that can describe, but I also want you to use these four words as verbs. Be these four words and do these four words and your life won’t be perfect, but you will live a life that will be easier for you and will make others want to be around you.

The first word is to be humble. Put others above yourself and never think more highly of yourself than you ought. Nobody likes a person that talks about themselves constantly or brags about how great they are at something. The person that speaks the least sometimes is the person that is saying the most. Be humble, do things for others without being asked. Spend time with others that need people to hang out with. Send a note, send a text, or “gasp” have a fact-to-face conversation with one another. By doing this, people will see that you are genuine and care for others and therefore people will gravitate toward you.

The second word is to be gentle. We live in a world where it is easy to say whatever we want to whomever we want. In a world where ruining one’s reputation is just a tweet away, we have a choice. This choice is to be kind or to be harsh. I say, be kind; be gentle. How much better would a person feel if you complemented them for doing something, as opposed to tearing them down and doing damage you know? Be gentle, be kind, simply because it is the right thing to do. The way that you treat others will be the way that they treat you, so why not do it in a positive manner?

The third word is to be patient. Do not make quick decisions on anything. You all are days away from graduation. Deciding on what college to go to is a big step that many are still struggling with. Others know where they are going, but aren’t sure what career path they should take. And yet others are not sure what they will be doing after high school at all. Patience. Don’t just sit and think about these decisions, talk to others about them. We have too many decisions in life to make: college, career, spouse, marriage, where will we live, what kind of house will we live in, will we have kids, so on and so on. Don’t rush these decisions, have patience, do not be anxious about anything. The more that you think about the decisions you have to make, and the more people you talk to, the clearer the answer will become. Sometimes the answer may not be the one that you want, but I promise, it may just be the one you need.

So let’s recap, be humble, be gentle, be patient and finally, love one another. Now, I am not asking you to give a bro-hug to the garbage man or have a secret hand shake with every employee at Target. But what I am asking you to do is to show love to people every day by showing that you care. Engage in conversation, get to know someone that you don’t know, encourage someone; lift someone up with a complement. Genuinely show that you care and that you respect someone and I guarantee you will receive that affection back. Love is contagious, everyone wants it, but sometimes showing this emotion can be difficult and awkward. But remember, if you remain humble, gentle, and exude patience, showing love will automatically come.

Thank you so much for allowing me to be here and share some thoughts with you and congratulations to all of you. And remember, maybe you’ll be a Spartan, a wolverine, a Chippewa, or be some other school’s mascot, but don’t forget … you’ll always be a Rochester Falcon FIRST. Thank you class of 2016 and Congratulations!

See you tonight!