Editor:
I have tried to forget the comments about the keynote speakers at the 2008 Sweet Home High School graduation ceremony, but I need to reply to those comments.
I am speaking of the letter to the editor in the June 18 edition of The New Era.
Where in the speech given by teachers Debi Temple and Steve Hummer did the word “failure” appear? I attended the ceremony and I never heard the word failure at the ceremony. I later read the speech looking for the word “failure,” and I could not find it.
The message I got from the speech was, “Your future is now in your hands. Go out into the world. Set your goals high. Work hard to reach those goals like so many Sweet Home High School graduating seniors have done before you, whether that goal is to be president of the United States or a stay-at-home mom. Be the best that you can be, and you will be a success.”
At the end of the speech, the graduating seniors and the entire audience gave Mrs. Temple and Mr. Hummer a standing ovation leading me to believe they felt as I did.
And yes, I am Mr. Hummer’s mother; and I am very proud of his success as a teacher and as a caring and giving human being.
Frances “Dean” Hummer
Sweet Home