Though history teacher Tim Kane has spoken at three graduations already?most recently for the class of 2007?the senior class has once again elected him to be the speaker on June 18 at DAR Constitution Hall.
Kane believes that his popularity as a speaker is due to his eccentric nature.
Kane believes the reason the speaker is selected is because the students think he or she will be entertaining. “The voting simply comes down to who would be funny,” Kane said.
He applies this policy of being entertaining toward his class as a method of teaching.
“The one thing I never wanted to be in the classroom was boring and I?ve kind of devoted my life to not being boring,” he said.
Though teachers often run into difficulty getting their students to pay attention in class, Kane believes that he is generally successful due to his entertaining nature.
“Avoiding being boring is a daily activity,” he said. “You have to work on it constantly.”
Kane engages his students by telling stories that often border on the unbelievable.
However, he has admitted that he has learned not to cross the line and say things that some people may take the wrong way, both in the classroom and in his graduation speech.
“I?m going to be funny without trying to offend anyone [in my speech],” he said.
Though Kane said that he would not turn down the opportunity to speak again, he believes that this should be his last year.
“I guess probably the one thing I would say is that this is my fourth time and I should probably retire,” Kane said. “I vote for more diversity among the speakers.”
Some speakers that he believes the seniors should elect are technology teacher Michael Martin and English teacher Martha Noone.
Some students feel the same way.
“I voted for [business teacher Kathryn] Peyton because she?s never gone before,” senior Haley Plotner said. “But I?m happy that he?s doing it. I?ve heard that his speeches before were funny.”
According to Kane, it is more meaningful for the seniors to be able to elect the speaker themselves. At Edison High School, where he previously taught, students did not have the opportunity to do so.
“It?s different than having someone who doesn?t know you talk to you,” he said.