Hope is a thing with feathers

After 17 years in the formal education system, you'd think I might be hard pressed to identify the most significant influence in my academic career. But filter through the fruit breaks, the multiple choices and the basketball coach who "taught" history, and you too might find that the truth behind life-long learning can be answered with an honest response to the following question:\nIs there ever a more fruitful period in life than the stage you spend with "Sesame Street?"\nFor me, the answer is no. The extra hours I spent with PBS while most kids were outside eating worms continued to shape my education all the way until college. For instance, I probably wouldn't have a minor in Spanish right now if it weren't for Maria. After the ballroom rendition of "Hola means hello" she did with Luis, there was no quelling my interest in the language. \nFor the kids at Villanova University, the answer must be different. According to The Associated Press, when the school announced that Caroll Spinney, the man who brought life to Big Bird, would be delivering the school's 2004 commencement address, seniors were "underwhelmed" by the news (April 26). The article portrayed a sentiment that implied the $112,000 total tuition students pay warrants a more dignified speaker than a "preschool icon."\n"Everyone I've talked to says it's crazy," senior Joe Mordini said.\nCrazy? I suppose it would be if you were a student who thinks the amount of tuition you pay is what represents your education. In that case, yes, some random senator or CEO would be a more appropriate choice as your speaker. A stony farewell and some generic tripe about ambition injected into the middle of whatever political speech they're touting at the time would indeed be the best inspiration money can buy.\nPersonally, I'd take Big Bird. I think it would be all too fitting to end the journey of academia at the same place it started, with a personality who's been there all along. As much as I look forward to the wisdom former Indiana first lady Judy O'Bannon will share with us tomorrow, she's not the one who explained things to me when Mr. Hooper died. She didn't send me postcards every Nov. 14 after I joined the PBS birthday club. And she didn't introduce to me the joy of roller skating. \nBut even if the students at Villanova don't have fond memories of "Sesame Street," there's still another fact they seem to be ignoring. Big Bird, though portrayed convincingly, is not a real canary. In fact, I would probably agree that an 8-foot-2 television character is not an appropriate commencement speaker. But Caroll Spinney is. \nLast year Spinney authored "The Wisdom of Big Bird," a book that features not only autobiographical accounts of life inside an unwieldy costume, but also the lessons one learns through decades of working as a pioneer in education. The book is wise, but humble. It's inspirational, but not cheesy. Add that to the fact it also quotes Nietzsche and you've got all the same elements as an ideal commencement speech. Convenient, yes? \nAlso, according to the bio in the back of the book, the Library of Congress has named Spinney a Living Legend. He has won Grammys and Emmys, served in the Air Force, and traveled the world. So in case you were worried, Villanova, I'm sure he will be able to discuss things that don't involve the letter J or the number seven.\nGraduation is special. But it ain't that special. The pope isn't going to show up just because you finished your undergraduate degree. (Oh wait, you paid $112,000 for it? Nope, he still won't.) Even so, you can still celebrate what you've accomplished and those who helped you along the way -- including the ones with feathers.