Quote:
Originally posted by Father Bronze:
I teach high school Sophomores (age 15-16).
And yes, there are quite a few topics I consider annoying or unacceptable -- legalization of marjhuana, lower the drinking age, AIDS, teen suicide, eating disorders, . . .
We've decided as a department that we will focus on Demonstration, Informative, and Persuasive formats. We also do some impromptu speeches and have the students write a Eulogy.
We are not so concerned with students learning the finer arts of rhetoric (although I'd love to teach that, they get bored when I get philosophical), but rather hope that the students have a positive first experience and learn proper delivery techniques.
Speech is probably the second most valued class I've taught. Most of the time it is former Debaters who come back and thank me for all that I've taught them in Debate, but occasionally a Speech student will do the same. For some reason, my Freshmen didn't come back and thank me for making them memorize the parts of speech -- imagine that ( puzzled shrug )  .
- Father Bronze
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gee, none of my students ever came back and thanked me for the memorization or tests, either - go figure
I have been thinking of volunteering to help my old high school speech and debate team - i started speech the end of my junior year - just enough meets (3) and i did well enough to go to the state NFL meet the first year. my senior year, i tore it up, almost got my ruby NFL pin, but did get the saphire, and placed 7th in the state that year in extemporaneous speaking - picked it because impromptu was to scary, and things like oral interp and expository and debate were too much work! (like your typical high schooler) I just wish i had started my soph year, i know i would have ended up with the double ruby and a national shot, alas. lololol
that is great that you teach that, FB, people wonder why (students who have to take it, mostly
) speech is so important - fear of public speaking is a steady 46% of the population's greatest fear, most of the time a greater % than death will get on those type of surveys!
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