Monday, March 20, 2017

Podiums for Pupils

Our home school group PEACH offers a public speaker's club for teens.  It is organized by a Master Toastmasters member under the guidelines of Junior Toastmasters.  It has been a great experience for Abigail. 

In elementary school she and Caleb participated in the DFW Speech Club until PEACH offered a similar program.  This is the fourth year Abigail has participated, and completed all five required speeches.  

We have exceeded the graduation school requirements for public speaking but I feel it is a life skill she will use.  The things she learns here she can apply to those college interviews, job interviews, presenting papers in college, or teaching a Bible Class.  

So many lessons can be learned from how to write and prepare your thoughts.  The kids also have to sign a waiver that the material they are presenting is their work and not plagiarized from another source, it's a great lesson in honesty and integrity. The kids have also worked on tone an non-verbal cues.  Again, some times you can say all the right things but your facial expressions or tone are sending a different message.  

The girl still smiles though every speech, she's a happy child.  She probably talks with her hands way too much, but she inherited that from me.  But she has a wit and charm about her quirky self that I love to hear her stories. 

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.  Ephesians 4:25

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