A great fear many people have is speaking before a group or audience.
Theresa Casper, speech teacher at Fort Supply School, is helping her students conquer this fear and in the process many of them are beginning to enjoy public speaking.
The speech class was started this year to provide students with one unit of art credit they need to graduate. The requirements were set by the State Board of Education for students who entered the ninth grade in the 2006-07 school year.
“It’s one of the most important classes they will take. Being able to speak with conviction and make yourself understood will help the students be successful in life,” Casper said. “Speech is a lot like English. You have a thesis statement, topic sentences and a conclusion. But students must also have all the details to back it up and defend what they are saying.”
Nine seniors are enrolled in the class.
“At first only two or three wanted to be taking the class, many of the students would rather be in Ag (agricultural education),” Casper said.
But the kids who would rather be learning about crops and livestock soon began to appreciate what the class had to offer.
In the beginning of the year students chose works of famous writers to present. “Students chose some poetry by Shel Silverstein, Dr. Suess and some of the guys got into heavy things from Edgar Allan Poe,” Casper said.
Casper said the overall confidence of the class was raised after students debuted some of their own writing during the Veterans Day assembly at the school.
Casper said next year she wants speech offered as an elective to all students at the high school.
“What students learn in speech will be helpful to them in all their class work, future jobs, in college and in their future endeavors,” she said.
Casper hopes after completing the class, students will feel more at ease speaking at engagements in the future or completing writing assignments in college.
