Chairperson

Chairperson

by Cleve

School is as much about providing a place of safety to test skills and opinions as it is a place to book learn. It is difficult to zero in on eureka moments of most of the classes attended in high school and college, but there are two such moments that loom large in my high school days which gave impetus to the direction of the rest of my life.

In my junior year speech was offered as a substitute for the normal third year of English. There was room in my schedule so I signed up for both. Speech, I assumed was a crip course that would be both easy and fun. The teacher was likable, got good references from all my older friends, and the class would primarily be filled with people I had known since first grade. What could be easier as I strategized the easiest path to graduation so I could get on with the rest of my life.

Little did I know that planning and giving a speech was far different than joining in a conversation with friends or defending an idea with those friends. Our first speech assignment was to give a five minute speech on who we were and to tell the class something about ourselves.

I stood before the class, before classmates known for most of my life, started talking, and got a big case of stage fright. How much was visible to the class, I don't know. But my hand holding my note cards was trembling, and my knees were literally knocking. Who knew that was a real thing? I rushed through my presentation, uncomfortable and anxious to be done with it.

Later, thinking through the exercise, I realized that I was angry at myself for having such a reaction to giving a simple speech, and I resolved that it would never happen again. From that point forward I sought opportunities to speak, overcame all reticence to public speaking, and in doing so over the years found speaking and speech writing skills advantageous to my career and to my life. Speech class became both easy and fun, as I had originally envisioned it.

The other career forming experience happened entirely by accident. An advanced math class had been announced and I signed up for it as an elective. The vice principal called me to her office and told me that the class was being canceled because I was the only student who had signed up for the class.

The rest of my schedule was already locked in, and I needed another class to fill that space on my schedule. There was only one class available for that period. The home economics teacher was teaching "Home and Family Living" for the first time to a mixed class of boys and girls.

I remember almost nothing of the subject matter, but I remember everything about the teaching method. One after the other the teacher set up subject matter panels of a panel chairperson and four panel members. The panel would then, under the guidance of the chairperson, present the subject matter to the rest of the class, take questions from the class and sometimes the teacher, and later find some of the material covered on written tests.

I learned that most of my classmates would actively dodge being named the panel chairperson, but more importantly I learned that I liked being the chairperson responsible for fielding the questions and directing those questions to individual panel members, and summarizing the panel's comments at the end of the session.

My Home and Family Living teacher introduced me to the mechanics of panel discussions, and gave me the opportunity to assume leadership roles on those panels. I was happy to assume that role, and my classmates were happy to have me do so. That experience provided the basis of a successful career long participation on panels, committees, work groups, work projects, and staff management.

Many times over the years I have identified that Home and Family Living class as the most important class I took in high school. My speech class ranks a close second.