About E. Kinsky Expertise I would be happy to answer questions about teaching French to all levels of high school students. Also, I have taught 9th and 10th grade English, been the sponsor of French Club and the freshman class, and advised the yearbook staff. Yearbook production is probably my biggest area of expertise after 7 years of staff work and more than 5 years of advising. I work in a small, private school so I`ve been asked to keep many irons in the fire at one time!
Experience My two biggest passions, when it comes to work, are teaching French and Yearbook. I have also worked in public relations where I have enjoyed just about every aspect of publishing -- taking photos, designing spreads, brainstorming for theme ideas and spin-offs, and editing proofs, to name a few.
Educational background: BA-French, Business, Communications; MA- Mass Communications
Question Ok, this is going to be very dificult to explain so hopefully you can understand.
My name is Liz and I have gone to a private school for the past five years and this year they were unable to have a highschool. Due to this, the school homeschooled my best friend and I. We are having a graduation ceremony and we both have to present speeches at the ceremony. I have no teacher to help me out with my speech. I have no clue where to begin!!! Could you please help me?
Thank You.
Sincerely,
Liz
Answer Liz,
I'd be happy to help you. First of all, a good speech like a good English paper has one main topic, and usually three main points that support that topic with examples or stories that help explain your points. The best graduation speeches I've seen/heard by students also included props. Perhaps it's because I'm a more "visual person," but those speakers who used props are the ones I remember, and those props help me remember what their topic was. For example, there was a salutatorian who gave a speech about the special individual gifts within her class, and how God brought those individuals together to form a union that was stronger and more interesting than any one alone. She took a different shade of thread for each member of her graduating class and twisted or braided them together in little sections that she then taped to the bottom of each student's chair (before the speech -- so she then asked them to look under their chairs during her speech). So each student had a little section of about 34 shades of thread that he/she could take with him/her to remember. There was another boy who brought a large box with him on the stage -- I think it had a label on the side saying "My Life" or something like that. During his speech he would pull out various items that symbolized something important to him. He talked about how these things prepared him for his life to come. Some things were very practical, some were more figurative.
Here are a few things to think about when giving a speech:
-make good eye contact (in order to do this you need to know your speech VERY well)
-keep it short (don't fall into the trap of repeting yourself or rambling because you didn't plan well)
-look professional (be sure there's nothing about your appearance that would cause the listeners to be distracted from your message)
-be clear and organized (the three main points I mentioned earlier with one example for each point is a pretty tried and true method)
-project your voice (be sure you're not mumbling)
-cut out superfluous words like uh, um, well, ya know, etc.
-make sure any humor you include can be enjoyed by the majority of your listeners (keep out the private jokes and anything that might be offensive)
-be original (what makes your situation different from any other school? you might include specific memories from your school days that would be interesting to the other student, teachers and family members)
If you want to ask me anything else, feel free. You're welcome to send a draft of your speech to me to check if you'd like. Hope it goes well!
Mrs. Kinsky
