Posts tagged with 8.
What kids say can teach us about making school better
Last weekend I attended a public speaking contest at The Royal Canadian Legion. The annual contest is part of the Legion's Youth and Education program and is open to students in both elementary and high school.
There were 17 speakers at the Kitchener branch I attended. Topics included the evils of racism, the dangers of stereotyping, and why students should be offered electives starting in Grade 7, instead of waiting until high school.
I was there to watch my son David present his speech about making a difference. He had been practising at home so much during the weeks leading up to the competition, his 4-year-old brother had the first two minutes memorized.
"Hello judges, parents, teachers and fellow students. My name is David, and I'm here today to talk about..."
I was impressed by how poised all of the students were. A few were obviously nervous, but no one froze, and most seemed quite comfortable once they got going. It was a wonderful opportunity to hear some fresh perspectives on some old ideas, from some really young speakers.
The opening of one speech was startling.
Grade 7 student Kyle MacDonald walked up to the podium, paused, then, while holding up a picture of a blonde in a bikini, declared, "Blondes have more fun."
He then held up three more pictures, one at a time.
"All Italians are in the Mafia."
"All Muslims are terrorists."
"And all White people are snobs."
Yes, this 12-year-old's speech about the dangers of stereotypes went on to win him first prize in his grade category.
When I asked him afterwards what had inspired him to choose his topic, Kyle said he still remembered the pain of being picked on in school last year because he wore glasses and didn't wear brand-name clothing.
"I know how that affected me, being made fun of for not wearing the 'right' clothes. I wanted people to think about that - how wrong it is to pick on someone or make assumptions about them - just because of how they look. Or what they wear."
Or don't wear.
Barry Jacobs, who teaches Grade 8 at a school in Kitchener, says getting involved in public speaking events is a great way for kids to develop an important talent. And perhaps an opportunity to take a break from those other, more common, extracurricular activities?
"My wish as an educator would be that more families turn off the television, get off the Internet, and, on a regular basis, read together."
One of my favourite speeches, "Education Fitness," was given by Grade 8 student Daniel Moholia. He immigrated to Canada with his parents from Romania when he was eight years old. When I interviewed him afterwards, it became obvious that this 14-year-old has a lot of ideas about how we can improve Canada's educational system at the public school level.
Daniel said that, although the current educational system offers "order and opportunity, and an incredible chance to learn," for some students, school feels like a dictatorship.
"Although people learn from their mistakes, students in the younger grades don't get a chance to make those mistakes until high school.
Liberty is not liberty until people have the right to pilot their own lives from a younger age."
Daniel said students would find school much more interesting and challenging if given more choices. He believes students should be allowed to choose their electives at a much earlier age, and said that by forcing students to study subjects they have no interest in, we're simply wasting their time.
"Studying for a hated subject is so much harder than studying for a test in a pleasurable subject. It's harder to concentrate when you have no interest in or curiosity about the subject. Interest is important because curiosity can take you on a ride to discovery"
Daniel said students "with good ideas" shouldn't have to wait until they get to university before they get to do the really interesting stuff in chemistry.
"It's like holding back an agitated bottle of Pepsi.
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KATHY DOBSON 
