Lessons Learned From Middle School Part One
This writing is a little different than past articles hosted by the
Sutton Law Office. Today I plan to recap
my recent adventures into Metro-Atlanta area middle schools and what I think we
can learn from those experiences, especially relating to public speaking.
On September 17th, I was the guest speaker at McNair Middle
School’s Constitution Day celebration.
It was an honor to be involved and doubly so to be the keynote presenter
for the event. I wanted to discuss the
significance of the U.S. Constitution in a manner that was interesting to
thirteen year olds while not talking over their heads or talking down to them. It
was a difficult balance, but overall I say the presentation was a success.
There were about 150 students in the audience from twelve years old to
fourteen. As I stood back and observed
the crowed, I saw a typical division of kids that age. There was a small group of students who were
completely engaged in the event. They
sat near the front and seemed to hang on every word spoken by the
presenter. There was a small group of
students who were not interested in the event at all. These students needed the most supervision by
the teachers. The majority of the
students fell in the middle. They showed
some interest in the event, but their attention could wane easily, especially
without direct observation by adults.
This breakdown of the audience was certainly not abnormal. It can be
seen in almost any group in elementary school, in law school, and even in a
jury pool.
On September 25th I
participated in the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce’s Teacher for a Day program. This program paired a business leader with a
local school and gave him, or her, the opportunity to shadow a teacher for a
day. I was paired with science teacher,
and teacher of the year award winner, James Hawlk at Danielle Middle School. Rather than just shadow him for the day, Mr.
Hawlk encouraged me to interact with each of his classes. He allowed me to give a presentation to each
class on the use of the scientific method in the practice of law, its use in
other professions, and its use in everyday life. The day was very different from McNair’s
Constitution Day celebration in many respects. For example, rather than
addressing a gathering of about 150 students, I spoke with five classes of
about 20 to 25 students each. This was
quite a different dynamic compared to the larger setting and required a
different type of preparation. However,
there were also similarities between the two experiences. Foremost, even though I was dealing with a
smaller group of students per sitting, I saw a very similar division of
students who were completely interested, students who were not interested, and
students who fell in the middle.
The primary goal as a speaker was to gain and hold as much of the
attention of as many of the students as possible while being as educational as
possible. Sub-parts of this goal include
pulling the interests of all three groups and, at the very least, not agitating
or completely losing any group. Some
people say that a better approach is to focus only on that large group in the
middle. They suggest that the small
group already engaged does not need the attention, and that attention directed
towards the small uninterested group is wasted. I disagree. People can, and sometimes do move
within the three groups. This is
especially true for kids. Students, and people in general, who begin very
interested and engaged can be lost if no attention is given to them at all. As for the kids who are not initially
interested in being involved, you never know what could make the proverbial
light bulb flash on. You never know what will invoke the realization that “I
get it” or “I want to know more”. It
could be a single idea or sentence. That
opportunity alone is worth some attention.
While standing before the students, at both events, staring at eyes
that ranged from attentive and excited to glossy and bored, I realized that
this is a very difficult situation teachers face every day. The simple question of “How can I engage
everyone?” does not have a very good answer.
At both events I met some outstanding teachers and school professionals
who use all sorts of creative ways to grab student’s interest and educate them.
However, the struggle remains and is not just
limited to middle school. Any speaker that addresses a crowd knows this
struggle. Any attorney that addresses a
jury knows it. Any person that addresses
a board of directors, supervisors, or subordinates knows it.
While I do not believe there is a single great answer to the question
of how to engage everyone, my experiences at both middle schools lead me to
believe there are some basic tools that anyone can use to better connect with
an audience. In part two, we will
discuss these tools, how they worked in a middle school environment, and how
they can be used by anyone.
Adam M. Sutton, Esq.
