Public speaking at first grade: Local Christian school places priority on speech class

Clad in a plastic tiara, first-grader Karsynne McAlister went up in front of her class at Cape Christian School. She faced a panel of two adult judges and her teacher, Debbie Williams, as her back was to her fellow students.

“You’re going to be nervous, but that’s the whole thing — to get over it,” speech and drama teacher Terry Maire said. “You have to do it a lot in life.”

Karsynne was more confident than her classmates who recited Bible verses, ancient names and verbiage uncomfortable for young speakers.

She had a monologue to deliver, and she knew it was funny. She rattled off the paragraph about a princess arguing with the king about her princess duties. The line about almost puking on her pretty slippers when her dancing partner mentioned eating worms elicited hearty laughs from her classmates.

Fourth-graders Bailey Crass and Alyssa Dailey had a monologue of their own.

They dressed in colorful robes and scarves to mimic the style of ancient Israelites. In front of their classmates, fanned out in a semi-circle around them, Bailey and Alyssa took turns speaking and miming the actions described by the narrator.

With two more years of practice than Karsynne, Bailey and Alyssa knew when to pause to let the jokes of the Biblical story of Ruth and Naomi land. They were adept at adding inflection in their speech for emotion or to stress an important plot point.

Maire and principal Jalon Lies said their school’s mandate for public speaking, starting at first grade, is unusual. They said it’s not the most popular piece of curriculum, with some parents complaining they have to take the time to pick out a monologue or Bible verse for their student.

“The kids hate it and love it at the same time,” Maire said, “But they are really proud of themselves.”

Students have gained confidence from public speaking, and that confidence was evident in science projects and other pieces of classroom learning, Lies said.

Cape Christian students are more likely to take on leadership positions in high school and college because of the emphasis on public speaking at young ages, Lies said.

Maire and Lies gave the example of Cape Girardeau Central High School student Clayton Diamond who recently won Future Business Leaders of America and DECA awards.

“I think everything we do here gives confidence to students in different ways,” Lies said.

In a list of fears compiled by Chapman University, public speaking was cited by about 26 percent of the 1,511 people polled. It ranked behind a fear of the collapse of the electrical grid, just before theft of property and well ahead of murder by a stranger.

The judges are grading students for potential competitions — with areas of evaluation that include tempo, blocking, energy level and diction.

Teachers are grading students on a softer scale. Fourth-grade teacher Ellie Hight said she takes into account the nervousness of students. She’s grading whether students took the assignment seriously and not necessarily whether they stumbled over words or names.

“I know them, and I have my expectations,” Hight said.

Maire said training students to speak publicly can be like teaching a second language in that students are more likely to adhere to good habits and avoid bad habits in learning when they are younger.

“Every child has gifts inside of them,” Maire said. “You give them opportunities to highlight those gifts.”

bkleine@semissourian.com

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