Let your children speak     042

Perhaps one of the most amazing things I see in education is how parents and their children act in an interview situation, that is, in speaking with me. Now all parents would readily acknowledge the importance of their children developing personal confidence, presentation and other interview skills. Indeed within the school curriculum public speaking is becoming more important than ever. It is quite usual for Year 12 students, for example, as part of their HSC assessment, to stand up and give a speech, sometimes to the class, and sometimes to only two teachers sitting at a desk.

Just in one week two interview situations occurred which reminded me of the important influence parents can have here. The first situation occurred when a mother and her son, in senior high school, came to the office to meet me. I asked about the subjects which the boy was studying at school, as I usually do. Then he started to tell me, but his mother jumped in, cut him off, and recited the list of subjects herself. How disappointing.

Then, just two days later, came a knock at my office door. It was a mother and her daughter, who seemed to be of primary school age. They were ‘raising money’ by offering for sale some biscuit-like things, at $4 and some cake-like things, at $5. Naturally I asked what the money was for, and right here something very good happened. The mother glanced at her daughter, who then spoke up quite clearly and explained why she needed the money. What a refreshing change, and I might add that this occurred on the afternoon of the very last day of school term, a further demonstration of character. Now which of the two students do you think has been advantaged?

I am also reminded of one day at Rose Bay, the largest bay in Sydney Harbour. On that pleasant morning, some six or seven years ago, a large car stopped and some children and a parent unloaded what seemed to be a pile of furniture. Though thinking it a little unusual I paid no attention at the time, but later, when I passed by the spot, there was an old-fashioned lemonade stand, manned by two children, complete with lemonade—that’s real lemonade made with lemons—cups, and a sign, very obviously made by the children. Of course the mother would have been nearby but I was struck by such an old fashioned activity in our present fast moving cyber age, and the effort made by the parent.

Now parents, while there is no need to rush about setting up lemonade stands, there is a need for you to allow and encourage your child to speak when an opportunity presents itself. And there are so many opportunities day by day—just in going shopping, for example, there’s always a chance for conversation. Let your child speak up at the service station, and say that there is one coffee, one orange drink and two sandwiches to be paid for. This takes no extra time—it just needs you to care a little bit more, and take the small action of saying something. It’s a free English lesson.

All content copyright—Mark Thackray—Australian Educational Services