Gladly Would I Teach

My students have been delivering speeches for the last two days, and so far I am really impressed at their research and their ability to convey what they have learned. Although a few students have been nervous, most students have been well-prepared, interesting, and poised.

Students had to select their own topics (with my approval), research the topic, and then prepare a 5-minute speech. As always, the topics are extremely varied and run the gamut from very serious and scholarly to humorous. Here’s the list of speeches I have watched during the first two days.

Roberto Goizueta’s Influence on Coca-Cola

Functional Training (Cross-Fit)

History of Pointe Shoes (Ballet)

Vitamin D Deficiency

The Perks of Working at Google

Super Foods

Cap and Trade

History of Pi

History of Deodorant

Utilidors at Disney World

Witricity

Mercury 13 (Female Astronauts in the early 1960s)

Avatar Cinematography

Childhood Vaccinations

Dream Interpretation

FIFA

Reactive Attachment Disorder in Adopted Children

For years, I have required hundreds of students to give these short speeches on topics of their choice. As a result, I know a couple of minutes of information on a plethora of topics. In other words, I know just enough to be dangerous.

Did you know that because we rarely go outside without sunscreen, a high percentage of Americans today suffer from problems that are a result of insufficient Vitamin D? Such deficiencies could be corrected if we received only 20 minutes of sunshine three times each week.

Did you know that the concept of Pi first appeared in the bible or that there are contests where individuals memorize thousands of digits of pi: 3.14159265 (plus thousands of additional digits)?

Did you know that acres of tunnels run underneath Disney World in order to provide  waste removal, vendor deliveries, and dressing areas for characters?

Did you know that we are rapidly approaching the point where electricity will be broadcast in a room (or house,  or building, or maybe even a city) and objects will operate without having to be plugged into an electrical outlet?

Did you know that in the early 1960s 14 women were put through the same tests as the Mercury 7 astronauts to see if they were competent to become astronauts? And that they performed as well or better than men on most tests?

Did you know that I listened to an excellent speech on cap and trade, but I still don’t understand exactly what it is or why anyone would believe we should implement such a policy?

I love speeches because students teach me things I need to know!