I still haven't gotten the grade on it.
Sep. 25th, 2006 06:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jedusorI haven't posted about this yet because I don't want you all to think I'm a complete idiot, but hey, I can laugh at myself.
My first speech was a week ago. The assignment was to write about three related things that happened on the date of my birthday (July 15th) of any year. I trawled through pages and pages of wars and French holidays in search of something that wouldn't bore the class. Finally, I found it: suicide. Yuck, I know, but I didn't have much of a choice. Lots of interesting things happened on my birthday, but none of them seem to be related.
Before I continue, I should tell you something: I hate conclusions, so I usually do them last. This assignment was no different: I had dashed off a quick (but decent) conclusion ten minutes before class. This fact will become important in a moment.
I was scheduled to be first up, but someone else stood up before I did. I ended up being third. I handed my outline in to the teacher, walked up to the podium, and delivered the speech. Most of it was unremarkable- I was talking a bit fast, but I'd expected that. The third suicide I described was that of Christine Chubbock, a Florida news anchorwoman who finished up her news report, pulled out a gun, and shot herself on air.
The class definitely responded to that. People sat up straighter, mouths dropped, there were a few "oh my god"s. Proud that I'd reached them, I looked back down at my paper to read the conclusion... and it wasn't there. I'd typed it directly into the outline, because she wanted the introductions and conclusions typed out, and I'd forgotten to copy it into my notes.
I panicked for a moment, then said, "Oh, crap," and ran over to the teacher, aware that my seconds (of which I had only 210 for my whole speech) were ticking away. "Can I have my outline back?" I whispered frantically. She nodded, confused, and handed it to me. I ran back to the front of the room and read the conclusion from the outline. I finished within the time limits, but I knew that little fuckup was going to cost me points.
As I sat down, I noticed that several people, including the teacher, were visibly shaken. Huh? All I did was screw up my conclusion. It wasn't that terrible. Then the teacher said weakly, "I thought that was part of the speech. I thought you were about to grab a gun and shoot yourself." The girl behind me nodded. Almost everyone had thought the same thing.
A few class periods before, the teacher had told us to write down the thing we were most nervous about regarding the first speech. I had said that I was worried I would bore people. Somehow, I don't think that was an issue.
My first speech was a week ago. The assignment was to write about three related things that happened on the date of my birthday (July 15th) of any year. I trawled through pages and pages of wars and French holidays in search of something that wouldn't bore the class. Finally, I found it: suicide. Yuck, I know, but I didn't have much of a choice. Lots of interesting things happened on my birthday, but none of them seem to be related.
Before I continue, I should tell you something: I hate conclusions, so I usually do them last. This assignment was no different: I had dashed off a quick (but decent) conclusion ten minutes before class. This fact will become important in a moment.
I was scheduled to be first up, but someone else stood up before I did. I ended up being third. I handed my outline in to the teacher, walked up to the podium, and delivered the speech. Most of it was unremarkable- I was talking a bit fast, but I'd expected that. The third suicide I described was that of Christine Chubbock, a Florida news anchorwoman who finished up her news report, pulled out a gun, and shot herself on air.
The class definitely responded to that. People sat up straighter, mouths dropped, there were a few "oh my god"s. Proud that I'd reached them, I looked back down at my paper to read the conclusion... and it wasn't there. I'd typed it directly into the outline, because she wanted the introductions and conclusions typed out, and I'd forgotten to copy it into my notes.
I panicked for a moment, then said, "Oh, crap," and ran over to the teacher, aware that my seconds (of which I had only 210 for my whole speech) were ticking away. "Can I have my outline back?" I whispered frantically. She nodded, confused, and handed it to me. I ran back to the front of the room and read the conclusion from the outline. I finished within the time limits, but I knew that little fuckup was going to cost me points.
As I sat down, I noticed that several people, including the teacher, were visibly shaken. Huh? All I did was screw up my conclusion. It wasn't that terrible. Then the teacher said weakly, "I thought that was part of the speech. I thought you were about to grab a gun and shoot yourself." The girl behind me nodded. Almost everyone had thought the same thing.
A few class periods before, the teacher had told us to write down the thing we were most nervous about regarding the first speech. I had said that I was worried I would bore people. Somehow, I don't think that was an issue.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-09-26 01:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-26 01:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-26 04:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-26 05:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-26 04:54 pm (UTC)what was your conclusion?
Its too bad we never came up with a third book for you - i think that would have a been a really neat project, too.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-26 09:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-26 06:16 pm (UTC)and wow again!
Reminds me of when I wrote a poem about a kid in our school who had recently killed himself; two days later I found myself in the Guidance Counselor's office being asked why I was suicidal.
"Teenage suicide-- don't do it!" --Big Fun
no subject
Date: 2006-09-26 09:22 pm (UTC)The first words out of his mouth the first time he saw me after the incident were, "Oh, I have SO got your ass beat."