final response

When signing up for public speaking, I was quit skeptical as to if I was going to enjoy it. There was nothing more I disliked doing than speaking in front of people. Especially people I have never been in a class with. Five short month later,  I can say that taking this class was one of the best classes I have taken at Cheshire Academy and gained many public speaking skills and no longer have as much of a fear of speaking in front of people.

From the very first paper I presented to the class,  I was shaking, nervous, could not make eye contact, and had a very hard time following what I was reading due to being so nervous. The last paper I presented to the class I was able to deliver it with confidence, make eye contact, and be comfortable with what I was reading to my class.  Not only was presenting my paper a problem I had to work on, but also being able to get more than one minute out of the task/topic we were assigned. For example, we had to present a ted talk that had to be at least three minutes long; and I failed to do that due to not being able to talk about a topic for that long because I would not know how to present the information that was found. For the final exam I turned my topic about the incarceration rate   in America due to having too much information. To some this might not be such an accomplishment, but to me this was huge. I went from not having enough to talk about, to too much to want to discuss.

 This was not done over night. With every paper I wrote, and presented I got better and better. I am not saying that I am a pro at delivering speeches now. But having started with barely being able to read what I wrote to the class, to then being able to confidently present what I wrote was a huge accomplishment. This I would not have been able to do if it was not for me taking public speaking. 

Thanks to Mrs. Guarino,  and her patients with me I was able to gain many valuable skills and lessons that will not only help me in college. But also in the work field when I one day get a job.