S
ome kids think standing up in
front of the class is a cinch.
However, for many others,
speaking in front of a room full of peers
is worse than getting a tooth pulled with-
out Novocaine.
According to an article written by
Dr. Louise Katz, with the University of
Tennessee at Martin’s Counseling and
Career Services, “The most common
form of social phobia is public speak-
ing anxiety. In addition to the emotion-
al aspects of public speaking anxiety,
there are often physical symptoms as
well. These symptoms include trembling
or shaking, cold clammy hands, shaky
voice, rapid heartbeat, sweating, blush-
ing, dizziness, shortness of breath, di-
gestive discomfort, or forgetting some-
thing you know or were about to say. In
some cases, a person may experience a
panic attack.”
Children who experience these types
of symptoms may flat out refuse to get up
in front of the class. However, as a stu-
dent moves on to middle school and high
ers do the talking. Public speaking is a
skill that can be learned and perfected
over time, and in a way that won’t con-
jure unnecessary stress.
— by Myrna Beth Haskell
The First Experience
Like any other fear, the longer one
holds onto it, the more severe it gets.
Both parents and teachers should en-
courage kids to get up in front of groups
as early as possible. “Show and tell” or
“sharing time” in preschool is usually a
child’s first public speaking experience.
A first experience needs to be a positive
one, so adults should make it as fun and
light-hearted as possible in order to give
the child a feel-good first try. Preschool
and primary teachers should make a shar-
ing assignment fun and should encourage
the audience to participate. This takes the
pressure off of the child who is present-
ing. Students who are extremely fearful
might be encouraged to get up with a best
buddy the first time around. They can also
be allowed to present from their desk,
which is sometimes less stressful than
standing up in front of the entire group.
Time to Stand Up
and Say… Yikes!
When Your Child Fears
Public Speaking
school, oral presentations are often re-
quired. Worse yet, a fear of public speak-
ing can be carried into adulthood if a child
doesn’t learn to face his fear early on.
There is hope for those who prefer
to sit at the back of the room and let oth-
e lMwood f ranklin S chool
Meet the Head: Andrew D. Deyell
Andrew Deyell joined Elmwood
Franklin School in 2014 as the Head of
School. A native of Buffalo, he came
to EFS as an experienced educator and
administrator, having worked
for nearly two decades in the
Washington, DC area.
“It’s never about knowing
everything. As prepared as I
am for this job, I’m learning
something new every day, and
that’s how it should be.”
Andy Deyell appreciates
that a school is a place of learn-
40 WNY Family December 2018
ing—and not just for
students. Ideally, he
believes,
everyone
learns from each other,
and understanding
grows and blossoms
like a living thing.
Thus, he leads a school
community in which
families, students, and
teachers share ideas,
value differences, and
work in partnership.
“It’s important to me that the
students know who I am and I know
who they are. They need to know—
‘That’s the Head of School,
and he cares about me.’”
Andy sees learning as a
journey, not a destination,
and children and adoles-
cents as unfinished prod-
ucts. He is careful to not
fall into the trap of defin-
ing who kids are, because
as individuals, they are still
growing and changing. From his experi-
ence in the classroom, he has learned
educators should never use the terms
“can’t” and “won’t” when talking about
a student unless they are followed by the
word “yet.”
Andy holds a B.A. from LeMoyne
College, an M.A. from The George
Washington University, and an M.Ed.
in Private School Leadership from the
Klingenstein Center at Teacher’s College,
a part of Columbia University.
104 New Amsterdam Avenue
Buffalo, New York 14216
716-877-5035
www.elmwoodfranklin.org
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