Taking Toastmasters To The Classroom

By Author: Charles P. Howes
Total Articles: 2
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Using Toastmaster training in the classroom
Due to a series of corporate buy-outs and a coup de grace corporate merger, I recently found myself scanning the classifieds for a new employment opportunity. With the economy sagging, and world events seemingly gone haywire, I decided that it might be a good time to re-evaluate my values and goals before jumping back into the corporate world. I sat down and began thinking about what I really wanted to do with the rest of my life. I had always had this dream of being a public speaker, I mean, that's why I joined Toastmasters and worked my way through the CTM course. That's what I'd really like to do, but where does one go to get started? As I scanned the classifieds I saw an advertisement that read: Substitute Teachers Wanted. Hey, I thought, I may not be a certified teacher, but I do have a bachelor's degree, and I do have my Toastmaster's training. I signed up for a three-day seminar with the Department of Public Instruction for substitute teachers, paid to have a background check, registered with a school district in my area and, in just three weeks, I was assigned ...
... to my first substitute teaching experience. As with any new position, my first day was filled with apprehension. I decided that, to cover for my lack of real classroom experience, I would strictly follow the teachings of my Toastmasters Club. I arrived at the classroom early to check out the tools I would be using, such as the overhead projector and audiovisual equipment, and to quickly study the lesson plan for the day. Several minutes before the bell rang for class to begin, I positioned myself outside the door to the classroom. I made it a point to greet each student at the door as they entered. Toastmaster's teaches us that this is the mark of a professional, and it helps relax the students when they see that they are going to be interacting with an unfamiliar but friendly face in the classroom. Also, I wanted to make that personal connection with a few of the students before class. The group psyche is impressed when you can call on a few students by name to help with classroom chores and routines. When the bell rang for class to begin, I consciously said to myself, It's Showtime, and your paying audience awaits! I put a lot of energy into my walk from the classroom entrance to the lectern, heightening the pace of my step, using hand gestures as I followed the first step in the golden rule of our Toastmasters Club: Tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them. Following this technique solidifies the interest of the class and helps dispel the notion of those few students who think that this is going to be an easy day because they have a substitute. As a substitute you don't get a lot of time to prepare. Usually you don't know until the morning of the assignment what subject you'll be teaching, what grade you'll be teaching, or even where you'll be teaching. This is where my training in Table Topics came in handy. Table Topics teaches us to think on our feet, to subtly move the subject matter from the unfamiliar to the familiar. I was once assigned to teach a high school level Communication Arts class that was studying the poetry of Hilda Doolittle. I admit that my knowledge of her work was scant at best, but I did know that she was an Imagist Poet, and that the father of the 1920's Imagist Movement in poetry was Ezra Pound, an American Poet later convicted of treason. I also had some knowledge of an American writer from the 1960's named Howard Fast who postulated a theory of the Filmic Quality of Literature, an evolutionary product of the imagist movement. Throw all of this into the cornucopia of the classroom and you emerge with an understanding of the importance of the image in Doolittle's work, where she learned the technique, how poetry relates to the modern music video, and the trials and tribulations of Ezra Pound, Jane Fonda, and John Walker. The discussion was wide-eyed and lively, one question after another, active teacher-to-student and student-to-student discussion, all within the grasp of this high school level class, and all within the guidelines of the regular teacher's written lesson plan! Pure Socratic teaching methodology at its best, in which the substitute teacher takes away from the class as much, if not more, knowledge than was brought into it. Our Toastmaster Club stresses the importance of getting to know your audience. This is pretty easy when substitute teaching because the assignment tells you the educational level and general interest of the audience. You certainly would not present to the 6th grade the same way you would to a high school class. But, because you know the level at which you are expected to teach, you can quickly modify your message and present using the same techniques. You will want to use all the tricks-of-the-trade that you learned in Toastmasters to enhance your classroom experience. Vocal inflection, hand gestures, moving away from the lectern, are all techniques that work well in a classroom setting. I've also found that occasionally invading the student's comfort space, without being intrusive, helps to enforce discipline and maintain interest, a critical challenge for the substitute teacher. The most important thing any Toastmaster will learn from substitute teaching is how to read an audience. Believe me, middle and high school students will let you know in a heartbeat whether or not you have commanded their attention. Middle school students are naturally interested in the personal life of any new substitute teacher. I usually end the last homeroom period of the day by tossing around a nerf-ball for a few minutes. When the student catches the ball I get to ask a question about the day's lesson. If the question is answered correctly, they get to ask me any question they like. Usually you get questions like, Where are you from? What do you do for a living when you are not teaching? Do you have any children?, or, occasionally, How old are you? It's a fun game and it lets the students get to know you, but I generally keep my answers to those given in my Ice Breaker speech. The term substitute teacher is somewhat of a misnomer. There simply is no substitute for a well-qualified teacher in the classroom. However, teachers, like the rest of us, get ill, need a day off for personal business, or need to attend a seminar or conference. That leaves the school administration with the need to find a suitable replacement. Every state has different requirements for substitutes. Many states require a teacher's certification. Some states will issue a temporary license if you have a bachelor's degree. Still other states will allow you to sub with a two-year degree or, in some areas, with a high school degree if you obtain special training from the school district. Check into the requirements for your state and your school district. You may find that you qualify already, or that you need only an addition college level class or two. In any event, you may find that substitute teaching, and the chance to put your Toastmasters training to use, can be a rewarding experience. About the Author Charles P. Howes is an Industrial Safety & Security Professional, Freelance Technical Writer, and Corporate Trainer. He lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and can be reached at www.charleshowes.com, or by telephone at 920-432-7334.