Last week my students presented what they had learned about Guatemala to three different groups of classes at my school. It was part of the now annual Celebration of Learning. Although it started out as a way to highlight the Latin American holiday of Carnaval it has taken on a life of its own. We now share what we’re learning about the different Latin American countries that we study, whether or not it’s to highlight that country’s particular customs around Carnaval time. Although my students’ presentations were far from polished and they had been nervous while presenting, they felt they had done an awesome job . At the end of the day, I asked the children what they could improve on for the next time they had to give a presentation in front of a group. In a nutshell, this is what they said:

–Even though I was nervous I pretended there was only one person in the room and that I was just talking to that person.
–I just told myself that this was only for a few minutes and that I could do it for that long.
–I think I need to practice speaking in front of a large group.

Next week I am presenting at our local Teacher’s Convention and I will most definitely remember my students’ words of wisdom.