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Monday, April 27, 2009

Mama Braggin' Monday - Speech Meet

Mondays are the day of the week that I shamelessly brag on my kids here on the blog. So, join me if you like. I'd love to see what awesome things your kids are up to.

To see my original post about Mama Braggin' Monday, go here.



Close to Christmas break each year at my daughter's school, we begin getting information about the speech meet that comes up in January. Every child in 1st - 6th grade is expected to memorize a speech and deliver it in front of their classmates, teacher and two judges (parents).

Yes, it sounds a bit intimidating for some children, but it is really done well and with the intention of getting these children ready for public speaking later in their school careers and later in life.

There are different choices for each grade that are selected to be in line with a difficulty that the children can handle. In second grade, the choices are poetry, fable, or scripture (it's a private school obviously). This year, Sarah chose to memorize scripture and the one she chose was Psalm 100.




The day came and she was ready. We had worked on standing still, on voice inflection, on pronunciation and enunciation. She did awesome! In fact, she got the top score in her class for Scripture Memorization, which meant that she would advance to the district meet in March.

To prepare for the district meet, some of the teachers met with the children after school on Wednesdays for a month to let them practice and to coach them on their speeches.

Then came the big day. I rearranged my work schedule so that I could go with her and I'm so glad I did.

After everyone was finished they called all the children up for each grade level in each event and awarded ribbons for "good," "excellent," or "superior." Sarah got a Superior rating and began comparing ribbons with the girl she was standing next to.



Then, out of those who got a Superior rating, they announced the top three scores and awarded bronze, silver, and gold medals. My girl won the bronze.




She was so surprised and excited. And yet, was such a sweet and good sport as she cheered on and encouraged her other friends that may not have scored as well.

And while I was proud of her performance and happy that she was rewarded for something that comes so naturally to her as getting up and giving an animated speech, that's not what I'm most proud of. I think I can honestly say that I am most proud of her memorization of God's Word and how she treated and tried to encourage her friends during the awards.



So here's your chance. Brag away, friends. Our kids need to be bragged on every once in a while. Try to mention Mama Braggin' Mondays on your blog if you get a chance to spread the word.

If you need help in what to do with this Mr. Linky thing, then please click here.

On your mark, get set, GO!

2 Comments:

Melinda said...

She's adorable and did a great job! What to go Sarah...and way to go, Mom!

XO Melinda

KindaSassyCourtney said...

I think you have every reason for being proud of your little girl... congratulations Sarah.