25 Last Public Speaking Class

Today I listened to one informative and twenty-one persuasive speeches and put paid to three decades of teaching public speaking.

As I was collecting self-addressed-stamped envelopes so I could send them their graded outlines by snail-mail, a saw a couple of the women with their hands on the cabinet in the back of RDM 306.  They were laughing and saying, "Next we want to . . .".  Big smiles stretched across their faces.  I thought they might be up to something sentimental so, with my understanding of how scenes from life's theatre need to flow, said, "No, we need to get the business done first."  Then I went to the RDM office and got their going-away tchotchkes .   As I've done for many years, I handed out the key rings I've used to mark the last day of class, the ones that say, "I survived Public Speaking with Karen Huck."  As I gave these away, moving from the back to the front of the classroom, I overheard one student say, "Oh,  I've heard about these!"

When I arrived at the front of the classroom I saw a beautiful cake sitting on a small table.  That's what they'd been going for in the cabinet.   One young woman, an ex-sailer named Michele, said that folks had chipped to purchase me the cake because they were my last speech class and to celebrate my retirement.  They'd also purchased cupcakes decorated in the same fashion for everyone in class. 

The tie-dye icing was selected because I am so "colorful."

I will be delighted by the beauty of the cake until it's eaten up but warmed by their thoughtfulness for years to come. 

The speeches topics I heard today, my very last set of speeches, were:

Make-up informative:
Why Prescription Drugs are So Expensive

Persuasive Speeches:
Try Dry Needling to Relieve Pain and Stress
The Importance of Smoke Detectors
 We Should Support Military Canines
Give Blood
The Children of the Affluent Grow Up Weak (Don't Give Your Kids Money)
Support Programs for Celiac Disease Awareness
People With Tattoos Should Not Be Discriminated Against in the Workplace
Prevent the Use of Biosolids on Farms and Ranches
Lack of Physical Activity in America
Programs Should Be Established to Teach Teenagers about Suicide
Weight Training is for Everyone
Poverty is a Problem in Central Oregon
Support Local Farmers by Eating Local Food
Be a Responsible Pet Owner by Spaying and Neutering
Try Chiropractic for Lower Back Pain
Eating Fat Does Not Make You Fat
Why Obamacare is Bad for the Young, the Old, and Small Business
Get Rid of the Electoral College
Legalize Marijuana
Get Rid of Studded Tires.