For some students, it’s not all in the delivery, it’s also about the writing. “This class helps me a lot in my writing, in terms of learning to get my point across on paper, and not just babbling about something,” said Ryan Kizielewicz ’14. When former oratory teacher Alex Costello announced his retirement from Brooks last year, McVeigh immediately volunteered to teach the class. “I’m fascinated by oratory and public speaking. I used to drop by Costello’s class every once in a while and listen, and I really enjoy listening when people deliver a speech in Chapel,” said McVeigh, who also finds himself in a public speaking role as an assistant director of admission. “Teaching this class is giving me the chance to pursue something I’m passionate about.” An energetic teacher and speaker himself, McVeigh credits his early coaching with his own public speaking prowess. “I started coaching youth sports when I was in high school. Even with little kids, if you didn’t take command of the situation, the situation took control of you,” said McVeigh, who believes that public
speakers aren’t born, they’re made. He sees the class as a mix of positive reinforcement and constructive criticism. The latter can sometimes be a challenge. “The kids here don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, so sometimes it’s challenging for them to learn that criticism truly is helpful,” said McVeigh. “They’re learning that it’s OK to say ‘this is something that didn’t work for me.’ It’s helpful to their writing, and not a personal criticism of their thoughts or ability.” McVeigh, who has taught science in recent years, said oratory is a unique experience, both for himself and the students. “It’s a really fun class. The students are finding a totally different way to express themselves, using content they get to generate themselves [their speeches],” he said. “As a teacher, it’s amazing to watch how much work kids will put in when they choose what they’re talking about.” The students will give speeches at the end of the semester on a topic of their choosing, with the entire school invited to listen. By late October, they were already seeing the light at the end of the
Who was Fessenden Wilder? F. Fessenden Wilder was a senior master, coach, dorm parent and director of admission at Brooks from 1933 to 1972. He died in November 1995 in Essex, Mass. Todd and John Cobey founded the Wilder Speaking Prize to honor him and his efforts to create a special environment at Brooks. John tells a story about his brother’s admission to Brooks. Shortly after his admission interview, Todd received a letter from Wilder. “He told my brother, ‘We are absolutely filled, but we want you very much in our school. Even if we have to hang a hammock for you,’” recalls John. “You can imagine what that did for my brother’s confidence.” Long after the two boys graduated, Todd was attending a Brooks football game, and Wilder himself told Todd how much the prize meant to him. “I was still kind of in awe … I was still a student and he was still a master, even though I was well past graduation,” he said.
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tunnel, and possibly getting a bit nervous as their speech date approached. But knowing that half of anxiety is anticipation, McVeigh had them practicing in front of each other on a regular basis. “Certainly, a big goal is that I really want them to become confident in their ability to speak to groups of people. A second goal is to expose them to some great writing and thinking throughout history,” said McVeigh. “And I want them to walk out of here excited about doing more in the future. If they have a great experience, when they give the final speech, hopefully they’ll feel that they can’t wait for their next chance to do something like that again.”
Emotional Benefits to Students
Lucie Wise ’14 asked her mom what she thought about her speech topic. To her relief, her mom approved — she said not only should Lucie talk about being adopted, but she had to do it. “She said, ‘It’s going to be so amazing, and it’s really brave of you; it will be a good experience for you.’ She was really supportive.” It’s no big secret — Lucie, her family and all her friends know she’s adopted, but somehow it’s a little more intimidating to discuss it in such a public forum. “It’s one of the most important things about my life. A lot of people know, but they don’t know the details — they don’t know how I feel about it,” said Lucie. She first wanted to take the oratory class because she feels like she’s been “playing it safe for the past four years.” “I knew I would regret it if I didn’t; I know it’s going to help me so much.” And she’s already seen the results. “I definitely feel like I’m doing 100 percent better since
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