In a word...speechless!

Every so often during my working days, we would have a conference day. The agenda varied from working on curriculum, learning new programs, and/or gathering to listen to a guest speaker. Some days were good; some were bad...and some were unforgettable.

Unforgettable...that's what he was...

In 1976, we had a guest speaker whose name I do not remember. He spoke in a very high voice which he said was the result of the swine flu vaccination that he had gotten. That being said, the presentation began, and his speech would be forever remembered in my mind not because of the pitch of his voice and how he spoke...but by the content and practice exercises he shared with us.

There were probably 100 of us seated at tables of 8-10 in the auditorium of the high school. The topic must have had something to do with our 'reactions to bad behavior in school situations.' And the main idea was probably a "Pick your battles" plan. If we reacted to every single example of inappropriate behavior in the course of a day, there wouldn't be enough educating going on. [he said].

Take for example...bad language.

He told us that when we reacted to bad language in majorly punitive ways, that it actually gave more power to the word and the situation. He said, "Take for example, the word 'suck' as in 'That sucks!"

There was a measurable gasp from the audience. He certainly had everyone's attention after shouting that phrase out loud and clear[and in that high pitched voice!]. If people weren't paying attention, they were all certainly focused in that moment.

And then he said that if we 'de-sensitize' the word, that it would lose its power.

"Let's practice".

Going clockwise around the room, we were to stand up, one table at a time, and shout, "That sucks!!"
I was a relatively new teacher to the district, and I have to say that it was really amusing to some, horrifying to others, and gut wrenching to the administration that hired this man [I'm sure!]. To watch ten tables of [educated and professional] people get up -one table at a time-

and desensitize "That sucks" was certainly a kodak moment.

After the speech, everyone was already signed up for a couple of sessions to attend in classrooms throughout the building on a variety of topics. Lunch was served in the middle of the day in the cafeteria. And then, one more session.

And at the end of the day, I was in the speaker's last session in a classroom. Everyone must have looked like 'the light at the end of the work week' was in sight, and he asked if anyone would be upset if we veered off schedule and spent the last 45 minutes...square dancing.

Yep! Square dancing!

No one slept through that last instruction, for sure.

This post, in no way, is meant to condone the use of bad language.

But... in the spirit of this post, I found this clip-art that is certainly worth sharing. So, stand up at your computer, and shout....