Blogging About Making A Presentation To The School Board

Last week, I applied for a grant to attend the National Curriculum Conference in Philadelphia this summer.  If I get approved, there is the possibility that I will  come back and share what I learned with my colleagues. I have taught many workshops throughout my career, but a few really stick out in my memory.  

I remember one year I was asked to do a presentation for the local school board. On the particular night I was scheduled to present, the board room was packed because a lot of parents wanted to speak publicly about an issue. Since this happened about twenty years ago, I can't remember what the issue was. What I do remember is how hard I studied the material for my presentation. I practiced in front of the mirror for days beforehand trying to build my confidence up and to ensure that I was well versed on the subject matter. I wanted to be ready to address any questions  from the board or the audience once I got up there in front of everyone.

That night, I remember looking around and seeing  that the room was packed with people. There was not an empty chair to be seen and people lined the sides of the room. I  looked around and was terrified that I would get so nervous that I might throw up. What if I got up there and had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the presentation???

When it was my turn to present, I took a deep breath., and wondered what everyone would do if I just ran out of the room. It was overwhelming seeing all those people staring intently at me. I remember thinking that I could never be a preacher. My confidence built once  my presentation got underway. I thought to myself that I was really going to pull this off...until I saw a man in the front row tilting his head at a near ninety degree angle. I looked back at the screen where my overhead was projected to the room and saw that I had put it on upside down. In fact, the entire ten  overheads I had been talking about before that one had all been displayed upside down. I gasped in horror, fixed it, and continued with my presentation, trying to pretend that nothing happened.  When I finished, the superintendent and the board thanked me and I made my exit. 

I cried all the way home, berating myself for not having turned around to look at my overheads. The next day, who should come to see me but the Superintendent himself. He told me that what was important to him was that I was passionate about what I spoke about and that I had tried my best. He emphasized that we all learn through experience and that he wanted me to know that he was proud of me. My school system covered 800 square miles and had around 90 schools. He didn't have to make the effort to come and talk to me, but he did and it made such an impression on me.  If that man had asked me to run a 5k race that day,  I would have done it. I never forgot his kindness. 

Is there someone in your life that has made a big impression on you?