Several years ago, the speech credit requirement for Tupelo High School was discontinued. The requirement obligated students to take a type of speech class, such as Oral Communications or Debate, to graduate. Many former students rejoiced when the rule was terminated, but I’m not so sure the current students should be pleased.

Everyone has seen it: a student gets up to present a project in front of the class and it is less than satisfactory. They mumble. They stare at their shoes. They have in no way prepared what they should say. It’s a struggle for the students to get their information across. Both the speaker and the audience become embarrassed. It is not always in front of a large group that these students labor to speak their mind, either. We all know that teenager who regularly battles to speak to any adult or authority figure in any given situation.

It’s not necessarily the student’s fault that they struggle, however. Very rarely does someone go out of their way to teach others the correct etiquette of speech. Not everyone is born with the innate ease with which some people are able to state their thoughts.

Considering both the immediate and future public speaking obligations students must face as they transition into adulthood, students would definitely benefit from taking a speech class. The Culmination Project is required to graduate THS. Two major grades in the projects are given when a group speaks in front of both their classmates and then their grade. It is imperative that students become superb speakers in order to do well, which a speech credit could help facilitate. Likewise, public speaking skills are necessary to advance in any career, no matter the area of study. Poor speaking skills are often misunderstood to mean poor work ethic and low intelligence as well.

Students often don’t realize what a benefit a speech course would be for their school work nor how much it pertains to their future. With the speech credit requirement restored, students would develop the necessary skills they need to pursue their future before they even realize how much they’re needed.