My involvement in volunteering at the middle school is unfortunately coming to an end. Through my introduction to education class I was able to volunteer and work with middle school faculty and students. The tutoring and teacher assisting I was part of gave me a lot of experience working with students and handling a classroom. This entire volunteering experience has not only been beneficial in terms of classroom skills. It has clarified that I do indeed want to become a teacher, and also, it has really changed my mind on many issues. Public speaking is a huge part in teaching. There are many public speaking skills that are involved in managing a classroom, and I was able to incorporate many concepts and skills I learned from this public speaking classs.
        One of the most important skills is adapting to your audience. My first day working with the students, I realized quickly that I had to adapt to the audience I was addressing, in this case young sixth grade students, in order for them to understand some concepts. For example, when the students were learning about Mesopotamia, I needed to keep from using concepts that they were unfamiliar with. Instead of saying agriculture, I said farming; instead of using irrigation, I would say the water supply; and etcetera. Adapting to my audience not only affected my speaking, but also small details such as posture. For example, when working one on one with a student, it helps if you position yourself down to their level instead of looking intimidating and tall.       
        Another concept involved is civic engagement. Teaching itself is a form of civic engagement, because it is hands on work with others in order to achieve a public good, in this case educating the next generation. As a teacher, one must form a curriculum and figure out the best teaching method toward all the students. There is also a lot of communication with other teachers and faculty involved in teaching. For example, teachers meet together to discuss grading criteria, writing tests, and creating activities for students. All these things that teachers do are examples of civic engagement. Most of those who want to go into teaching are motivated by the fact that they are doing a public good to benefit the entire community.
        One thing I believe you must try to avoid while volunteering with students is using public voice. Public voice is expressing your opinion or viewpoint on a very important issue. I believe teaching should just be objective by giving information and letting students express their own opinions. When an instructor expresses their viewpoint, the students might be influenced to agree with the instructor. An example of when I avoided using public voice was when Mrs. Alvarado was speaking about slavery in ancient Mesopotamia. When a student asked why it was bad, I avoided answering the question and instead asked "just think about it this way: would you want to be a slave?". Public voice is more incorporated in trying to get the students to show their own opinions. Every Monday morning we discuss as a class what everyone did over the weekend. One issue that came up in the class was the situation in Ferguson Missouri. The students discussed what they knew, how they felt, and their opinions on what should happen.