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Tuesday, January 10, 2023

  • Writer: Spencer White
    Spencer White
  • Mar 5, 2023
  • 2 min read

Our group was invited to give a presentation titled “symbols of America'' at a local high school in Zaphron. We prepared the materials in advance, putting together slides of information and pictures of notable monuments, cities and symbols in the United States.


We found that these slides were useful during our presentation, however we encountered a few difficulties in relating information to our large audience. First, we had only a small microphone which held the responsibility of relaying information to a vast number of young people. Second, it was difficult for our ensemble to keep everyone in the audience engaged, as most of the students were clumped into massive mobs. It was difficult for all of these students to hear or see us at times. Lastly, the space we were given was just huge. It was easy for students to form pockets in the far outreaches of the courtyard; these students had effectively given up on any opportunity to hear or see what we were presenting.


These difficulties made it easy to feel as if we had failed in our quest to present “symbols of America.” The reality was that many of these students would not walk away remembering the Lincoln Memorial or the Hoover Dam.


Despite this, at the end of our presentation, each of us were flocked with students asking for pictures with us. The students treated us like celebrities - it was as if we had just performed a rock concert that blew their minds picture after picture. I was amazed at the seemingly unending line of young students who wanted to meet me. They were transfixed and in awe of our clothing, our English and our mannerisms.


It was at this time that I realized that we were the real symbols of America. It didn’t matter that our presentation flopped. These students might not have learned about the symbols that we wanted to teach them, but they instead walked away with a much deeper understanding of American life - they learned about American people. After all, this is ultimately why the school invited us to speak to their students. They wanted a window into life in America. What better way to do that than to see its people?



 
 
 

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