Today, I am going to cover topics 8 – 11. This data comes from the 218 students who completed the final speech during the spring (ending May of 2023) through summer (August 2024), which is a call to action for a topic the students care about.
Guns – 8
Topic number 8 is Guns. Eight students chose this as a topic, 5 of them were focused on Gun control. Gun violence has shown up consistently as a topic for my students. During their grade school years, most of these students had to run active shooter drills, so this is a part of their consciousness. There was one student who discussed Legal carry of handguns, Pro-gun rights, and Lowering gun violence.
Social media – 7
Number 9 is Social Media. Most of the students felt that social media was detrimental to mental health and noted that cyberbullying and its influence on social skills created challenges for young people in particular. One student looked at creating an age limit, and another examined the benefits of social media.
Prison – 5
Prisons have had a significant influence on my students, in particular, because some have had parents and children or have been in prison themselves. Three of the five students discussing this topic felt that the death penalty should be abolished. Colorado abolished this in 2020, but students are still concerned about the influence. One student covered prison reform, and another discussed the impact of solitary confinement on her son. Prisons are often a personal story for the students who speak on this topic.
Vaping – 5
It seems that many of the students who speak about vaping are experiencing this right now. They are concerned with the possible repercussions and note that some of these are currently showing up for vapers. One student suggested that a person should vape to get off of cigarettes.
As I mentioned, all of these topics have been covered in my classes in previous years, but this is where they ranked during this period.