well recently i had to give a speach in front of the school board.....it went ok i suppose considering i stammered and stuttered thru some parts of it. the first time i presented the speach to the class and while i was being videotaped i did perfectly fine and only messed up once but at the school board meeting it was an entirely different story. here's a copy of my speach, hope you enjoy it.

          “Me no like.” (DeYoung, Hardy. Personal interview. 19 Jan. 2006.). Many of you are probably asking, what does that mean? Well, that is the response we got from sixteen year teacher Hardy DeYoung when we asked him about the cumulative grading system. Hello, how are you all this afternoon? My name is Kristen Manning, I am a 9th grader here at Alcoa High School, and these two gentleman to left and to my right are Drew Goddard and Dylan Kennedy who are also freshmen here at Alcoa and my partners on this project. We will prove with our research that A.H.S. should eliminate the cumulative grading system, and that by eliminating it the students’ psychological well-being and overall grades will improve, along with the fact that the averaging system is easier to understand and less stressful for both students and their caretakers.

          Have you ever wondered why the self-esteem of some students has dropped ever since they got into high school? It’s because the cumulative grading system has a negative effect on some students’ self-esteem and psychological well-being. The psychological well-being of a student is very important and by having the cumulative grading system, that well-being is being stomped into the ground. When twelve year teacher Pam Harrison was asked if she would like to change the grading system she had this to say, “…as a student I could see why they would want to change it, because if they start doing better it is depressing to see it stay as a low grade, so psychologically it is better the other way.” (Harrison, Pam. Personal interview. 20 Jan. 2006.)

          Students’ grades are important and by removing the cumulative grading system, the grades of students will improve. Many students’ grades, including mine, have suffered from the cumulative grading system, but by changing it to the averaging system, the grades of every student would improve. I went and asked fellow freshman Margret Sudderth if she had seen any changes in her grades since changing over to the cumulative grading system and she responded with this statement, “Yes, I have. I used to be a straight ‘A’ student but since dealing with the cumulative grading system my grades have suffered and dropped a little.” (Sudderth, Margret. Personal interview. 19 Jan. 2006.)

          The cumulative grading scale is hard for some to understand but the averaging system is easier for both students and their caretakers to understand. When I, myself, first tried to explain the cumulative grading system to my grandparents they did not get it at all, it took me over an hour of explaining for them to even start to get it, but the original averaging system they understood completely. On the cumulative grading scale it gets harder and harder to bring a grade up the farther along in the school year you get and that can really stress a student out. On the averaging system, however, you do not get as stressed because you don’t have as many points and therefore a higher grade on an assignment can have a better or greater effect on the grade for that semester.

          The opposing viewpoint, which would like to keep the system the same, states the following: in the end it doesn’t matter, the grades come out pretty much the same. We respond to this saying that while yes, the final grades to come out pretty much the same on both scales, there is still the fact that not seeing better efforts later on reflected in the grade sooner is discouraging and can force some to give up too soon. When I interviewed him about the matter Hardy DeYoung answered with this, “I think students get demoralized and quit prematurely because they are not seeing their better effort later on reflected in their grade soon enough.” (DeYoung, Hardy. Personal interview. 19 Jan. 2006.)

          All in all the average grading system would be better, for it is easier for students and their guardians to understand and is less stressful. In addition, it also helps the students’ psychological well-being at school and their overall grades. I want to thank you all for allowing us this audience and we apriciate you coming out to see us. Thank you for your time.

well what do ya think of it, i know ive already presented it and got a grade on it but id like some tips on how to make my papers better.