Are those Underoos?

Public Speaking and Debate class. Just the thought of such a class sends shivers down the spines of many. But me? I laugh in the face of danger! Ha ha! Okay, I don't really. But I did have a really fun time in my Public Speaking and Debate class in high school, and I owe it all to a wonderful teacher.

Mr. Bridges was one of my all-time favorite teachers. I found out before my last high school reunion that he had passed away. He was a great man. He gave me the chance to really have fun with public speaking, and how many people can really say that? Okay, I'll admit that I was totally the teacher's pet in that class. He really let me have a lot of leeway in there and I took him up on it. During the debate portion of the class, I debated whether or not the Trix Rabbit should be allowed to have Trix (Don't do it! That rabbit is evil and can't be trusted!). He submitted a piece of my work that ended up getting me the Creative Writing Student of the Year award. And he had us do impromptu speeches...

Mr. Bridges was a fan of impromptu speeches. He'd call our name and we'd start walking to the front of the class. While we were walking, he'd call out a topic and we'd have to start speaking about it as soon as we reached the front of the room. One particular day, the overall topic was clothing. Other people were getting called up and getting subjects such as shoes, socks, shirts... And then came my turn. As I was walking up to the front of the room, I hear, "Underwear!" So yes, I gave a speech on underwear in high school - and it still makes me smile today. After class, Mr. Bridges pulled me aside and told me that I was the only one in the class who he would have trusted with underwear as a topic. Um...thanks? But really, I'm thankful for the experience and for the opportunity to be taught by such a great teacher.

So to honor Mr. Bridges, I'm offering you the chance to throw topics at me to write about. Leave a comment here or email me a topic, and I'll see what I can do to write about it. Just make sure that is PG rated, huh? This could be fun...

There's still time to join in on the Life is Funny Carnival! Funny thing things happen every day!