Some experts say that speaking in front of people is the biggest fear in the world. I really wouldn’t know because I started performing standup comedy thirty-five years ago. I can remember having butterflies the first few times getting on that stage in front of an audience, but I can’t remember the actual feeling. Now, the only thing that bothers me about doing comedy is small crowds. The bigger the crowd, the more laughter.
Outside of doing comedy, I have been the speaker at many venues for many different reasons. I have spoken to many high schools, English/Lit classes, libraries, and writer’s conferences because of my success as an author. I’ve spoken at acting workshops, drama classes, and music classes because of my time doing live entertainment. I’ve spoken to art students because of my painting and comic strips. I’ve spoken to historical groups and Native American classes.
And on Thursday, November 3, the day this article will run, I will be speaking to the students at my alma mater, Sylvania High School. Who says you can’t go home again? I’m really excited about this event. I always make a great connection with kids and I know why – I’m on the same maturity level. As the comedienne Rita Rudner once said, “The old rule is: marry an older man because they’re more mature. But now we know men don’t mature, so marry a younger one.”
The irony is, looking back on the years I attended Sylvania, I would not be the one you would have thought would be back one day to speak there. I was certainly not one of the dedicated students who studied hard, and my grades reflected that. Someone asked me recently if I was in the top half of my class at Sylvania. I replied, “I was in the half that made the top half possible.”
This was in the days of corporal punishment and most of my teachers keep a paddle in their drawer, a slab of wood with a handle carved on one end, and I had a personal relationship with all of them. Those teachers were surprised when I made the math team my senior year because they didn’t realize I could count past three (as in three swats). My classmates I had gone to school with most of my life were even more shocked. I don’t think they knew I could count at all.
That’s the reason I enjoy speaking to schools. I love to reach all of the students but especially those who might not have high expectations. If this old, short, former delinquent can accomplish a few things in life, then the world is their oyster.