started classes found my group of
friends and everything was going great
then around October came the time of
parent-teacher conferences now I wasn’t
worried as I had been doing pretty well
in all of my classes so my mom and I we
meet with my first teacher and it’s
nothing unusual grades assignments
homework until he goes one thing I would
like for children is to be more loud in
class she is a bit quiet quiet okay well
I guess I haven’t been participating a
lot in this class either way I didn’t
think much of it so we move on to the
next teacher and we continue talking
until she goes Toland is a bit quiet in
class I wish she spoke up more quiet
there it was again we move on to the
third teacher the fourth the fifth the
last one of the day and all I kept
hearing was quiet needs to speak up more
doesn’t participate enough I think at
this point it is safe for you to assume
that I did not talk much in school I
would maybe ask a question here or there
but overall I kept to myself it wasn’t
on purpose it’s just something that came
naturally to me but teachers noticed and
they noticed that it was different it
was different because the image we have
of a typical high schooler is non-stop
talking we think about high school and
see crowded classrooms with the roar of
overlapping voices and laughter I didn’t
fit the norm and was called out on it
eventually I was left wondering is being
quiet bad is me not talking for hours
and unacceptable do I have to change the
way I am in order to stop being called
out by teachers for something that comes
so naturally to me as a confused ninth
grader I took those thoughts away and
almost forgot about them until I had to
move again to a new school to another
parent-teacher conference now this time
I didn’t hear the word quiet I heard an
encouraging speak up and not from the
teachers but from myself I don’t talk
for hours on end
I don’t usually raise my hand in class
and I don’t constantly make jokes in the
hallway I am quiet in school I am not
the first to speak I like to keep
thoughts to myself I’m an introvert an
introvert on a TEDx stage nonetheless
and today I am speaking up for all the
quiet boys and girls who have been
labeled into shyness labeled as
inadequate labeled into being too quiet
I am speaking up for all the students in
a classroom who have been overlooked by
teachers simply because they did not
talk as much in class and finally I am
speaking up for everyone who have heard
the word quiet address to them one too
many times people like this people like
me introverts we’re often regarded to as
the shy ones the calm ones the quiet
ones Susan Cain the author of the book
quiet the power of introverts in a world
that can’t stop talking states in her
official TED talk that introverts make
up a third to a half of the world’s
population that’s the same amount of
people as the populations of China India
and the United States combined and
despite our lar
presents introverts are not being
acknowledged enough teenagers as a whole
have been boxed into this one category
of loud for way too long and despite
changing technologies and teaching
methods some students were left behind
by overlooking the fact that introverts
exist
schools suppress such individuals
causing them to feel even more isolated
schools should be encouraging introverts
to embrace who they are while also
helping them navigate such a talkative
world modern companies are already
realizing the potential introverts have
and the power they bring to the
workspace they are changing the way they
are structured in order to become more
welcoming to their introverted employees
major corporations such as Google have
already put less significance into job
interviews when recruiting new employees
while Amazon now begins each meeting in
silence with attendees reading a memo on
the topics needing to be discussed
however schools are still hesitant to
make concrete changes towards introverts
they have for years been focusing on
catering to the different learning types
whether it be visual auditory verbal or
physical teachers have been taught to
diversify their lesson plans in order to
cater to the different types of learners
yet the existence of extroverts and
introverts is known but somehow rarely
addressed my typical school day would
probably include a lecture a video a
hands-on activity a few worksheets and a
lot of discussion teachers balance out
the amount of time we are listening or
watching they create a healthy balance
of activities there is so much variety
in the way we comprehend and get
information yet there is only one set
way I have ever been told to process it
and it has always been through
discussion or talking to a partner in
fact I could probably easily count the
number of times in my three-and-a-half
years of high school where I had the
time to reflect
on a certain topic in class quietly and
by myself I want to see a balance in the
way I can learn in a classroom a balance
where I don’t have to force words out of
my mouth a classroom where I can learn
new things and not feel incredibly
drained because people might think I’m
quiet but when I’m not talking I’m
looking looking at the colorful posters
advertising clubs and activities in
school we’re looking at the hand of the
clock slowly moving people might think
I’m shy but when I’m not talking I am
feeling feeling my own heartbeat beating
in my chest or feeling the breeze of
someone so much taller than me walk
extraversion and introversion occur on a
spectrum so it is hard to completely
define one type of person versus another
there are no hard cut lines to a
person’s personality but one personality
trait cannot be valued over the other
introverts deserve to be recognised as
the essential members of classrooms
schools and communities we may not
boldly stand out but we are important
and deserve to be heard being quiet is
not a disadvantage
it is a trait that makes one significant
and important it is a trait worth
cherishing and praising and not tearing
down a parent-teacher conferences I hope
that one day introverts will be
recognized as the valuable community
members that they are schools will
support them and their way of
understanding the world their opinions
will be valued and respected until that
point in time introverts like myself
will struggle to speak up and make our
voices heard but we will overcome what
most people regard as a disadvantage in
order to allow those who follow us a
chance to make themselves heard in this
loud world
and now let’s take another look I spoke
up but did you listen thank you [Applause]