What is a Handraiser?

A Handraiser is a person, empowered and equipped with a solid skill set, that they have confidence in standing up and sharing their opinions freely.

When you see this person in a classroom, they look like a regular kid until you see them confidently raising their hand when the adult/teacher asks for volunteers while their peers nervously glance around the room trying to avoid being called on. 

A Handraiser quickly stands out from the rest of the class because they raise their hand, answer questions confidently with a solid voice, and when needed stand up, smile, walk to the front of the room and share their opinions because they trust themselves to speak their mind.

When it’s time to stand up and talk in front of their peers, a Handraiser knows they are going to crush it! They’re not afraid of being laughed at, or feeling like they’re going to puke up breakfast due to nerves - they have a calm solid air about them because they’ve been training, if you will, for weeks and just like any athlete or performer - they are ready to show others that they know what they’re doing.

Imagine back to the days of your own childhood. Do you remember having to go up to the front of the room?

I clearly remember I was a fourth-grade student who had to provide a presentation on something I knew how to do. My presentation was on how to sharpen a knife. Yes, how times have changed, fourth grade was the mid 1980s for me.

Can you imagine a fourth grader bringing a hunting knife to school to demonstrate how to sharpen it in front of the class...for a grade? As a teacher, it sounds insane, but times were simpler back then.

Here's what I remember thinking before my presentation that day: 

This is so cool, I have my Uncle Jim’s knife with the bone handle at school! This is going to be so cool to show all the other kids my cool knife. I’ve never sharpened one before, but it’s just cool to have it here at school. I’m not sure what I’m going to say, but the knife is so cool, no one will notice that I’m not talking. This is going to be awesome!

And here's what happened when it was my turn - 

Teacher: “Next up...Chris…”

I get my knife out of my desk (that sounds and feels wrong typing). Cheerfully skipping to the front of the room (only because I love my presentation visual). Then I turn around to show the class my knife, I suddenly realize they are all staring at me. Why are my cheeks getting warm?  Now, what do I do? I know, I'll just act silly - that usually works. 

Me (speaking gibberish): “You take the knife and you go like this and you go like that.”(running the sharpening stone over the blade’s edge on the knife)

The kids laughed right on cue and I went back to my seat. I was later shocked to discover my teacher was not so impressed with my demonstration of knife-sharpening delivered with my nervous comedic humor - and my grade killed my confidence right then and there.  

It took me many years to regain the confidence that I lost in myself that day. 

But I was just like many kids are today when faced with presenting. I wasn’t prepared and I had no plan of attack other than getting up there and getting it done.

Fast forward 30 years, and now I'm the teacher giving the dreaded classroom presentation assignment.

Each year watching hundreds of magical moments as awkward nervous students transform into confident and solid speakers. 

What happens in the 9 months that those awkward to confident kids - they learn what it means to be a Handraiser by walking through step-by-step of a system that equips and empowers them to want to walk right on up to the front of the room, turn around, face the 60 eyeballs of their peers, and talk about what they are excited about.

It’s honestly nothing short of magical watching these transformations year after year.

Today kids are growing up with the sheer overwhelming weight of dealing with academics and a social life lived out on social media. A Handraiser isn’t just a kid that can deliver a great presentation. A Handraiser is someone that:

• Stands up for themselves when another kid wants to make fun of them.
• Stands up for a classmate when other kids are teasing them.
• Has confidence in their opinions.
• Knows that what they want to say is valuable and worthy of respect.
• Knows how to communicate clearly what they need or want in a variety of situations.
• Has a strong bond with the adult that helped them learn these skills.

I don’t know about you but I want my sons and your son or daughter to #beahandraiser.