As you read this, pause to reflect on your recent interactions. As a politician, husband, and father, I encounter various spoken language styles: analytical or chatty, formal or informal, pointed or gentle, cooperative or decisive. Talk is the currency of politics. It is our way of negotiating, debating, and persuading. Talk is also the currency of learning-how we develop our ideas, deepen our thinking and share our feelings.

That’s why I want speaking skills, sometimes called “oracy”, to play an important part in Labor’s plans for a reformed school curriculum (课程).

Employers value speaking skills equally with reading and writing. The ability to speak well and express yourself should be something every child should master. But the curriculum doesn’t allow us to provide this. This is short-sighted. An inability to express your thoughts fluently is a key barrier to getting on and doing well in life.

Oracy is in part about good public speaking and debating skills, but in reality, it’s about teaching young people to make strong arguments, choose wise words, understand their audience, form meaningful social connections, and use facial expressions and body language to convey their message. Above all else it’s about finding your voice. To work out who you are and what you believe. If reading opens up a world of imagination and possibility, then speaking and listening opens up a lifetime of empowerment-a chance for those who feel invisible in their own country to be heard. It is about the confidence to speak out, to call out injustice or harm.

And the other side of speaking is listening, which can also be taught. Listening, truly listening, develops tolerance and understanding. And as parents we can play our part. We’ve all been there, at mealtimes, silent as we all stare at our devices. Our job, all of ours, is to get off our screens and give young people, and adults, the gift of listening.

So, oracy―speaking and listening―needs to be placed firmly at the heart of school life.

Every year, billions of kilograms of fresh produce are wasted in the United States. The food ends up in landfills, producing harmful greenhouse gases. Meanwhile, millions of poor Americans go hungry, without access to healthy, affordable meals.

Evan Lutz is passionate about correcting that social injustice. And he combines that goal with a passion for business. “My entire life I’ve wanted to become a social entrepreneur, not just starting a business that made money but also starting one that gave back. I’m just an average guy with a passion towards making sure no food goes to waste and making sure no person’s ever hungry in America and I want to do that through business.

Lutz is CEO and founder of Hungry Harvest. Hungry Harvest is a business which collects and sells “ugly” produce. These are fruit and vegetables that most food companies would throw away. “If you go to a grocery store everything is growing the same exact way. Right. So all that stuff that doesn’t grow the same way gets wasted and gets thrown out. And we take all that stuff that normally gets thrown out because it’s too big or too small in odd size of shape, we box it up into a variety boxes and we deliver them to our customers once a week. We hire people that were living in homeless shelters. They were really looking to get a chance in life.”

Parents’ deciding to stay at home with their teens is not necessarily new. Many caregivers have realized the importance of devoting extra time to their teens. Mary Dixon Lebeau took an early retirement from her job five years ago. She wanted to spend more time with her then 14-year-old daughter, Libby. “My daughter suffers from anxiety, and I believe having a parent 100% present can help her deal with daily problems. She actually thrived during those years and was ready when she moved six hours away for college last year,” Lebeau said.

Anxiety is one of the leading mental health issues teens are facing. The pandemic worsened this issue, making many parents worried about their teens’ mental health. Bevan R. was one of them. When COVID-19 hit, Bevan R. started working remotely. She continued doing it for her child. “After becoming fully remote during the pandemic, and my teen’s struggle with several issues including depression and anxiety became serious, I have chosen to remain pretty much full-time working from home,” Bevan R. noted. She wanted to be available for her 16-year-old daughter, Izzy.

In addition to mental health needs, parents may choose to stay home to have more quality time with their children. Being home means less commuting, which may factor into the decision. That can lead to a more flexible schedule and a simpler way of life. While at home, parents can also help ensure their child is getting the educational support that they need.

The decision to work remotely may not be just to stay home with a child. It can also be a byproduct of the changing employment landscape, including job losses. Approximately 60% of people who say their jobs can be done from home are taking advantage of remote work situations. Sixty-four percent of those workers say being at home has made it easier to have positive work-life balance.