Many schools have a long standing practice of inviting guest speakers in Johannesburg to their school camps to speak on topics of national and regional relevance. This practice sure has its own advantages as children start imbibing democratic values right from a very young age which definitely further strengthens the already strong democratic foundations on which our country stands. But this practice has its downsides too. I guess it would be appropriate to share my personal experiences in this regard. When I had worked as a school teacher I always ensured that my class had a fair knowledge about the background of guest speakers in Johannesburg before they attended their speeches. This made them aware of what these guests might say and many a times I found children getting ready with their queries the day before the speech was scheduled to be delivered. It would, however, be a travesty of truth if I claim that every one of those invitees were equally capable of arresting the attention of these youngsters at our school camps. Once, and it was a real cause of embarrassment, some children actually dozed off and their steady snoring made us red in the face as a V.I.P. was delivering his weighty speech! But why blame the children when we adults also wondered when that speech would end. I have also observed, and many teachers would surely agree with me, oftentimes a guest speaker in Johannesburg does neither have time nor patience to answer all queries that youngsters might pose. Often, these individuals also do not have adequate information to satisfy the children. In such instances, appearances by guest speakers in Johannesburg merely become an occasion at the school camps for some smart glib talking with lots of bubbles and foam but hardly any substance.