The TMS had always somewhat intrigued me when I was a JW. It was actually a fascinating part of the Thursday night meeting. You never graduated, your grades didn't range from A to F, and it was mandatory to applaud after a new "classmate" gives their first talk. It was interesting when noone would clap after someone's first talk, then the brother conducting the TMS would have to remind the audience that it was their first talk. It was interesting when the talk would run over 5 minutes and the conductor would bang his pencil against the table (some conductors had a bell). They also used to let the young ones keep track of the time of the talk. I think this was eliminated a few years ago.
Then there were the people who had their talk applauded more than once. Many times it's children who recieve this, but occasionally, adults recieve it too. I was a teenager when I was in the "school", but I recieved applause more than once. I got a kick out of all the people who would come up to me after the meeting and say "that was a very good talk!". It was the only time people would speak to me. It was the only thing that made others take notice of me. The only reason I gave good talks is because I knew what people liked to hear. This was also a benefit for me in english class when I wrote essays. I knew what the teachers liked to read (even though my vocabulary is shit).
Anyway, my mother started telling me about a "secret person" who enjoyed my talks. She wouldn't tell me who it was. I found out later that it was a woman who was a few years older than me, and had a little crush on me.
So, what was your experience in the TMS?