Tonight was Parent University night at the High School that defines our Vertical Team. There are refreshments, a lot of speakers and a lot of exhibitors around the gym and the cafeteria at the school. Last year our school had a table. This year we didn’t. No matter – I still got to see a lot of my students. I actually hung out with my wife this year as her college had a number of tables to encourage kids to consider college. It’s such a great idea to be talking to kids as young as kindergarten about college. If they wait until high school to think about maybe going, it may be too difficult to get mind and grades in gear. When they start young with that expectation, it opens more doors for them.
I got to meet the Dean of Arts and Sciences. As we talked, we began seeing how we could work together. She is over a program that has as part of its goals working at the elementary and middle school level. Our school has a unique affiliation with this program. (STEM) So now we are making plans to work together on some projects.
My wife teaches Sign Language and Interpreting. Her department also includes the cosmetology department. Her department chair came in carrying two dummy heads use to practice work on hair and make-up. I told her that classes in her department could help people get ahead. My wife must have warned her about me; she ignored me. Later I had an idea. You can see it in the picture below. I started to take the picture just as a student from one of the classes that doesn’t know that I can smile walked by. He’s one of the good kids in the class. He broke out laughing, along with his mother. He just couldn’t imagine me smiling, let alone being silly like that. We talked about a class that has changed and now knows that I can smile and laugh. I told him that the kids say that they enjoy class much more now. Funny thing…when behavior improves, the teacher can do more interesting and fun things!
Three heads
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