Career Day

Happy December to my loyal readers (hi mom). I managed a big goose egg for blogs in November so I have vowed to at least write 3 or more for December. So, to begin... lets talk about November!

We had career day at my campus several weeks ago in November. It is always an interesting event to me for many different reasons. For one, I enjoy watching the children (4th graders, mind you) listen intently to the financial planner talk about his job. When my 4th graders ask such questions as: "At what age should I start considering putting away for my retirement?" and.. "Could you explain the intricacies of a Roth I.R.A?" I just swell with pride. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, more interesting to me than to watch my children participate and learn about the complex world of saving for retirement (while I yawn in the back of the room). Truthfully, I feel sorry for the financial planner. Next year, he has to say "NO" to this gig. High School: Maybe. Elementary School: N-O! He would have better luck talking to a brick wall.

Second, I enjoy the pilot. I always had interest in being a pilot as a kid. You can tell that this guy (this is his 2nd year) enjoys coming and talking to the kids. He talks about the importance of math, science, social studies, and reading and how they are all required skills for piloting an airplane (somehow I always knew that the Battle of the Alamo had something to do with the unfortunate incident with Payne Stewart's plane). I even learned something myself! Did you know that jet fuel is just basically a very high grade of kerosene? I honestly didn't know that. Yeah, it is a bit of useless knowledge. But, who cares? I always loved learning about planes. Guess I still do.

Third, there was the puppet show from hell. A librarian from the nearby branch came and talked to the kids about being a librarian. She did it with puppets, which seems like a foolproof method. But, then I remember one of my favorite all-time bad movies: Howard the Duck. When Howard the Duck wasn't a midget in a duck suit, it was a puppet at times too. Presentation is everything. If the puppet is supposed to be talking.... then the mouth should be moving (lesson #1 from puppeteering 101). If the puppeteer is talking, then the puppet's mouth should NOT be moving (lesson #2). And finally... the biggest faux paus in puppeteering: The puppet is there for entertainment and interaction with the audience. Its purpose is to get the kids engaged. I have a problem with the puppet whispering into the ear of the puppeteer because the puppet is "shy". Puppet, please! If the puppet is whispering into the puppeteer's ear, the students are smart enough to realize that nothing is coming out of the puppet's mouth. It's a cop out, plain and simple. By the way, does anyone else think that "puppet" is kind of a weird-sounding word? Read this paragraph over again out loud to yourself for verification on that!

Fourth, we had the "heroes" division: Police, Fire, and Military. Kids eat that stuff up. The Dallas Police Helicopter does a flyover and then lands on the playground. I absolutely love... err.. umm.. the kids really get a kick out of that. The helicopter sits powered down on the playground while the students walk by and look inside, talk to the pilot, and play with the tail rotor without permission. That's the embarrassing part. There's always a few in the group that want to play with the expensive machinery. I cringe every time I see a kid (usually not mine) playing with the tail rotor. I always wonder if I'm going to see that helicopter spinning out of control when it leaves a couple of hours later. Luckily it never does. Furthermore, we have the military represented as well. A guy from the "Young Marines" was there to do some "grunt" recruiting. I have to say though: the military is barking up the wrong tree at my school. Sorry to say it, but my fourth graders still don't have the concept of "right" and "left" securely stored away in their little brains. I don't know how many times I've had to say, "Your other left!" this year. I could see a comedy of errors erupting at the first "RIGHT FACE!!!" Last, but not least, we also have the firemen. We all know why they're there. They're the eye-candy. The females (professional and student) just have this glazed-over look in their dreamy eyes as they listen intently to Mr. Extinguisher talk about his job saving puppies and trapped babies. Hey, I can hold a hose and direct it at fire too. I just choose not to.

Anyway, Career Day was an enjoyable day for the students. They had the opportunity to learn about careers they're interested in (military, fire, police) and then they got to learn about careers to stay away from (librarian and financial planner). And, I got to learn more about helicopters and airplanes. It was just a win-win situation for all involved!