The Future Looks Bright

Today I had the honor of speaking with Caleb, Alie, Brook and Emily, 5th grade students at an elementary school in South Carolina.  Mrs. Raper, their teacher, contacted me a week or so ago about speaking to her students.  Their school had recently changed their severe storm preparedness protocols, and the students had some ideas for making students safer during a tornado.

Mrs. Raper and I were able to connect via Skype, and I spent over twenty minutes answering the questions they had about tornadoes, and about my experiences with tornadoes.  I was impressed with the depth of their questions.  They had clearly prepared for the session, and were very polite and considerate.  Their questions were also efficient, focusing on the task at hand instead of asking questions that were not connected to the discussion. 

I have been in education for twenty-five years now, and Caleb, Alie, Brook and Emily gave me plenty of hope for our future.  They were curious, they were inquisitive, they were respectful, and they were definitely motivated to better themselves through learning.  Their parents should be proud, as should Mrs. Raper.  It is easy to jump on the "public education is bad" bandwagon with the numerous awful stories we see in the media, but Mrs. Raper's leadership, and the behavior of her students, tells me the future is bright.

Caleb, Alie, Brook, Emily and Mrs. Raper, thank you for the honor of speaking with you today!