When the Unexpected is Okay

I honestly have so many things to write about today that I'm not sure where to start. Thankfully, I still have pen and paper to jot some thoughts down to save topics for later.

For today, I'll tell you a bit about what I did today. The sun was shining, the temperature was nice, and I took a trip to a high school to talk with students. Now this is nothing out of the ordinary as I regularly visit high schools in my job. A major part of my job, in fact, is to visit high schools and talk about the great qualities that my school has. I very purposefully tell the facts to hopefully find the right students who fit the school's personality.

But today, I was in for a bit of a surprise. Normally when I visit a high school, I pass out some colorful pamphlets, talk about the stats and programs, and hopefully jump into the feeling of the student life. There is some time for a few questions, bada bing, bada boom, students are out and I just got some more people to call.

Not today. I brought my handy crate full of materials and introduced myself to the greeter at the front door. I signed my visitor pass and got directions to the classroom I was looking for. When I arrived, I was greeted by a woman in a red t-shirt and red pants. This was Ms. C (the name shortened for anonymity.) She was older, but clearly full of tons of energy. She reminded me of my sixth grade teacher. I quickly discovered that I would not be there to share information with students.

Instead, what Ms. C wanted me to do, was speak to her Life Management classes about college. I would be speaking on my career, interviewing, how I found my career, what types of things college has, and some general review of requirements and application procedures. Little did I know that this would turn into one of my favorite visits I've ever been in. The classes clearly favored Ms. C. Ms. C, with her short haircut and incredibly eccentric room, filled with student projects, lots of papers, quotes plastered on any area of free space, and a gigantic portion of the chalkboard, doorway, and surround wall filled with students' senior pictures. She said hello to every single student who walked in the door and still managed to have a conversation with me, and several students stopped by to get a hug for the day and carry on to their next class. In a world where teachers are regularly demonized by education reformers, this woman clearly had so much to give to her students. It was clear to me that she was a great teacher, and I did not need to see her students' standardized test scores to see that.

As everyone filed in to take their seats, I could feel my heart pace quicken and suddenly felt very that my arms and hands were very awkward, a sensation I normally get when speaking to a crew of people. However, I have been in the position so many times the feeling passed quickly. Ms. C took attendence, quieted the class, and introduced me. The floor was mine. I had prepared to talk solely about the university and very little about the topics she offered so I was momentarily stunned. 'Good Morning' only goes so far when you're looking to pull some energy and find your stride. But, I quickly introduced myself and began to speak about what it is I did.

Ms. C was quick to interject with questions, but not in the way where you're annoyed with the person, just a very conversational question about the things I was talking about. We had a great flow going as I became comfortable and sensed that it would be important to include far more about my personal story in this presentation than ever before. You see, I represent a school that is not my Alma Mater, a great challenge I assure you. But, in this case, I was encouraged to talk in great length about my experiences and how they differed from the school I now represent.

Suddenly, I was involved in a very reflective moment, something I'm not sure we all get the opportunity to do very often, and was able to speak greatly about my experiences and why I am where I am today. While many students laid their heads down to rest and some looked out the window at the day they could be having, it was clear to me that Ms. C not only allowed kids to be kids, but she respected the fact that they were. Therefore I could only follow her lead and realize that even though the students were putting their heads down, they were still absorbing a lot of what I was saying. I had another class come in with a repeat performance and afterward there was a 30 minute lunch break.

Ms. C spoke with me during this time about my presentation and asked me more about myself. She was shocked that I was in the position I was in at my age and with how great my presentation was. She loved the things I had to share and then told me something that no one has ever told me before. She asked what I wanted to do in the future and I told her some of my ideas, but that I wasn't sure. She said, "You seem like a person who doesn't always do things the conventional way. I see how you landed at admissions, but I can tell that you're already going to be moving on sometime soon. You have such an unconventional way of getting places that I bet you'll be doing something great soon."

I was speechless.

Naturally, I cracked a smile and thanked her for her comments and simply brushed it aside by saying that most people don't find their path by their first choices as a senior in high school. Most students are changing their minds, finding things to get involved in, and discovering their passion that way. We had one more class and then I was excused to leave for the office. I handed out less than 10 pieces on the university, but had one of my favorite visits. So many students clearly saw my excitement and I realized that I must be a good presenter. I realized that I had just winged a presentation and delivered it in a way that made others excited.

My post today is not to dote on how awesome I am. (Hehe) My post today is to talk about how sometimes it takes the unexpected to transform your day. This could have easily been just another high school visit. I would have driven home and submitted some cards to the office, typed up a report, and gone about my business.

But today, I was able to speak with someone about my personality, my growth. I was able to share more about my experiences with others, high school students who need some knowledge. I was able to meet a woman who was so incredibly positive, who was so optimistic about her students, who was clearly invested and happy to take time and energy to get students excited about their school. It is so refreshing to have something unexpected to change your mood. I have many friends, family, and overall important people in my life who are teachers. For about 2 seconds today I thought about what that must be like, and then drove the thought out of my head in sheer terror. You all do some amazing work and I appreciate it.

I recently saw a book by a woman who supposedly is a great researcher. Her book, the title of which I can't remember right now, was about positive thinking. To be precise, her book was about how positive thinking was ruining the future generation of America.

Based on the back cover, her research indicated that because America is generally a positive country (hard to believe, right?) our future generations are continually less and less worried about realistic challenges and thus less willing to help solve the problem. Now I didn't read the book and have yet to track it down again, but to me, what she was implying is that we need to tone down our positive thinking, lest it ruin the country by letting us fester in problems.

This seems completely crazy to me. I have always been optimistic and overall positive and will continue to be so. I feel I'm grounded and realistic and I certainly pay attention to important issues and think about problems we face. But to think that we should stop thinking so optimistically seems absolutely nuts to me! Are we going to slowly wither into an unhappy, yet realistically grounded populous that has no hope for the future? I certainly hope not.

And if Ms. C and the other teachers out there who are giving it all they've got for their students continue to give kids even 40 minutes of happy, positive classtime, then I think we're all going to be okay. Thanks Ms. C for a great day.