Career Day - A Peek Into The Future

During my recent subbing stint with 6^th graders, I was left to create lesson plans for a group who only wanted school to be over. As I always do, I checked my calendar resources. Fortunately the school calendar listed a Career Day involving parent participation. I didn't know any of the parents so I was left with no choice, but to create some activities for the class!

Since the class was comfortable with “morning sheets” I created a matching sheet with job titles listed down the left side and job descriptions on the right side. (There is a sample of the matching sheet attached.) I also stirred things up by rearranging their desks into a double horseshoe so that we could have group discussions. I allowed them to refer to classroom dictionaries and to each other for matches. When they did ask for help, I tried only to give them hints about the jobs. Unfortunately all the dictionaries in the classroom were not of equal quality so a lot of sharing had to occur. When a sufficient amount of time had elapsed, a group discussion of the 24 jobs took place. I tried to get them to understand connections to real life situations. For example, during the discussion for entomologist, I asked them why it would be important to be an expert on insects----bees as pollinators for our food source, bugs as a source of food for pets, etc.

Taped up pages of want ads from the local STAR News at the front of the classroom. Asked them to think about what jobs are available and what skills were needed to perform those jobs. Left this activity up as a free choice activity during lunch and breaks. Class discussions will return to these pages later.

Next I spread out an assortment of magazines---POPULAR MECHANICS, POPULAR SCIENCE, OUR STATE, SOUTHERN LIVING. There were enough magazines so that each student could pick two. The class was given time to peruse the periodicals and look for articles about jobs that might interest them. Next each student was asked to share with the class an occupation of interest found in one of the magazines and tell what they might need to do to get that kind of job. These particular periodicals were great because they had a lot of pictures showing people doing various jobs currently or in the future. Even some of the advertising in the magazines was helpful to illustrate or prompt a student to think about a career choice.

The next activity involved information that I had found online from the Michigan Council of Women in Technology. I shared that Information Technology jobs were good jobs for the future and that not many women are presently working in this field. The premise of this type of work is that “computers are dumb, and they need humans in order to operate!” As soon as 2020, it is believed that there will be 1.4 million IT jobs available. IT jobs are considered more stable and offer better pay. At the present time only 18% of computing and IT science degrees go to women and companies are looking for women with this type expertise.(1) I also pointed out that IT companies are looking for creative people---types who think outside the box! I shared an interview technique used by many companies that tries to determine how creative a thinker an applicant is. A job interviewer will hand an applicant a ballpoint pen and ask him to name or list all the possible uses for the pen. The job interviewer is looking for creative people who are not afraid to “take the pen apart.” I shared the story of the surgeon who saved someone by using the case from a ballpoint pen during an emergency tracheotomy.

After the IT discussion I presented them with a challenge. I asked them to create something from a cardboard box, a pencil, and duct tape. I supplied boxes of various sizes and shapes, they all had pencils and I provided rolls of duct tape to be shared. Each student picked one box. They also had to name their creation and give a little spiel about it to the class. A secret ballot was held for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place and prizes (giant Tootsie Rolls from the Dollar Store) were awarded. The variety of ideas was amazing----very simple to quite complex, very quick to quite time consuming, and very typical to quite unusual. Pictures of the “challenge” creations are attached to this blog.

The last task before going home was to list an occupation of interest that could be illustrated to the class the next day by way of a demonstration, a picture, a story, a prop, etc. The list included vet, gymnast, marine biologist, singer, dancer, basketball player, travel agent, football player, skate crew, engineer, paleontologist, and “velociraptor!” The next day the students brought in basketballs, footballs, Legos, stuffed animals, choreographed skits, songs, skate boards, fossils, and a toy dinosaur robot. The presentations were spread out over the day because of other Career Day activities. The presentations were generally gender typical with the girls being the singers and the dancers and the boys being the ball players and the skate boarders.

On Career Day the 6^th graders did join the 7^th and 8^th graders to complete a packet called CAREER DAY PREPARATION ACTIVITIES from the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation. The students were also visited by a parent who owns her own recording label and performs, a parent who is a chemist and tests water, and a parent who is retired military and works as a warden. Other special activities included watching episodes of DIRTY JOBS hosted by creator, Mike Rowe---collecting alligator eggs (my husband watches SWAMP PEOPLE so I had a little background to share), collecting kelp and feeding it to abalone (I had been to a similar California pier/restaurant where the sea lions perch under the glass top tables), and creating special effects make-up.

Career Day seemed an enjoyable experience considering it was the last in-class activity before the last day of school. The remaining week included an all day Field Trip, Field Day outside, an Awards Ceremony, and Graduation.

(1) According to “How do we get girls to code? Initiatives seek answers” by Hayley Tsukayama at THE WASHINGTON POST, Google is launching an all-star group initiative aimed at getting girls excited about computer science and coding. The initiative, called “Made with Code,” will invite teenage girls to start projects in its “Blockly” visual programming editor. STAR News, Sunday, June 22, 2014

A Classroom Calendar Correlation

During my years in the classroom, I always liked to teach to the calendar-----meaning I preferred to build a unit or present a topic in a timely manner with an actual event, holiday, celebration, season, remembrance, etc. Since a feeling for history is hard to establish for young children, it makes more sense to talk about, for example, the Pilgrims at the actual time of year for harvesting and preparing for winter-----not say in May! If you want children to have an understanding for the direness and gratitude felt by the Pilgrims, then the children need to have some concrete connections to the events. Appropriate seasonal weather conditions have the power to cement concepts read about in books or heard about in stories.

Holding to my belief in following the calendar for the classroom, I used a day subbing with a group of 6^th graders after their EOG's as a way to explore three calendar events---a full moon combined with Friday the 13^th, Flag Day, and Father's Day. Using my efforts to make their time as interesting as possible while waiting for the other classes to finish the Science EOG's, I honed in on the fact that it is the 200^th Anniversary of the STAR SPANGLED BANNER. I found information and an interactive website in the June issue of the SMITHSONIAN, the magazine for smithsonian.com.

Luckily, the school is equipped with Wifi, a laptop, and a projector, so I was able to share the interactive website with the entire class. Since they have an American flag on display in their classroom I started the discussion off with having everyone stand and say the Pledge of Allegiance. Next we proceeded to read the information on the interactive website with a game that the class had taught me called “popcorn.” The students take turns reading until they are tired which then calls for the reader to say “popcorn!” Hands then go up for volunteers to be called on to continue the reading. At the end of each section of the informational reading on the website was a question to be answered before they could move on to the next section. It was amazing to see how engaged they were about getting each question correct in order to read more about the history surrounding the song and the flag.

After finishing the website, I presented the class with examples taken from the SMITHSONIAN magazine which showed artworks that were inspired by the flag which had been seen by Francis Scott Key. There were examples by painters, poets, musicians, cartoonists, and weavers. Of course the one to catch the attention of these 6^th graders was the piece done by the team at Ralph Lauren's studio. Next I challenged them to create something red, white, and blue to represent how they felt about the STAR SPANGLED BANNER and that original flag which has been enshrined at the the Smithsonian since 2008. I put out piles of red, white, and blue scraps from many old projects---paper strips, foam punch outs, wire, tissue paper, ribbon, stickers, etc. In the accompanying pictures are some examples of projects that were created by the students.

Since these students are going to be the class to lead the singing of the STAR SPANGLED BANNER at the school graduation ceremony, I asked them to practice the words. Again using the SMITHSONIAN interactive website we heard the music and saw the words. An interesting discussion occurred when they realized that the words for the STAR SPANGLED BANNER were actually piggy-backed on another popular British song. They saw that it was like singing a nursery rhyme. They all knew that the ABC song (which was based on a Mozart tune) which then became the basis for “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” which is the same tune as “Baa, Baa Black Sheep.” After several attempts to sing the STAR SPANGLED BANNER, I realized only one girl in the class knew the words and tune. I am going to have to print off copies for everyone to practice next week.

Happy Flag Day and Happy Birthday to the STAR SPANGLED BANNER!!!

Reflecting on Teaching and Teachers

Today is National Teacher Appreciation Day which is part of Teacher Appreciation Week. I know why I became a teacher (my mother made me do it!), but why do I love teaching? Now that I am a retired teacher, I am starting to get a handle on some reasons. I think about the things that I miss about teaching.

I think being remembered is part of it. Who doesn't want to be remembered? This past Saturday night at the YWCA Centennial Celebration, I was impressed that of the 100 Legacy Women named from the rolls of the Women of Achievement winners, 12 were from the Education category. It speaks volumes about being remembered. Maryann Nunnally was voted as being the overall winner for Education. She is definitely someone that I remember and appreciate. We carpooled for swim team practice 35 years ago. She has always been full of wisdom. I will always remember what she taught me about children, parenting, teaching, and people.

I also remember one of my teachers from back in the days at Maplewood Elementary in Waynedale. I really liked Miss Weilbaker. However, by today's standards she would be considered quite controversial. Come to think of it, she was controversial even back in 1958-1959. Miss Weilbaker at times did smell and it caused a lot of angst for some classmates. Her offensive odor kept the”mothers' telephone tree” quite busy. One classmate took it upon himself to put a bar of soap on her desk. If I remember correctly, it was with his mother's blessing.

In spite of her smell, Miss Weilbaker was an extraordinary teacher. She sparked within me an interest in History and Social Studies. It was under her tutelage that we were exposed to Indiana History. To culminate our study of Indiana, we were to assemble a notebook and written reports about Indiana with an emphasis on Fort Wayne and Allen County. At the very beginning she had laid out the ground rules about how the notebook was to be assembled. There was to be no use of colored ink! Well I got a brain storm about making my notebook out of wood native to Indiana. My dad, being a pattern maker, could achieve this feat. The shape of Indiana was even cut out of wood for the front of the notebook. (I still have this notebook!) Well, unless I used brown ink, my wood theme was not complete. She loved my report, asked if she could keep the notebook, included it in the picture for the Allen County Schools' newsletter, and had it on display when the Superintendent made a visit to our classroom. However, as promised, she knocked me down to a B because I used colored ink. In those days, it never occurred to my parents to question that grade of B. Plus, it did teach me to understand that some rules can be tinkered with and some not, but it was my job to figure out which ones.

However, the greatest contribution to my education from Miss Weilbaker came from her most controversial classroom practice. After a major test Miss Weilbaker would rearrange our desks according to our test scores.(Can you imagine the outcry if she were alive today and carrying out this classroom practice?). It was this rearranging of desks that woke within me the understanding of what it means to compete. I believe that prior to Miss Weilbaker's class, I did not totally understand the relative importance of good grades and the power that they held for me. I was never very good at sports and never really took part in any kind of team competition. Hence, I did not know the feeling derived from competing and winning. Thanks to Miss Weilbaker she turned learning, studying, and getting good grades into a competition. It was my “sport!” Interestingly, the harder I worked at my “sport,” the more I grew to love learning!?!

Recently I read that Gene Simmons, frontman for KISS, had been a teacher. He taught sixth grade. When asked which was a tougher industry: music or education, he said that it depends on how high you want to reach! Simmons explained that the rewards are much greater in the music business, but the pitfalls are very deep. He went on in the interview to say that “something both professions offer is the chance to be in the spotlight” He feels that in one, you're in front of an audience who may not want to be there, but in the other, you're in front of an audience who worships at your feet!”

I think Gene Simmons struck a note with me about the spotlight thing. I've always enjoyed the entertainment aspect of teaching. With me puppets have been an important part of my teaching repertoire. You cannot be a puppeteer without being comfortable on center stage. A puppet can generally turn around any recalcitrant young student. Now my “puppeteering” days are reserved for an audience of one. I have been known to do “facetime” with my granddaughter in Raleigh. I get under the table and hold my puppets up to the computer screen and recite finger plays for her. She, like my former young students, love a good puppet show.

And like Gene Simmons, dressing up was part of my classroom demeanor. One of my prize costumes was the purple velvet, full length gown that I wore when we studied Letter Person Mr. V. The gown had been a bridesmaid dress worn by a parent in a long ago wedding. So instead of giving it to Goodwill, the parent gave it to me as an “end-of-the-year” gift. Mr. V wore a Violet Velvet Vest and I wore the violet velvet, floor length gown. Mr. V and I would act out his story about the “Vanishing Vests” and we would invite the children to touch the velvet. Sadly, now days for various reasons my husband doesn't have the imagination for, nor the appreciation of a violet velvet, floor length bridesmaid gown!?! (1)

Another aspect that I miss about teaching is as an avenue for my creative urges. Maybe my mother did know best when she steered me into teaching. She is the one who had to put up with my constant need to be making or doing something. Growing up I was always creating posters or displays for projects in school, 4-H, or Girl Scouts. I have always looked upon classroom bulletin boards as works of “art.” I always hated when people felt the need to use borders on bulletin boards. It was a personal goal of mine to have our classroom bulletin boards be aesthetically pleasing. I wanted the work of the children to be displayed in such a way that it would be attractive to everyone, not just the principal or the parents. I know that my son-in-law realizes that I miss this aspect of teaching when I recently rearranged the walls of his home. Maybe I could get a job with a real estate company as a home “stager!?!”

In addition, I miss the synergy of the classroom. There is such a good feeling when a plan comes together and it unfolds like a flower. Creating units for classroom topics has always been a favorite teaching activity for me. It made me happiest when I could teach or present a topic in such a way that the children felt it, heard it, saw it, tasted it, and even smelled it. I also felt the need to introduce topics or rather “set the stage” with a purpose for learning. Anything could be a starter or purpose—a holiday, a current event, the weather, a question from a child, etc. When school subjects are pulled together under one umbrella topic, real learning will occur and new avenues of learning will open up. A simple project like making a suncatcher can serve as a springboard to science, art, literature, cooking, etc. Children should also feel free to take something from say the dress-up box and use it in a different way. I always felt successful when I saw the doll's baby blanket on the floor as a tablecloth for a picnic, tied around a neck as a cape or tied around a waist as a skirt!

Earlier in the month my husband asked me why I was dragging out and putting up all that Easter stuff because no one was going to be here. Even after almost 48 years of marriage, he still doesn't know me like my mother did!!!

(1) Rock Star Gene Simmons' School Teacher Past, http://PARADE.condenast.com., 2012

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Today is Holocaust Remembrance Day, Monday, April 28, 2014. I have been following Michele Lefler Scercy on Facebook. She has been sharing a lot of posts about being Jewish, a widow, a woman, and a student.

I met Michele first as an Alpha Phi alumnae. She helped with some “Wear Red for Women and Heart Health” campaigns sponsored by the local Alpha Phi Alumnae and the local YWCA. Sadly Michele became a widow at a very young age. Over the years Michele has kept me informed about the local Alpha Phi Alumnae chapter, but only by way of emails.

Since I retired I have reconnected with Michele on Facebook. I have learned so much more about her life. I feel like I am getting to know her better now because of Facebook than I ever did with our face to face encounters.

In person Michele seemed reserved, quiet, and shy. If asked a direct question, Michele would always be forth coming, but you had to ask the question first. On Facebook I get a sense that she has found her “voice.” Her Facebook persona comes across now as an extrovert, not an introvert.

On Facebook Michele even has a cartoon representation of herself that gives off a sense of power and being in control. I don't know if she created this character or if she found this depiction in a Facebook “cloud.” Her “avatar” like creation is forceful, in the know, and very expressive.

These “avatar” like cartoons present Michele in social and emotional quandaries which sometimes are humorous, self-deprecating, or questioning. Whatever it is or however she has accomplished it, it is definitely attention getting. I want to keep knowing and seeing more and more about her life.

Earlier I followed Michele through Passover. Recently her posts have been about the Holocaust and the upcoming Day of Remembrance. She has given me pause to think about my own knowledge of the Holocaust.

Since I was born in 1945, I am too young to remember WWII firsthand. I do, however, have some recollections related to WWII. My father, Otto Arthur Exner, Jr. grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He came from what was referred to as the “East End” which was populated by folks of German and Polish descent who were basically farmers.

My dad never had a lot to say about growing up in Fort Wayne. However, one day I was with my dad in our backyard when I was about 10-12 years old and heard some ladies standing near our back fence yelling “Junie!, Junie! I had no idea what they wanted, but they did seem to be waving at my dad. I remember poking my dad and saying “I think they are talking to you!?!” As it turns out he had been their paper boy and he was called June or Junie which was short for Junior. Strangely though the real revelation was that he was delivering their German newspaper, the “stadts abendzeitung,” not the local Journal Gazette or News Sentinel.” My dad would get his newspapers at the Pennsylvania Railroad Station because they came to town by rail. This daily German newspaper was delivered around the “East End” until 1939.

Once a year we would attend the Exner Family Reunion on the second Sunday in August which originated in 1925. Elsie Exner Linker came up with the idea of a reunion and held it at her farm. Attached is a picture from that first reunion which only my dad and grandfather attended because my grandmother and two aunts were under quarantine because of scarlet fever. (1) It is because of these reunions that I have connections to the Holocaust. Like many Germans living in the “East End” of Fort Wayne, our family had come from parts of Germany that at times came under Polish rule.

It was at these family reunions where I encountered a relative of a relative who had a number tattooed on his forearm. I was too young to be part of the discussion, but I was old enough to have noticed his arm and ask why he had it. He was from Poland and had been put in a concentration camp.

In 2007, after my father died, my sister joined my husband and myself on a trip to Germany. Our trip did include a visit to the concentration camp at Dachau. If I understood the German sign correctly, it was a memorial site preserved to remember the people who died there. When I walked around the grounds and read the inscriptions, I was reminded of that relative of a relative who had survived incarceration in a concentration camp in Poland during WWII.

(1) SOME UNUSUAL POEMS by Albert Exner, (Alex—the first two letters of my first and last names) Lutheran Home, Fort Wayne, Indiana

Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Day

Tomorrow, April 24, 2014, will be the 21^st observance of TAKE OUR DAUGHTERS AND SONS TO WORK DAY. I have enjoyed an association with this program almost since its inception. Initially it only targeted girls, but boys were added in 2003. Every year on the fourth Thursday in April, millions of boys and girls experience activities and events in order to examine opportunities which will enable them to reach their fullest potential. I have been involved at almost every level of participation---parent taking a child to work, employer encouraging employees to bring their children to work, mentor to other children, and organizer to help promote the program in our community.

Back in my day, there were no special days set aside to explore the world of work. However I did have my own, personal job adviser, my mother. She did her best to make certain that I understood that I needed to be prepared for the workforce. My mother's three preferred jobs were teacher, nurse, and secretary. She had very strong feelings why these were the perfect choices for a woman and don't forget future mother. She believed that these were all jobs that had security, flexibility, and good money (all things important to a woman reared during the Great Depression).

My mother also encouraged me to join groups like 4-H and Girl Scouts. Through these organizations I had additional opportunities to explore many careers. Plus, as it turned out, my mother was my 4-H club adviser and my Girl Scout troop leader. She not only encouraged me as a parent in these organizations, but she guided me through and exposed me to many experiences during my years of participation with these groups. I remember her arranging a wide variety of guest speakers and field trips for my Girl Scout troop and 4-H club-----the Indiana State Legislature, a local dairy, the Indiana State Fair, a radio show (Don McNeill's Breakfast Club with “Aunt Fanny”), the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, etc.

I still am amazed that my mother, who did not have a lot of formal training, was able to provide me with endless opportunities to find my niche in life. She tolerated my bug and leaf collections in her dining room, supported my furniture refinishing projects, helped me with food preparation for 4-H competitions, allowed me to use her sewing machine (the lady across the road on Sandpoint actually taught me to sew), exposed me to travel and museums, survived my attempts at singing in a “girl group” accompanied by an accordion, and hauled me around to all the relatives (my mother had nine siblings living in Fort Wayne) so that I could sell my Girl Scout cookies.

As I look at pictures of my self during my middle school and early high school years, I see me exploring many different activities that could have led me down some very different and interesting paths in life-----entomology, interior design, politics, performing arts, forestry, or sales. All of these careers could have been pursued at Purdue University. Instead, I chose to stick to a career path found on my mother's approved list. After all, she was footing the bill and I only had a $75.00 “June is Dairy Month “ scholarship to get me started at Purdue (it only covered my first semester's tuition bill).

Sadly, the Wilmington area does not promote TAKE OUR DAUGHTERS AND SONS TO WORK DAY much any more. Since local principals rejected the idea of a day away from classrooms (so close to end-of-year testing), the program has almost become nonexistent. It is unfortunate for the young folks in this community because there are scholarships available from the TAKE OUR DAUGHTERS AND SONS TO WORK DAY Foundation. Teachers and school counselors are asked to submit essays written by students about their on-the-job experiences. These essays are used for consideration when awarding the scholarships.

One bright spot is that as local schools and community organizations work to bring more attention to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education, they are actually bringing attention to career exploration. Yesterday (4/22/14), there was a story in the STARNEWS about the STEM teacher at Dixon Elementary who had arranged for her students to “talk live” to an astronaut at the International Space Station. The teacher said “the space talk was a unique experience for everyone involved and may be the beginning of a new generation of space explorers and scientists.” Thus, we have a win-win for science education, job opportunities, and a brighter, stronger America for future generations.

Remembering Alex Newsome

As I was reading Pam Sander's tribute to Alex Newsome in today's STARNEWS (04/18/14), I could not help but think back a couple of weeks to an article by Tom Grady in his “Sports Notes (03/25/14).” His article, “Physics is an important part of the game in all sports,” addresses the need to understand the importance of properties like speed, trajectory, velocity, momentum, mass, projectiles, friction, etc. when playing games involving balls. Mr. Grady points out that everything about sports involves physics and that he uses soccer practice to teach physics lessons.

Sadly, my question then becomes “did all the boys understand that a ball, the size of a baseball and traveling at a certain speed, could have such velocity to kill a teammate?” I have a 13 year old grandson who plays baseball as a seventh grader in Indiana and his dad is a volunteer coach. If I called my grandson and asked him if he thought a baseball hit by one of his teammates could kill a fellow player, would he understand that it could happen? I would like to think that my son and the other coaches spend some time imparting information to the players on how powerful a baseball can be when struck by a bat. Unfortunately, I think that in Indiana, like here, it probably never occurs to them to actually point out the physics of the game.

It is commendable the efforts that are planned to remember the life of this young athlete. I congratulate the baseball teams across our district that could put aside school rivalries in order to celebrate Alex Newsome by wearing special shirts. I am impressed by the compassion that has been shown by the Hoggard baseball team for the the younger Roland-Grise players. I appreciate the efforts that are being made by the New Hanover County Schools to comfort parents, teachers, and students by providing grief counselors as they try to come to grips with their feelings and worries. I am impressed with the amount of media coverage that has been given this tragedy. The outpouring of this community is inspiring.

Also, I can not imagine the pain being felt by the young player who hit the ball or the coaches who were responsible for the players. As in all situations, there are always questions. Hopefully with review, better procedures can be found and implemented for the future. Unfortunately, the public has a short memory, events can be forgotten, shirts will be put away, and again the powerfulness of that struck baseball will not necessarily be understood.

So maybe a more lasting tribute to and remembrance of Alex Newsome would be to infuse physics lessons into the playing of sports. A campaign to bring physics to all young players in order for them to understand the forces at work during a game or a practice. For example, the rule about wearing a helmet while batting would not be followed because the coach said so, but because of understanding the speed and velocity of the ball coming at them.

Like in understanding the physics of the game, wearing special equipment will also have to start when the players are young. In the STARNEWS article (04/19/14), “Head gear for baseball players still evolving,” it is discussed that changes to equipment will only come after players have grown-up with the new protection.

In addition let's not depend just on the public schools to get this information out to all people. Local agencies like the New Hanover County Public Library, the Cape Fear Museum, YMCA, YWCA, etc. need to also join the campaign. Local organizations already work to get the public aware of the need for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education. Let's tie safety in sports to the understanding of scientific principles. It's a win-win for everyone.

100 Years

On April 24, 2014 the YWCA Lower Cape Fear will celebrate its 100^th birthday. Even though I am going to enjoy being part of this celebration here in Wilmington and have spent almost 35 years associated with this local YWCA in various capacities, it is actually my second YWCA 100^th Birthday Party. Back in 1955 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, I participated in the 100^th Birthday of the YWCA USA (1855-1955). I was 10 years old.

The YWCA'S 100th Birthday bash in Fort Wayne was much different from the the local “black tie” affair that is planned here in Wilmington for Saturday evening May 3^rd. According to my scrapbook enclosure, it was called “WET AND DRY SPOTS IN HISTORY.” Essentially the celebration was a gym and pool recital. We all sang “Happy Birthday” to the YWCA at the beginning and the end of the program. There were diving exhibitions, swimming demonstrations, a swim suit review from over the years (obvious a parade of changing bathing suit styles), dance routines (tap, ballet, slimnastics, social, and rhythmic). I performed in an intermediate tap number.

The Fort Wayne YWCA was founded in 1894.The YWCA building on West Wayne Street in downtown Fort Wayne was built in 1911. The pool was added in the basement in 1924. The old YWCA building was a fascination to me. It was a large building located next door to the downtown library. Besides the pool in the basement, it had a main floor gymnasium that was used for sports and dance. The main floor had a central, grand staircase that led to the 2^nd floor meeting rooms. However, the most interesting area was where the residence space was located. It was considered a “safe place for working women.”

I tried many times to sneak a peek at the residence space, but I never made it. As my neighbors and I waited for our carpool home, we watched the young women check in at the front desk, pick up their mail, and get their room keys. Sometimes we tried to follow them, but they just laughed at us as they slipped behind the big door to the residence space.

A YWCA front desk is an interesting entity, and in my experience, has not really changed much regardless of time or location. Back in 1955 the lady at the Fort Wayne front desk kept an eye on us, checked us in for class, and sold us candy. In 1979 the lady at the front desk of the Wilmington YWCA, Shirley Avery, kept an eye on us, checked us in for class, and sold us candy! The only difference now in 2014 is that the lady at the front desk no longer sells candy!

Even though for many years I took dance classes and swim classes at the Fort Wayne YWCA, it was my time spent in Y-Teens that has been most beneficial to me as an adult. Y-Teens was a high school service club that teenage girls joined at their respective schools, but came together once a month at the central YWCA location. It presented opportunities for leadership, fellowship, community service, and a school “letter.”

Since I was not adept at sports, cheerleading, or music (instrumental or vocal), I had to use what gifts I had to get school letters and “facetime” in the school yearbook. Y-teens was girls only so that knocked off half of the competition. To this day it is generally the rule not to allow men on local YWCA Board of Directors. By my final year at Elmhurst High School (Class of “63), I was the president of our Y-Teen Chapter. I definitely have YWCA training to thank for helping me gain the skills to “lean-in” and “take my seat at the table”(1)

In 1979 when I moved to Wilmington as a “GE trailing spouse,” the YWCA was my gateway into my new community. Susan Manne, a neighbor and another “GE trailing spouse,” invited me to participate at the YWCA. Susan was instrumental in getting me to join the Wilmington YWCA Board of Directors and allowing me to meet Bessie Fay Hunt, a real visionary for the local community.

Bessie Fay Hunt is the person responsible for my many years of involvement with the YWCA (Lower Cape Fear as it is known today). She was a very strong and a very smart woman. To this day I admire her wisdom, foresight, and leadership. Because Bessie Fay Hunt had a problem in 1981 that needed solving, Gayle Busch, a neighbor, and I formed a partnership to create a half day preschool for the YWCA. Eventually Gayle Busch followed her husband to another assignment and I continued with ownership of the Tot Spot until it was sold to the YWCA in March of 2012.

Over the years it has been my pleasure to work in various ways with some very outstanding YWCA Executive Directors, but mostly it has been my privilege to have worked with and known the dedicated, devoted, and hardworking staff of the Tot Spot, LLC. I especially want to highlight the efforts of the team of Nancy Baden, Addie Arato, and Mollie Stanley who joined forces with me in the classrooms for almost 25 years to provide care and nurturing for the four year old preschoolers.

(1) LEAN IN Women Work & the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer, Facebook

NATIONAL TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK / 2013

(LAST TOT SPOT ROSTER UNDER MY SUPERVISION)

ADDIE ARATO / 27 YEARS

EDEN AVERY / 7 YEARS

NANCY BADEN / 29 YEARS

PAT DENTON / 16 YEARS

TAMMY DENTON / 15 YEARS

CAROLINE ENDRESS / 5 YEARS

SANDRA HARRELL / 8 YEARS

VICKIE KONTALONIS / 19 YEARS

STEPHANIE RANKIN / 9 YEARS

JAN RICHARDSON / 17 YEARS

LISA RIVENBARK / 7 YEARS

MARIA SMITH / 4 YEARS

MOLLIE STANLEY / 24 YEARS

PAM TOMLINSON / 10 YEARS

CARRIE WATTS / 5 YEARS

BARBARA WHALEN / 17 YEARS

AND OTHERS TO REMEMBER FROM OVER THE YEARS

FRAN ENDRESS / 20 YEARS

HEATHER FASANO / 7 YEARS

JENNIFER STOGNER / 7 YEARS

JAIME WALTON / 22 YEARS

JENNIFER KNOWLES / 3 YEARS

CRYSTAL KARAFAS / 4 YEARS

COLLEEN TRANCHON / 3 YEARS

RAELYNE MICHEL / 4 YEARS

CYNDI BYRD / 10 YEARS

SUSAN FIELDSTEIN / 10 YEARS

CATHY KADEG / 12 YEARS

LINDA SMITH / 5 YEARS

DARLENE SIEDENTOP / 5 YEARS

AND EVEN OTHERS TO REMEMBER FROM OVER THE MANY YEARS

LAURIE CHRISTENSEN

JANE MAREK

SUSAN McDONALD

KARI BEDSOLE

BARBARA CAVENAUGH

JOYE DEANE

DEBORAH DOUCETT

TRISHA WATTS

KYLE HALL

KATHERINE ANDERSON

TERESA BATSON

SUSAN DUPUIS

REBECCA ROBERTSON

YVETTE TURNER

JACQUELINE EASON

CLAUDIA KEMP

KELLEY LEE

DONNA LEMERY

NORA MORGAN

(VERY FIRST EMPLOYEE HIRED)

PATSY WEBER

EDNA CANADY

KAREN JAMES

MARGARET WHITE

SUSAN STANLEY

AND EVEN MORE TO REMEMBER

JEANNE RIEMAN

ANNALISE MARTIN

BARBARA HALL

BILLIE J. ROSS

ROSE GEMBORYS

ROBIN EBERHART

MICHELE KIGER

JANE CAPPADONA

SHEILA IRRERA

NANCY MAGRUDER

BRENNA WOOLHISER

KATHLEEN WALKER

CATHERINE MERIAM

BARBARA McNEIL

PAMELA HERSEY

MELISSA MOLININI

JENNIFER TILLERY

ALLISON WALKER

JENNIFER JORDAN

DEBORAH HEWITT

MICHELLE MESKERS

JANE BRUNT

MARY JO DONNER

TERI RAKSNIS

REGINA DEGUIDA

VALERIE LAZZARI

KERRIE SMITH

EMMIE EATON

SUZANNE MOORE

MELISSA BERRY

MARJORIE HUGHES

JENNIE GASKELL

JAN TABOR

URSULA BROWN

TAMMY COVIL

CARLA HERRING

KELLY REGAN

TANYA BEECHER

DEBORAH WARNER

SUSAN WAYT

TERRI DEARIE

AMY SCHRIDER

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

TERESA LOKEN

ELIZABETH CORRIGAN

JANA ALBRITTON

NANCY DUFINETZ

NANCY HAUSER

SHIRLEY PEAY

AND THE OTHER 48 SUMMER INTERNS, SUBS, AND MAINTENANCE STAFF EMPLOYED BY THE TOT SPOT LLC SINCE JANUARY, 1981!!!