You Can’t Teach On Old Dog New Tricks
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DAVE’S WORLD
By David Howell
I don’t know about y’all, but it seems like the weeks leading to Christmas have been busier than ever. I think I am ready for Santa to get here. I have a few fun and meaningful outings during the last few weeks to share with you.
First a quick detour with a story from the past and how you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. When I was in a fifth grade Merit class at Batesville Intermediate School, we had an unusual test. Best I can recall it was a timed test and measured how well the students followed written instructions. The teacher handed it out and started the timer to see how long it would take to complete it. The first question was something like read the entire test before going to the second question.
Probably 99 percent of the students in the classroom did just like me, a quick glance at the remaining questions and then back to furiously writing in an attempt to get done first. Then something strange happened, a few smart students signaled they were done while the rest of us were just getting started.
Dexter Ross gets ground level as he listens to DES student Kase Boyle explain about his writing project.
You probably can figure out the rest of the story, the students who followed the instructions and read the entire test discovered that the last line had a twist. It said to simply write your name at the top of the test and you were done. Lesson learned, or at least it should have been.
Years later and I must admit instructions at my house are still a last resort. In typical manly fashion, if something needs to be put together I dive in headfirst and only read the instructions after the first few failed attempts.
And, more often than not, it takes twice as long for the assembly.
I am also guilty of hastily scanning emails or texts, and that also leads to fun occurrences. Examples include showing up at the wrong place or time to take a picture. I like to call it flying by the seat of my pants.
A recent example, DES Assistant Principal Melinda Allen reached out to me about an event at the elementary school. In typical fashion, I responded to her text without reading the details. I showed up on time last Tuesday with my camera ready to snap a picture and get back to the office. Tuesdays are press days and always busy.
When I got there, I realized it wasn’t for a picture. I joined Raymond Hawkins, Kathryn York, Andi Epes, Dexter Ross and Vickie Person for a school-wide writing gallery walk.
Ms. Allen explained it would only take an hour or so and I almost panicked. Another one of my faults is procrastination and I was already a little behind. I decided to mentally unplug from the looming deadline and enjoy the tour and interaction with the students and teachers. It turned out to be the best hour of my entire week!
The purpose of the visit was to see the progression in the level of difficulty for writing standards from kindergarten through the sixth grade. We were given a copy of the writing standards to see the expectations for each grade. We started with the kindergarten classes and worked our way to the sixth grade, class by class.
I visit the school regularly for different events, but this was an opportunity to see every classroom in action at DES. While the students’ writing skills were impressive, their enthusiasm for learning was amazing. A student or two from each classroom met us in the hall to explain their project and what they had learned.
Did I mention Coach Ross’ God-given talent for connecting with students. He teaches English at the high school and is always one of the students’ favorites. I can see why, he loves teaching and interacting with students – no matter the age.
Thanks, Ms. Allen, for inviting me. DES is so vibrant and it almost made me jealous. In my school days back in Batesville, I don’t remember the energy that I saw at DES that makes learning fun!
I was back at DES Monday for another fun event. Water Valley High School Powerlifting Coach Vaughn Daniels and team members handed out gifts. You can read about this event on page one and two, it was a blessing to attend.
I enjoyed the BankFirst Open House Friday and Monday I went to the Yalobusha County Detention Center with the crew for the Church of the Nativity. This was a great outing, the church provided stockings for each inmate and treats for the staff. Sean Kirkpatrick brought his guitar and the group sang Christmas carols with help from the trusties. The idea came from Laura Pitre following a November sermon from Matthew 25.
Special thanks to Sheriff Jerimaine Gooch, jail administrator Taisha Gray and Theresa Hernandez for helping coordinate this for the Church of the Nativity. I know the inmates enjoyed the treats and listening to the carols.
