I once again accepted the challenge of being a Junior Achievement educator. Junior Achievement is sponsored by the Minot Area Chamber/EDC, and it involves community leaders sharing the Junior Achievement information with area grade school kids. At the first grade level we spend a lot of time on community. What is a community? What should be in a community?

My classroom was once again Mrs. White’s First Grade class at North Plains Elementary. This is my second year with Mrs. White. I have found the First Grade classroom to not only graciously accepting the information supplied by Junior Achievement, but also very accepting of me as a part time, ½ an hour a week for five weeks, instructor.

Last week was week two of five, and shortly after I entered the classroom I was surrounded by first graders who each had a very special story to tell me. One little girl just got a brand new dress from her mom. One little boy was leaving for a trip to Vegas. Another little girl shared that she had just gotten a new kitten. The stories could have gone on, but it was time to start our lesson for this week; we focused on three words- want, need and money. OK, if you are following along at home, you probably already guessed the direction this lesson is headed.

I was able to do a short explanation on want vs. need. And then need as it pertains to money. I could go over the whole lesson but would rather tell you that the students were very knowledgeable of what four things that their family needed. Clothing, shelter, food, and we kind of decided that where the base was located, they probably needed some type of transportation, like a car.

Then each young person was able to take the three words, want, need and money, and first of all give us something they wanted, something they needed, and if they needed it, how were we going to get it? Pretty simple, right?

What happened in the next 10 minutes surprised me, as not one of the students needed anything out of the ordinary. Well, except a puppy, but a solid argument could be made for every home needing a puppy. But besides their needs being very modest, they had common sense approaches on how they would be able to buy, or borrow, what they needed. You always expect them to “just go to the bank and borrow the money”. But nope, earn and save were the most common thoughts.

And Then Came the Tears
Mrs. White is a very good first grade teacher, and you can tell she has a very organized classroom. That being said, I respect that I have only about 35 minutes for my class time, so I packed up and said goodbye, until next week. As I was walking towards the door, one little boy grabbed my coat. He gave me a hug and said, I really want my Daddy back. He’s been gone a long time, and we all miss him so much.

That, folks, is the difference between teaching Junior Achievement at a school in Minot, and a school at Minot Air Force Base. As a first grader you aren’t asked to understand why your Dad or Mom are deployed, you just accept and deal with the circumstances. People who serve our country in the military may or may not be deployed. More than that, if they are deployed, there is no real average scenario. The world is a pretty fluid place right now.

Who is Teaching Whom
I can honestly say that over the three years I have been an instructor for Junior Achievement, I have learned as much as I have taught. But let’s put things into perspective. I am a grandfather with a degree in Journalism. They are first graders. And like they say, “and now, the rest of the story.”

Best Kept Secrets
I am still marking April 13th to attend Maple Sugaring Day at Fort Stevenson State Park, just south of Garrison. Details are on the Fort Stevenson website. North Dakota is not necessarily known for producing Maple sugar, but to watch as the trees are tapped, the sap is collected, and syrup is produced is certainly worth the trip.

Today’s Chuckle
Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but they’re not entitled to an audience for it.