Junior Achievement Sessions End

When I first talked to Mrs. White about my return to her classroom to teach Junior Achievement in 2024, she gave me a bit of a heads up that this class “gives me a run for my money every day.” My Junior Achievement time at North Plains Elementary was put on a bit of a hold while I had complete knee replacement surgery at the end of January. Normally the classes are pretty much completed by the end of March, ours were just starting.

I must say that when you walk into a room of 18 first graders, you have a bit of apprehension. OK, let’s get the elephant out of the middle of the room. Why? Well, I am beyond the age of their parents. Heck, I am almost on the edge of being and older grandparent. What they learn, and how they learn are a whole lot different today than when I went to school, or even when my kids went to school. No individual desks in long rows. Nope, desks pushed together to form a square. In the middle is a table with an adult sized chair. On one side of the room is a bunk bed. Not for sleeping of course, but it gives the room a bit of a different character, getting away from the sterile classrooms of old.

Junior Achievement is a course that teaches the kids about their community. The Minot AFB community is quite different than downtown Minot. First, for many of these kids this is their first year at Minot AFB. On the flip side, this could be their last year on Minot AFB, but we’ll get to that later. We talk about neighborhoods, and the people who help their neighborhoods work. Firefighters, police officers, maintenance people…kind of a normal neighborhood, I guess.

Without boring you with all five lessons, I will jump to my last lesson which empowered the kids to think about a business that they may want to start on Minot Air Force Base. Pet vets (veterinarians), Excursions with a Shark, Police of the City, A Teacher who is also The Pet Watcher. Once they have decided on their new business, we talk about advertising. They need to design a newspaper ad (I work for the Northern Sentry) to talk about their business. I gave them 12 minutes, which was more time than most needed, and not enough time for others. The results of their labors? Well, they were well thought out, and the kids took little time in showing their ads to Mrs. White. Some asked for help in spelling. That is where I learned a new process called word stretching. Shark? Start with Mrs. White’s favorite “s-h” sound? No need to add a “c” says Mrs. White. Sh…and now the ARRR of a pirate says Mrs. White. Shar…Finally we end it with a “k” sound. Yeah, you got it Shark. So simple, but yet so effective. Rather than give the answer, make them work a bit and learn. Perfect, Mrs. White, perfect!
The final task would be to develop a sign, although we didn’t have time for this exercise in class. I gave them ideas like a dollar sign for a bank…

Boy, 30 minutes goes by so fast. My time was over. And now the moment I was dreading all day. Saying goodbye to my adopted first grade class. I shared the story about Mrs. White giving me a heads up about this class. Not sure where she hid that class, because these kids stole my heart, over and over again. When I was handing out their graduation certificates, I asked them where they would be next year? Washington, DC, Virginia, South Dakota, Washington without a DC, Texas, just to name a few. A lot will return to North Prairie next year, but of course they will be second graders, and unlike growing up in Maddock, they may know some of their classmates, but not all of them.

Mrs. White and I have been together in Junior Achievement for two years, and we kind of gave each other a bit of a promise to work together again next year. Not only is Mrs. White a great teacher of first graders, but she is also a great teacher of those who are lucky enough to share some time in her classroom, mainly me.

Those kids who gave her a run for her money, well they share hugs “the hugginist class I have every had” says Mrs. White. And as I left the class with a tear in my eye, I heard a young lady behind me yell “Rod…can I give you a hug?” Hey, I am a grandparent. I love giving and getting hugs. Sure, I said. Then she looked up at me and said, “Rod, I love you. You’re the best.” The small tear on my cheek was quickly replaced with a waterfall of tears from both eyes. My Dad had a saying that went something like this. The best things in life come to you when you least expect them.

Have a great summer Mrs. White and the kids from my JA class at North Plains Elementary. I will miss you.