Treasure Chest of Thoughts: Bee a Stakeholder

Dr. Stacey Donaldson, NBCT

Yesterday, I learned this word.

Tomorrow, I will share this word.

In the meantime, I am reminded of a story someone…probably a parent?…maybe a teacher or admin?…needs to read.

Please count the number of stakeholders involved in this story…

Picture it:

Five of us gathered week before last in my room for our parental-involvement luncheon. Yes, that Mexican takeout tasted amazing. Yum! (Before you get jealous…mine grew cold before I could finish…but soooo worth it!)

This soon-to be future student of mine began to share about his summer job…an internship at WRMC. Soooo proud he was of that name badge (had it on that day!) Yes…there’s one of the stakeholders!

As we ate and chatted, one of us mentioned about his going to UACCB and earning his welding certificate. Dad looks interested. Son/student looks interested. (AKA…dad…when he walked in? Yes, stakeholder #1.)

So off I go to find out from the counselors if this is doable in this kiddo’s schedule. Why, yes, it is…but this student will have to go and take the Accuplacer in the next three days and score a specific number.

Hummm…well. I just met this student and his dad and am not sure how obtainable that score is…but…never let them hear the doubt. Never.

I return and share and immediately hear dad say, “I will go with you.”

Fast forward six days to Open House. I turn from my current conversation to see above student walking straight to me, holding up a piece of paper with a lot of words…and one row of numbers…all higher than the minimum score he needed.

Oh, yes! Happy dance and atta-boys…right then and there. For, yes, there stood grinning-dad, too!

I sent them on to chat with others…and soon learned and met him again the next day when he (and dad) came back to re-do his schedule as he now has welding as a part of his Future Story…because of the life-changing agreement we have with our partner UACCB.

Please hear me: mom, dad, teacher-friends, sometimes, we need to be assiduous/diligent in our listening, chatting, planting seeds, cultivating…for the harvest awaits…with plenty who need a gentle nudge from you and me and all the stakeholders that it takes to see a future story to reality.

My favorite stakeholder?

The student?

The dad?

The teachers there at the lunch (we three teachers outnumbered son and dad!)?

The counselors?

The admin…who said host the lunch?

The school…who dreamed up this tremendous parental involvement encounter?

White River Health for the intern opportunity?

UACCB for their partnership?

All the others a part of all the above?

My favorite? The dad. There at every step.

If you are thinking, “I sure wish that for my child.”