Last Friday we had a 2 show presentation at a middle school in Manhattan, KS. Overall things went how they normally do between getting to the school early, setup, meeting contacts, etc., but there were several things that stick out in my mind about this school. First of all, this was the first time that this particular school had had a Camfel presentation. Some teachers and board members have seen them, but not at this particular location. This being said, sometimes the contacts have no clue what to expect. This can either heighten the pressure or alleviate it depending on the circumctances.
Dorina and I arrived at the school at 6:15am, a little earlier than the principal had expected, but luckily there were still a few people around. We started to unload our van and by about 6:45a.m. we had met the Principal. Automatically, he was extremely hospitable to us. Several times he asked us if we needed anything, went and got things himself if we did, brought us nice cold waters, and simply came to check in on us during setup. It was in no way overbearing, just helpful.
During the first presentation, we unfortunately had a faulty start. Basically what this means is that one of the DVD players was not synced up properly to the other two. It was literally only a second off but that still makes a huge difference! The problem was fixed quickly and the rest of the show was great. This particular group of students was wonderful! They were very responsive, and thankful, that we had come to their school. This school was not just showing this presentation and then just sending students back to class. Instead they scheduled their day so that students could be in small groups discussing the presentation and similar projects.
After the first show a girl came up to me. She started the conversation by saying that the last part of our presentation almost made her cry. As she continued talking she talked about how sometimes she has a hard time not cussing. A way she worked through that is by making animal noises so that she doesn't say the actual word. She continued to explain that people (parents in particular) didn't understand why she made the noises ( I asked her if she ever explained and she said no). She was just so willing to share her heart and have someone listen to her and her alone. She was precious and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to listen to her although it was brief.
The second show was for another middle school only two miles down the road. The schools bussed the students over which was wonderful for us because we only had to set up once! Before the students arrived Dorina and I met a lady who said she was the interpreter. There were at least two students coming who were hearing impaired. Our presentations are made with subtitles as well so it was really cool to be able to serve the students in such a small but important way. During the show I was in awe of the interpreter. I have seen so many people sign before, but for some reason it just really stuck out today! I knew how fast the show was going and how fast she had to sign. It was amazing! There are so many ways for people to communicate!
From start to finish the presentation went well. Again the students were very responsive but not disruptive and all the staff was so nice! I really enjoyed the student/teacher interactions that I was able to have!
Earlier in the morning, the Principal had told us that after the presentations there would not be students available to help tear down but a few teachers. Without evening thinking about it we said ok. Well after the presentation there were six or so male teacher, administrators, and the principal helping us tear down. It was so weird asking these men to do things, or basically telling them. I know we weren't being disrespectful at all but it felt that way! They were willing to help, its just different went you are directing students versus older adults. They were very wonderful help, and I wasn't as nervous with the directions because they had a higher attention span! I was just reminded about the variety of people we work with, students and adults alike. They were able to see Dorina and I carry on conversations while clearly explain what needed to be done. It was evident that we knew our job and knew it well. We worked efficiently but it was also fun. I told them all how great it was to have their help. They were serving us that morning; what a blessing! Before we left the principal shook our hands and hugged us as he thanked us for coming. They were beyond hospitable and friendliness at this school! It was such a good morning!
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