On Saturday, while the rest of DISD's thousands of teachers were happily resting in bed, out enjoying the sunshine or doing chores, I, along with about 40 other people, was sitting in a comfortable chair, enjoying delicious, FREE coffee out of a real cup, and eating a tasty slice of banana bread. They were, they said, trying to make the idea of being at DISD training on a Saturday morning not seem so bad in comparison to what we could have been doing.
And would you believe it - they were actually successful!
I kept looking around to make sure I was in the right place. My experience at past training sessions was that if you wanted coffee, you'd better stop at Starbucks or be prepared to pay $0.50 for a Styrofoam cup of lukewarm motor oil and some powdered creamer. Heck, even at my school if we want coffee, we have to pay, or at least bring coffee supplies. Not at Sex Ed training, though. There, both the coffee and fresh cream containers were of a shiny silver, and always full. That was really enough to make me happy for the whole day - free coffee and pastries that were not donuts served on real plates with real forks. It was hilarious how many teachers made comments like, "Wow! Real forks! For us? Wow!" You'd think we'd never seen forks or decent food before.
But that was just breakfast! Just the start! At lunch, which was in a room separate from the training area and provided for us, again, free of charge, we were amazed again. Everything was so fancy, from the white tablecloths to the amazing chocolate cake we had for dessert. They even made a special meal for vegetarians like me. Well, I was the only vegetarian, yet they still made accommodations for me. I felt so special. We all felt special. And relaxed, and comfortable, which, of course, let to us feeling prepared and ready to do what we were there to do - learn.
Boy, did some people in that room learn. Human sexuality isn't a topic without controversy, obviously, and a few of the topics we discussed definitely raised some eyebrows. This first segment was only background information for adults, not students, so it got pretty graphic. The idea of that alone - giving us background information, making us more educated adults before sending us out to share knowledge with children - that was brilliant. Of course, many of the things we learned were not intended for us to share with the kids, but being totally informed on STD's, AIDS and alternative lifestyles will do nothing but make us better at our jobs as newly-minted campus sex ed teachers.
It's weird to say this, but I'm actually looking forward to the next meeting of this three-part training course. Dealing with focused, organized, and highly intelligent trainers and guest speakers was so incredibly refreshing. It was so different from the usual - cramming ourselves into kid-sized desks, no refreshments other than the occasional pile of candies in the center of the table and leaving feeling you've gained nothing more than another packet of handouts to file away - that many of us felt like we weren't DISD employees that day. I mentioned this to the director of the program, and she said, "Good, that's how we wanted you to feel - like true professionals." Mission accomplished.
I may have left with nothing to carry out but two Planned Parenthood pamphlets and a full tummy, but my brain left filled with many new ideas and more knowledge than I expected. I also gained hope - hope that DISD can be good and successful. The district's department of Human Growth, Development and Sexuality is proof that even in the zoo that is DISD, when the right people are in charge, things work.
Oh, and the icing on the cake? We actually got paid for this! This is my third year with DISD and the first time I've attended training where teachers receive a stipend.
Now, when I start actually teaching Sex Ed...we'll see how that goes. I'm already dreading the questions they're going to ask...
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