NDA Renaissance Women

By Lynn Dickman

What a diversely talented and interesting group of  young women we are seeing off as the class of 2014 graduates from NDA!  Having taught this class as both freshmen and seniors this is not news to me, but it struck me in a special way this past week as my Advanced Placement English Literature seniors completed their last assignment.  That assignment,  due in the week following completion of their AP exam was  to turn the tables of the student/teacher roles and teach me something!  Wow!  What a diverse, fun and educational curriculum I was exposed to over the course of our week.  

Learning from these students wasn’t new to me; their literary prowess, insights and ideas have enriched me nearly everyday.  But this past week they iced the cake with such lessons as The Basics of Lacrosse, Successful Homemade Sushi,  Unspoken Etiquette of Teenage Texting and Smooth Moves in Salsa Dancing.  On the days when I passed the quiz after my Calculus Derivatives lesson, got applause for my excellent Archery Form, and recited the Hail Mary in Spanish  I think I experienced what our students do when the light goes on and they learn!  

So, as the class of 2014 goes off into the world, I go off too, confident in my Effective Online Shopping Skills,  freshly fluent in  the language of Ubbi Dubbi and totally prepped to Organize a Flash Mob if I get the urge!  And down the road someday when I’m practicing my Snapchat skills or eating a batch of Healthy Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Dip (seriously),  I’ll remember to tip my hat to the Renaissance women of the class of 2014 who made room 304 the best kind of classroom!