The Grand Canyon

Grand! It was truly grand. Not just the canyon, but the company. We thought we were taking the day off, but I learned as much in the eight-hours of road tripping as I could have imagined. From classroom management and African-American literature to education laws and regional linguistics. We learned about each other and the places we call home as we bonded over 17 million years of tenacious river water and pie.

Without betraying any confidences, I want to share a little bit about my travel companions. I'd share the other stuff, but they've got the goods on me too.

Silean doesn’t say much. She’s quiet. You already know that, but this woman’s waters run deep as the, well, you know. Her wisdom is gentle, but powerful—like a folksy, smiling bitch-slap. 

Lisa is a cornucopia of hilarious voices. And no, I don’t mean that Wis-CAHN-sin accent of hers. She may be physically incapable of quoting the characters in her stories without embellishing them with cartoon-quality voice personalities. She is going to be so entertaining when she starts reading baby books. 

Terry has seen it all, heard it, lived it, survived it and come out the other end with a shrug of the shoulders. It would be a major accomplishment to try to shock her. Terry! Aliens have kidnapped the Queen of England! “Meh. She’s had a long, full life on Earth. She’ll be fine.”

Becca is quick to smile, but get her laughing and you may worry that she won’t stop. It’s infections and had it gone on any longer, we’d probably all be dead. Also, when she tells you she’s a bad-ass rebel, it’s best just to smile and nod politely.

Ginny should start every day with a pint of Mountain Dew. She warned us that it makes her “crazy.” Evidently in Tulpelo, “crazy” means hilarious and animated. Quiet little Ginny. You may have to see it to believe it. She is also an excellent navigator, 85 percent of the time.

Katy hasn’t grown filters yet. She goes to raves with her students. And she reminds us all what it’s like to be young and ambitious. She’s about the same age as many of the students at the Cronkite School. She IS our target audience. If the future of the industry, society and the democracy is in the hands of the Katies of the country, run for the hills! No, no. Just kidding. The future will be as bright and shiny as Katy’s 5600 Kelvin smile.

Kelly Gastman