The children lean forward, bellies over the table. Paul Sunwall, general manager of the Lynchburg Hillcats, sits with his hand against his cheek, studying the card in front of him. An instant later, his fingers are on the card and he is rattling off the math equations needed to make a total of “24” from the card’s four numbers.
“Yes!” he exclaims, pumping his fist after explaining his solution.
Sunwall had an opportunity to glimpse life for an elementary school math teacher Thursday. He and roughly 20 other community members participated in the Lynchburg City Schools’ “Educator for the Day” event.
Schools spokeswoman Leigh Farmer said that a goal of the American Education Week event is that participating community leaders will share their experience and say good things about the schools to other people in the community.
Of the 85 or so community leaders she contacted, about two dozen signed up, Farmer said. Other scheduled participants included school board member Albert Billingsly and city council member and delegate-elect Scott Garrett.
Nathaniel Marshall, senior human resources specialist with Babcock & Wilcox, got a chance to plug a career in engineering to eighth graders while helping teach a class at Paul Laurence Dunbar Middle School for Innovation.
Marshall, who is black, said he hoped he might provide an extra boost for African-American students who are interested in someday working for a company like Babcock & Wilcox.
“I’ve always thought that people are incentivized by people who look like them and seem like them,” Marshall said.
For his part, Sunwall said he walked away from his time supervising and playing “24” at Sandusky Elementary School with a feeling of hope about the next generation, based upon some of the rapid-fire mental skills he saw. And Sunwall made a positive impression on at least one of his fellow “24” players.
“I think he is a good person,” fifth-grader Tanner Jackson said. “I like him being here because he is funny and cool.”
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement