My First School Visit

On Monday, October 1, I traveled to Tuscaloosa, AL and spoke at my sister’s school. She teaches third grade at Faucet Vestavia Elementary School. The third graders are currently discussing weather and weather related terms, so she felt it was appropriate to invite her sister who is studying to become a meteorologist, to come visit. I was very excited about spending time with my sister and sharing my love for weather to a lively bunch of third graders. I prepared with a PowerPoint and found it tricky to provide material on a third grade level without being too complicated or too easy. Once I arrived at her school I felt all eyes were upon me because I was the “new kid”. As I spoke, I had the third graders attention, some even to the point of taking notes. At the end of my lecture, I was swarmed with questions from, “What age do you have to be to become a meteorologist?” to “Can tornadoes really pick up trains?” It was such an enjoyable experience, and I was touched by all the individual thank you notes that I received from the class. This was a very important beginning for my meteorology career, and I look forward to the next school visit.

~Leah Dailey
X-Ray