Thursday, December 1, 2022

Turkey Day Vocab

I got to go to Turkey Day this year!

Turkey Day is an annual event at the continuation high school. The Thursday before Thanksgiving, the school hosts a turkey meal for the school and the district. (It's also a fundraiser for their scholarships.) 

Student volunteers serve the meal, but three teachers supervise, so subs are always needed. And bonus, we get to eat, too. I held off on accepting any sub gigs until the continuation high school gigs popped up.

It's been a couple years. Last year I was doing that long term assignment at the adult transition center, and the year before was 2020 (no in-person schooling, so no events like Turkey Day). 

While it had been a couple years since I attended, many of the students had never attended, so I explained how things were going to go, urging the students to go when it was their turn. (Many of them choose not to go and eat, and their reasons are spurious.)

I talked it up enough so that when it was Solomon's turn, he went. When he returned, he was asked how the food was. 

"It was okay." 

I think even if the food was spectacular, a teen would respond in this fashion. Okay is high praise, really. (His friend Malia asked if the turkey was "well seasoned". I think she was expecting a school to do gourmet.) 

Another friend wanted more information. "So, it was exceptional?"

Solomon chided his friend. "Exceptional is not the same as okay." 

Upon a bit of back and forth, Solomon realized what word his friend was looking for. "Acceptable." He agreed that the food was acceptable. 

It does my heart good when I hear them using words correctly, especially when the students are correcting each other. They do learn.

13 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great time. And good use of vocabulary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I enjoy it when they correct each other's vocabulary. It happens more often than you might think.

      Delete
  2. I have a hard time believing a school could afford anything above "okay". XD

    ReplyDelete
  3. The high school my daughter attended for a year and a semester would have had an "exceptional" turkey day! They have a Tourism and Hospitality academy with a restaurant. It's actually open a few days a week to the public.
    Wonderful they figured out what word they meant.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oooh, I want to sub at that school ;) There actually is one of those high schools, but in a neighboring district :(

      Delete
  4. It warmed my heart reading about their exchange. 🙂

    ReplyDelete
  5. That's a nice tradition for the school. I hope you found the food acceptable ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Liz - sounds good ... and as you say - it's good they're expanding their knowledge in their own way. Turkey dinners always good - though one or two are enough! Cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nice to know that they do learn. I vet he had s huge plate of food.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think you're so right about "okay" being really a teenage compliment.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, it is. They didn't reject it out of hand. That's their usual way.

      Delete

I appreciate your comments.

I respond to comments* via email, unless your profile email is not enabled. Then, I'll reply in the comment thread. Eventually. Probably.

*Exception: I do not respond to "what if?" comments, but I do read them all. Those questions are open to your interpretation, and I don't wish to limit your imagination by what I thought the question was supposed to be.