Blog

Conversation with Tony Pann

Another school year comes to a close with one final Conversation With. Thanks to meteorologist Tony Pann, we will be entering the summer practicing the power of positivity. Mr. Tony believes that if you put the right thoughts out into the universe, the right things will happen. He says the power behind his success is visualizing what he wants before he acts on it. To Mr. Tony, the steps to doing anything should be to be, then do, then have. Positive thinking, according to Mr. Tony, increases your probability of achieving your goals. Of course to a meteorologist, probability is everything.

Going around the room, he asked each student to state a goal they have, then to close their eyes and visualize it happening. “Carry that feeling with you always,” he told the students. Mr. Tony also invited a few students to the front of the class to practice their public speaking. It doesn’t matter if you are afraid to talk in front of groups, he says, as long as you can act like you are comfortable. The students demonstrated an industry secret, holding something in your hand like a pen or clicker as a crutch to focus your nervous energy while speaking. It’s okay to take a deep breath and pause while speaking, Mr. Tony taught, and always turn your doubtful thoughts into positive ones. So, going into this summer, remember to always visualize success in everything you do!

Conversation With Aaron Henkin

“Honor your own curiosity” is the message of the day from Conversation With speaker Aaron Henkin, a radio producer for WYPR. His current project, “Out of the Blocks”, is a program that goes block by block to different Baltimore neighborhoods, allowing the residents to tell their stories. Mr. Aaron started the discussion by playing a clip of the show as an example. He explained that he wants to show what types of people you can meet when you show up “with the radical agenda of having no agenda”. He said that you can often find a more nuanced story if you let people talk about the issues they care about.

“Everyone I meet is the teacher of the day,” said Mr. Aaron. The factor that drove him to making content for radio and podcasts is is passion for discovering stories he didn’t know existed. He got tired of hearing the same stories to the same ways, over and over again. Mr. Aaron said that although they started with the most marginalized of blocks to showcase, he quickly realized that each block is like a tile in the mosaic that is Baltimore City; now they have gone to many diverse neighborhoods to tell their stories.

The discussion culminated in an activity with the students. Paired off, they each took a card that posed a question. The students used the question as a starting point for a mini interview. The point of the exercise was to practice active listening and to demonstrate the world of questions that open up from just one part of someone’s story. What a great skill for the students to learn!

Students Reflect on the Year in Final Creative Writing Lab

With the end of the school year sadly just around the corner, our creative writing seminar wrapped up today with students reading reflections on the year. The reflections ranged from funny to touching, though every student expressed their deep gratitude for the opportunity that TCS has given them and the family they have formed here this year. The creative writing seminar has run every week each year for close to 15 years under the leadership of Mr. Don Riesett, veteran of the advertising industry. Mr. Don has had work in several creative writing publications and we are very grateful he shares his stories and expertise with us. See you next year, Mr. Don!