Trina Letter - Prison Stuff

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Hey, Navy:

Your phone call yesterday really brightened my day. I was very happy to hear that you’ve adjusted so well and that you’ve been given some responsibility. Who knows? By the time you read this, you’ve been moved to a new job in the division. In any case, I bet it feels really good to get your bitch on, again. :)

I’m started this letter in class Tuesday night while watching students struggle with the mysteries of Office 2003 (Word, Excel, and Access). I design the classes so the students teach themselves the material versus me lecturing from the front of the class (you know from personal experience how boring that is). This gives them a chance to dig into the computers and put some documents together, which is the reason they took the class in the first place. They have other classes in which they can hear teachers talk. In my class, they work. One student told me last night as we were leaving that he has problems in another computer class with another teacher because the teacher talks first then lets the students work. He prefers the hands-on method I use.

And you may not know this about the WNCC Prison Education Program: students/inmates can earn two-year college degrees if they take enough classes. Some students don’t have their high school diploma or GED which all inmates must have by state law, so during the day they go to the prison’s high school with teachers employed by the Carson City School District, then go to the college education area to get credits from college instructors like your old man. I’ve had more than one student going to full-time high school and full-time college (12 credits/4 classes) at the same time.

So why all this detail about something you may or may not be interested in? Dunno. It’s something I’ve invested a lot of time and energy in, and you wanted news about anything, so here you go.

You continue to take care of you. You’re always in our thoughts.

All my love,
Air Force