09/16/2026
Today TSA spent the day at Riversport in OKC.
This is a day these students work hard all year for, and I believe they deserve it. But I also believe it is much more than just a day to goof off.
One of the things I really value about opportunities like this is getting students out of their comfort zones and giving them a chance to do things they may have never thought they could do.
Today, I watched one of my students conquer a fear of heights and go down a very high, very steep slide. I watched another student who was worried about getting on the boogie board because they were afraid other people might laugh at them. They got on it anyway.
Those may seem like small things to some people, but they're not small to the students who are doing them. They were both facing something that made them uncomfortable, and they chose to try anyway.
And that wasn't just these two students. Throughout the day, I watched students try things they didn't think they could do, encourage each other, challenge themselves, and step outside of their comfort zones.
Yes, they had fun today. They laughed, they goofed off, and they enjoyed being together. They're kids. They're supposed to.
But they also learned. They grew. They challenged themselves. They encouraged each other. And they made memories.
I truly believe days like today are an important part of what we do. Education isn't always about sitting in a classroom or working on a project. Sometimes it's about giving students the opportunity to experience something new, face a fear, take a chance, and discover that they are capable of more than they thought.
I'm proud of these kids and the work they put in all year. They earned today.