TLC teacher to take students to Austin
Feb. 4—For a real live civics lesson, Transition Learning Center Facilitator Dallas Kennedy is taking a group of students to Austin March 25-27.
The six students chosen for the trip have shown an interest in how government works and in going to the state Capitol.
Kennedy has taken students to the Capitol once before. He often takes them to local government meetings such as the Ector County Commissioners Court and Odessa City Council work sessions. They attended an Ector County ISD Board of Trustees meeting when the new Transition Learning Center, financed by the 2023 bond, was on the agenda.
The trip will also help the students gain a sense of independence.
It will be funded by a $3,276.50 grant from the Education Foundation titled Legislature in Action.
"Our state representative (Brooks Landgraf, R-Odessa) has agreed to meet us there, so we're going to have a individual meeting with him," Kennedy said.
Landgraf said he is thrilled to welcome the students.
"I'm incredibly proud to welcome these outstanding students from the ECISD Transition Learning Center to their Capitol. Visits like these give young Texans a firsthand look at how their government works and inspire them to become engaged citizens. It's not every day you get to watch the House or Senate in session and meet face-to-face with legislators," Landgraf said.
"A special thank you to Dallas Kennedy for helping these students understand the legislative process and why it matters. Experiencing government in action is a powerful lesson, and I'm always eager to welcome students to the Capitol. I look forward to meeting with them, discussing the importance of civic engagement and public service, and answering their questions. Most importantly, I want them to know that West Texas is always well-represented in the Texas Legislature," Landgraf added.
Micah Pettigrew, Ector County ISD's special education supervisor over autism, homebound and 18-plus, said the trip is an incredible opportunity for students to experience the Texas Legislature firsthand.
"So many adults and citizens don't fully understand how the legislative system works, and for our students to have the chance to witness it in action and be part of the process is beyond amazing," Pettigrew said.
Kennedy said he has also been working with state Sen. Kevin Sparks, R-Midland. Kennedy said his staff will meet with them and if Sparks can make it, he will meet with them also.
"There are several other reps that I've talked to there. We're going to drop by, but since they're not our particular rep, they can't guarantee they're going to meet with us. Their staff, for sure," he added.
They also plan to watch a House session and sit in on a committee hearing or two to learn about the legislative process.
"I'm sure we're probably not going to spend hours upon hours inside the committee hearings, but at least get the idea," Kennedy said.
As for whether the committee hearings can be boring, he said it depends. Sometimes there are people who are upset.
"It's actually kind of fun to watch when people are really into it," Kennedy said.
He added that he just wants the students to learn about government, how it works and get them interested in civics.
"They can learn on their own and decide who they need to vote for," Kennedy said.
They start class every day watching the weather and then they watch at least one news story, usually a local one. They did watch President Donald Trump get inaugurated.
"That's a big news story, so I just showed this short news clip about him being inaugurated. ... It's generally local news stories that we watch. But you know, sometimes we'll watch some political news stories, too, not, not biased ones, just what's going on," Kennedy said.
He added that they had one student a couple of years ago who was so excited about seeing the legislature in action that she had her parents take her back.
"Most of my students, at least, know who their state rep is. They'll tell me, I saw Brooks Landgraf on the news last night. ... A lot of them now go home and they watch the weather and they watch the news," Kennedy said.
Parents have told him they now know why their student comes home every day wanting to watch the weather and the news.
"So that stuff sticks," Kennedy said.
He added that part of adulting is knowing what the weather is going to be.
"That's part of what we teach because you need to know how to dress for the weather. ... I teach them how to dress for different occasions. At school, we can wear T- shirts and blue jeans," he said.
But when they go to Austin, they step it up a little and make sure their clothes are ironed.
"You dress a little more different, depending on where you're at. That's part of the trip, too, is learning, when you're meeting with dignitaries or something, you dress different. If you're going to a government meeting, you are going to church or going to wherever, you dress different than if you're working out in the garden Saturday morning," Kennedy said.
A lot of his students have never been away from their parents or traveled very much, so Kennedy teaches them about manners. They also get $35 a day for food.
"It's up to them to budget it," he said.
They always stop at Cooper's Barbecue in Llano.
"We'll stop and eat there because they have a special for school students. They have a $9 lunch bag, and they'll get that. Then I'll buy some extra barbecue so they can try some of the other stuff, too, because (they've) got great food," Kennedy said.
They will also visit the Bullock Texas State History Museum and take a bat tour.
"You get to ride a flat bottom-boat, and they give you a tour of Lady Bird Lake. You go sit up underneath the bridge and watch all the bats come out. ... They're going to learn about civics, and part of it's just learning how to travel," he said.
Kennedy said he also tells the students that if they get lost, they should ask the state troopers to take them to Landgraf's office and he or his staff can call Kennedy.
"We're going to take students that can react in case of an emergency. That's going to be one of the criteria is — if they get lost or separated, they're able to take the necessary steps to get ahold of me. Of course, they'll have my phone number, too, so they can call me. That will be part of the trip that they can do that," he added.
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