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Oxnard - Out of the mouths of babes . . .

Writer's picture: Jeff EbenJeff Eben

It was a gorgeous day in Oxnard and any day that includes an hour of beach lounging is a winner. And so went my day at Lemonwood School in Oxnard Unified, a K-8 school that was close enough to the sand that I was able to enjoy my lunch and look at the waves. This group of kids and teachers were pretty special, though, and left quite an impression.

The surrounding community is largely impacted by poverty and the staff is all in for these kids. My presentation felt like singing to the proverbial choir, but this group deserved a tune. They were right with me and we bonded over the love for children. Their students were my youngest audience in 2017, and a group of 5th graders proved to be very insightful. First, they were perfectly respectful and well behaved. Second, I received a classroom set of letters, beautifully written and completely on target with my message. Finally, there was a very cool moment when I was taking questions. A young man noted that I didn't talk about my father in my speech and deduced that he wasn't around. In 20 plus years of speaking, no one had ever brought that up before AND it was a true statement. I thought about that a lot on my way home. I wondered if the young student was also without a father in the home and maybe we connected. I will stay on the road as long as i can BECAUSE of moments like this.


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