Teri Vance: Redemption of millennials and lizards

I spent a few hours at Carson High School this week for some stories I’m working on. It’s always interesting to me to spend time with youth, especially in large groups. We read and hear so much about millennials — their entitlement and lack of ability to communicate with anyone or anything other than a hand-held screen.

But that has rarely been my experience.

Just a couple of encounters I had showed me once again we were likely underestimating the up and coming generation.

As I walked down the hallway between classes, I passed a lone student coming in the other direction.

I was fully prepared to avert my eyes and continue on my way, as is often my way in public because I’m socially awkward. This boy, instead, made eye contact and said “hello.” It was a small gesture, but spoke volumes about his confidence and willingness to connect — and with an adult stranger no less.

Later that same day, I was walking down the stairs. A girl passing by the bottom of the stairwell looked briefly up and said, “Oh, cute shoes.”

Just another example of a young adult looking outside of herself. Being kind.

I think we can rest easy the world is going to be well in the hands of the future generation.

•••

While at the high school, I sat in on part of Angila Golik’s government class. The class was talking about the writ of certiorari, or an order issued by a superior court to review the decision of a lower court.

In the discussion, Golik and the students reviewed the makeup and purpose of the Supreme Court.

There was a lot of information most of us probably don’t know. It made me think tit would probably be helpful for most of us — especially in an election year — to sit in on a lecture in a high school government class.

And you may learn something you’d never even considered.

While lecturing, Golik pointed out a lady bug darting about in the front of the classroom.

“I don’t know what to do,” she told her students. “I don’t want to kill it.”

One of her students piped up, “You should eat it. It brings good luck.”

The student explained her soccer teammates sometimes eat the insect as a good-luck charm.

Golik declined.

•••

Speaking of eating bugs, as I write this column, there’s a lizard in my house. Warming itself in the sunny patch next to the sliding-glass door in my kitchen.

I Googled what to do.

The first step, according to pestkill.org, is to “Make the house inhospitable to lizards…by keeping house clean.”

Not gonna happen.

The second tip was the most useful: “Don’t let them get in.”

I guess I’ll just surrender the kitchen …

Teri Vance is a journalist, freelance writer and native Nevadan. Contact her with column ideas at terivance@rocketmail.com.