In the Student's Chair

I spent four hours this morning sitting in the Adult Probation & Parole conference room in the basement of the state government building auditing a seminar for ex-offenders designed to help them find and keep jobs.

The good news is that the course I put together to teach inmates at the jail is consistent with what AP&P is teaching. The bad news is that I didn't learn any additional inside scoop on how help people with criminal records convince employers to take a chance on them.

A couple of hours later, I was sitting across the table from a man (a boy, really, only 18) who said he needed to get a job the day he gets out of jail. He says he has two weeks to come up with $350 to pay his rent so he doesn't lose his apartment. We talked about having realistic expectations and how he'd be smart to come up with a plan B. We brainstormed some plan B options.

A magic wand would sure be helpful. Or at least some inside scoop.