EPISODE 7: A Mom’s Perspective
[INTRODUCTION]
[00:00:20] KK: Welcome everybody to Risky Business. I'm Kathy Kaehler.
[00:00:24] BL: And I'm Bliss Landon.
[00:00:26] KK: And we are the Coverage Queens.
[00:00:27] BL: That we are.
[00:00:28] KK: That we are. That we are. And I'm super excited today, because we are talking to someone that I know. And that you know.
[00:00:39] BL: Yes. Apparently I do know her. I do remember her actually. Yeah, yeah, we had a really good time in Canada at your cottage. And we were laying out on the beach on Lake Huron. And went in the boat with Jennefer, and had a great time. It was such a great day.
[00:00:57] KK: We did. We really did. Memories, memories, because we can't get there. But I'm excited. So we have Jennefer Mitchell on the phone. Hi, Jen.
[00:01:07] JM: Hi, there.
[00:01:08] BL: Hi, Jen.
[00:01:10] JM: Hi, Bliss.
[00:01:11] BL: Hi. Nice to talk to you again.
[00:01:15] KK: Well, welcome to our new podcast. And we are so excited to chat with you. But I think we kind of were just saying how we know each other. How we got to meet in Canada. But share a little bit about like how you got to the jobs that you're doing now. But I know you have been an entrepreneur since, I think, back in high school.
[00:01:41] JM: Well, I wish it was 20 years ago, I was still in high school. That would be amazing. I'm a little older than that now. But, yeah, actually I have had my own consulting business in automotive since 20 years ago now. And I work out of the Detroit market, which is the hub of the automotive for the domestic, GM, Ford, Chrysler, it's now Stellantis. So I've actually built a lovely career and have had a lot of flexibility in my job and my career. And I just – Yeah, it is. I'm blessed. Yeah, I’m totally blessed.
[00:02:23] BL: So what kind of consulting do you do? I mean, I’m just trying to get an idea for exactly what is that.
[00:02:30] JM: So, my role actually, the big powers above, the General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, a lot of times they come up with ideas about how they want their dealerships to be run. And so there might be a program, or a journey, or something that they want to take down to the dealership level. And so they'll hire consultants like myself. And actually the people I work with, I've worked with for over 20 years. There're about 80 or 90 of us that live around the United States. So we're always inter-connecting with different projects.
And yes, so I kind of call myself the dervish. I mean, my dealers that I've known for a long time, I've done business with for many years, I go into their dealership and I start a journey with them wherever they're at. So some of my stores, it could be culture issues, right? Where you start at the top, and you work your way through the culture and help them work on the culture. Some of it is leadership. Some of the some of the managers require some leadership training or how to have hard conversations, whatever it might be. I take the journey, where they're at, and we kind of move through it. So I do a lot of consulting. I also do facilitation in the store. I'm a credential coach. So I'll do some coaching. It just depends on where they're at. And we start where they're at, and we go forward from there.
[00:03:49] BL: Well, that’s so interesting.
[00:03:51] KK: Isn't it fascinating?
[00:03:51] BL: I just don't think that there's anybody out there doing that. But there is a need, I'm sure,
for any business, but especially that business.
[00:03:59] JM: Yeah. 20 years later, I'm still working with Metro Detroit dealers and have great relationships and I've had a great career working with them. They become family. Yeah, absolutely.
[00:04:10] BL: That’s fantastic. Congratulations. That's really nice.
[00:04:13] KK: And Jen, you are currently taking also on another fun kind of entrepreneurial project.
[00:04:22] JM: Yes, my good friend, Julie Wasco, here in Bloomfield, Michigan. She actually patent, it's called the Slip Clip. And it's a clip for your towel on your chair, or your boat, a rail or whatever. It holds purses on your walkers. And so she has stepped aside. And my friend Wendy and I are stepping in and we're going to market and we're going to move this clip to the next level. And it's a lot of fun. It’s an amazing piece. Yes.
[00:04:55] BL: Wow!
[00:04:55] KK: I love it. I love it. I can't wait to get mine.
[00:04:58] BL: I want one too.
[00:05:00] JM: Yes, they’re in the mail. They’re in the mail.
[00:05:01] BL: Yes. Okay, good.
[00:05:03] KK: Okay, great. Great.
[00:05:05] JM: They’re in the mail.
[00:05:05] KK: Well, we wanted to – I was telling Bliss, because we wanted to get just kind of the real raw experience that you have had of having a child at home learning, going through the school year during COVID, and just how that has played out in your life. But then more specifically, which we can then go into more detailed questions, but about what they're learning on these school devices, whether it's a laptop or an iPad. But I know you and I chatted in – We've chatted all through COVID. But when you were first realizing, “Oh, my God, Dylan is going to be at home.” What has that been like?
[00:05:57] JM: Oh, gosh! Okay, so it was March 13th last year, Michigan, the governor came on, she shut the state down, including automotive, which was very odd. We're the hub of automotive. So most my dealers shut down the 23rd of March and didn't come back live for four weeks. I'm talking doors locked, ton of income gone, right? So I was also grounded by Ford Motor Company, who is one of my big clients, March 13th, all the way through – I was able to get back in the field in July, which was a blessing. But I had several months off. And I have to tell you, I look back on this experience, and I thank God every day that I had Dylan here to keep me moving every day, because, boy, I didn't have a purpose some days. I’m like, “What am I going to do with myself? I'm on the road every day. I'm running. I can't get to the drycleaners on time. I get to get to baseball, hockey.” And all of a sudden I'm just stuck at home figuring out how to get to the grocery store when no one's there, because we're not too sure what's happening with COVID.
So we started that journey on the 16th of March. And it actually worked out for both of us. We just had a structured – Every single day we woke up same time. It didn't let him sleep in. And we just started. And the beginning of our online experience was all virtual. No teacher led anything. No interaction with teachers except for like one day a week you’d dial-in for 20 minutes and everybody would do a checkup from the neck up to make sure everybody's feeling okay. But it was all online. You just click modules. You watch videos. And, boy, I had to go back and learn how to do math and do a lot of them.
[00:07:34] BL: How old is Dylan?
[00:07:35] JM: He just turned 13 in January. So he's in seventh grade.
[00:07:38] BL: Seventh grade. Okay. Ugh, middle school.
[00:07:41] JM: Yeah. We finished sixth grade at home, March through the end of June, or the middle of June. And we just, every day, structure. And he did really well and kind of built some good skills for him. And we're lucky. We live in a district that have – We have technology. So he had his own tablet. So it logs right into the school system. So you're logged in right into the Google Classroom stuff. Khan Academy, whatever programs they had us working through.
[00:08:10] KK: And did you get the device from the school?
[]00:08:13 JM: Yes. He has to use the device from school for tracking purposes. Because when you test and stuff, there's ways for them to, I don't know, monitoring, all that good stuff. So yes, we were using – He still has it. Oh, it's a pad of some sort.
[00:08:29] KK: Something.
[00:08:30] BL: It's a pad of some sort.
[00:08:31] JM: It’s something.
[00:08:33] KK: Did he just get that? Or had they been using that prior to COVID?
[00:08:37] JM: Yeah, he had it prior in the classroom. Our district gives them out in sixth grade. They start getting tablets that they use for the year and then they turn them back in. And so yeah, he still has the same tablet this year for seventh grade, which we've been home almost most of the year. We went back in January, about the 21st of January. He went back four days hybrid, which was great, because it got his four main core classes, 8 to 11. He was pod A in the morning, and then he came home and then pod B went in the afternoon to split up the classes. Yeah, the tough part has been doing band at home. That doesn't work too well.
[00:09:21] BL: I can imagine. What instrument does he play?
[00:09:25] JM: Okay. Are you ready for this? I found out last March 27th, he couldn't read notes. And he's been with the same teacher since fourth grade playing baritone.
[00:09:35] BL: Oh my gosh.
[00:09:36] KK: That's hilarious.
[00:09:36] BL: Yeah. Of course. Of course.
[00:09:39] JM: So band is a real nemesis around here. We go touch that baritone and the whole house starts to melt. So we just do the best we can.
[00:09:48] BL: Has he learned to read the notes yet?
[00:09:51] JM: No. We have not advanced, and he's just counting the days that he's done with bands so that eighth grade, he can do choir.
[00:09:59] BL: Perfect.
[00:09:59] KK: Oh, perfect, perfect.
[00:10:00] BL: That's great.
[00:10:01] KK: So with the tablet, has anything happened to that tablet since sixth grade?
[00:10:09] JM: Oh yeah. Well, yeah, if you break them, you have to pay 50 bucks. He did something and one of the keys popped off. So I think I did pay a $50 fee for that. And he got a new tablet. But other than that, he's been pretty good with his tablet. Knock on wood. He'll probably break it tomorrow.
[00:10:27] BL: So they charge you $50 no matter what the problem is with the tablet.
[00:10:31] JM: I think that's the only fee that they'll charge you, yeah, if you break it or something. Yeah.
[00:10:36] BL: That's not bad. Did they offer you insurance at all?
[00:10:39] JM: I don't believe I was ever offered insurance on it. And if I was, I missed the email. So shame on me. But there's too much communication from this school. I can’t keep up. They got to stop it.
[00:10:49] BL: That’s true. But if you had an option for a $20 fee for insurance versus a $50 if you break it fee, that'd be good, right?
[00:10:59] JM: That’d be good. Absolutely. That would be very good. Because these are kids.
[00:11:05] BL: Yeah, anything can happen, right?
[00:11:08] JM: Absolutely.
[00:11:10] KK: Well, we've been hearing stories of just different situations from the claims department here just from spilled chocolate milk to glue, broken screens. I mean, it happens, and just it's the learning that there is a difference between the warranty that you get with these devices that you can have something that will help you long term if you had insurance. And then just from hearing your story, that just seems like $50 is just across the board. Whatever happens, this is what you're going to pay,
[00:11:54] BL: And you might pay that once or twice or three times a year maybe, depending on the kid, right?
[00:12:00] JM: Yeah, exactly, exactly. That's a lot of money. I think it was just a key that popped off too. I got to tell you, I think the K key went flying. I don't know. He probably hit it too hard. But they’re kids. They’re kids. They’re someones kids.
[00:12:15] BL: Yeah. We had a claim once where the mom said, “I don't know. He just keeps popping off the keys.” It’s like a game for him. Like he liked doing it.
[00:12:22] KK: Hit it too hard.
[00:12:22] BL: Yeah, yeah.
[00:12:24] JM: Yeah, it happens.
[00:12:25] BL: It happens. It happens.
[00:12:26] KK: So what's happening with – We're in March. How is school finishing up this year? Is it staying at home? Are they going back?
[00:12:36] JM: Well, interesting, you should ask. Our governor here in Michigan just offered schools $2 million if you get everybody back in class next Monday, which was like a 7 to 10 day – It was a seven to 10 day shotgun fire drill. So our board, they – This was great. We put a coalition together here in Bloomfield and we went after our board and we said enough is enough. You're not going to continue to keep these kids at home. And you're putting them back in school. All of our private schools around us, we lost 400 kids. No, 200 kids, we've already lost to private schools around us. We have an affluent area that can afford both. And we’re on track for another 200 to drop. It’s like $4 million next fall. That's unacceptable. Our private schools have been in all year round. You tell me how they can make it happen. But we can't. So we had an amazing coalition. We had students, parents. I want to say there's upwards of 1000 people on the board call. And they didn't have a choice. So they're putting us back Monday, full time, five days.
Now, I am a little concerned. These kids have adapted to this new life for a year now. Some kids haven't stepped into the school. Dylan has been in school four days a week for three hours a day, comes home, eats his lunch and does, like I said, his lovely band and art and gym at home. Now, he's going to be doing it all in school again the same exact schedule. So you're going from zero to 500 real quick. And they're going to be eating at lunch. Three feet apart is what we've decided. So they're not even eating together. So we'll see how it works out. I'm excited they're getting back. I actually like the program we have now where you get your four core classes and you come home. It seems to be a good mix for the kids. But we need the $2 million. So we're going back Monday.
[00:14:25] KK: Wow!
[00:14:26] BL: That's amazing. And that’s per school or per school district that gets the $2 million?
[00:14:31] JM: I think it's per district. Yeah, it's per district. And we were going to try and go back April 6th. We get back spring break for us, and Sunday the fourth. So, Monday the fifth, we are going back full time. So we had a couple weeks to prepare. Well, that got moved up real fast with the $2 million
[00:14:52] BL: That's fantastic. Wow.
[00:14:54] JM: Yeah, our teachers need – We got to take better care of our teachers.
[00:14:58] KK: Wow! That is incredible. And the thing is, is that this is happening all over the country, but in all different like times. And some kids aren't going to go back to school this year at all.
And it's so confusing. Just think about these kids. Like I think about what they think.
[00:15:21] BL: And how is your son done not seeing his friends? Is he looking forward to seeing his friends more often? Is he looking forward to going back to normal? Or does he like the schedule he’s one? Like what are his thoughts?
[00:15:35] JM: Well, Dylan's very active. He plays full time hockey and baseball, both travel teams. So we've been in hockey the whole time. And our coach has been able to keep us playing under the laws that the governor likes to implement here that we don't agree with, but you have to follow. So he does get to see his team a lot. And they all play that silly game fortnight, which just could drive a parent sideways. But at the end of the day –
[00:15:57] BL: Right. I got one that does that too. Yeah.
[00:16:00] KK: Completely sideways.
[00:16:02] JM: If I could get that hammer.
[00:16:03] BL: I know. I know.
[00:16:06] JM: I got to control my craziness. So I leave my hammer in the garage, or else that computer might get broken?
[00:16:12] KK: Well, we know how to fix it for you.
[00:16:15] JM: Yeah, it's called Chuck's credit card down to Microcenter. But yeah, he expressed some concern this week. He's like, “Mom, I really don't want to go back full day. It's 8:15 to 3:00.” And I'm like, “Oh, buddy.” And then when I heard about the lunch thing, I'm like, “That's not even lunch.” That's like – I don't know. I don't want to call it something rude and offend anybody. But you know what? If you can't even enjoy your lunch, send them home and let them do the band at home or something. Keep it the way it is? But he's expressing concern. He's like, “It's a long day.” And it really is, because they retooled their systems, but they are resilient. And he plays a lot of sports. So we're blessed. Like he has baseball today at four, hockey tomorrow, hockey Saturday, has hockey Sunday, baseball Sunday, baseball Friday. So he does always – he's lucky. He gets to see a lot of different groups. And then he plays that lovely game with his friends. Or I'll pick him up and take them to Starbucks on the way to school. Juice him up with some sugar and drop them off for the teacher.
[00:17:18] KK: You’re so funny.
[00:17:19] BL: But don’t you – I mean, what's going through my mind is how kids love routine. So they've been taken out of their routine, and they've developed a new routine, right? And now they got to go back to the old routine. And that's what's unsettling for our kids. They like to know what they do every day and have consistency, right? So you can understand his hesitation. My son, too, he's a senior this year. And he's finally going back in this hybrid system, kind of like what Dylan has been doing. And they're starting on the 22nd, next week on Monday.
And at first he's like, “No. I don't want to do it.” Because he has a choice. He said, “No, I don't want to do it. I just want to stay home. I'm used to it.” But now all his friends are going to do it. So he says, “Okay, I'll do it.” But he has to submit something on a computer, on the computer, about his health, how he feels for the day. He has to screenshot it and show that every day. So your son is doing the same thing?
[00:18:18] JM: oh, yeah, it gets better. In our district – And it's good and bad. I don't want to take anything away from anybody, because COVID is serious stuff. I lost a very dear friend at 48 years old last March 31st. But, Kathy, we've lost some great neighbors at our cottage from COVID. But we fill out a health form. My son has chronic sinus infections. Now his sinus infection presents completely different. It's a massive ear infection that starts. And you can tell, he's tugging on his – It's like a dog. If he's tugging on his ear, it's time to go. We need to get meds. Well, we not only have to get the sinus infection prescribed. We have to do a test and come back negative for COVID before he's allowed back in, just because all the symptoms for COVID is anything. Oh, you have cough, you have COVID. Oh, oh, hold on, you sneezed. You got COVID. No. I don’t have COVID.
But we've had two of those experiences where the doctor knows, and our hospitals turn him around in one day, and a day and a half max. So it's been okay, because we have Wednesdays at home. So it just seems he's had ear – His sinus infections on Tuesday. So it really has an impact on him, because we've been able to get to the doctor, get a Z-Pak, get his COVID test results Wednesdays and stick him back in class Thursday, because I would never send my kids sick. I'm not that parent. I don't use school as a babysitter. But again, my livelihood allows for flexibility. And not everybody's as blessed as me to be able to just cancel a visit, revisit, leave a visit, do whatever you need to do.
[00:19:51] KK: Amazing. Well, Jen, Bliss and I are blessed that you were able to join us today.
[00:19:56] BL: Absolutely. Thank you.
[00:19:57] JM: Yeah. This was fun.
[00:19:58] BL: Thank you so much.
[00:19:59] KK: So awesome. Thank you for taking time and. And share a little bit where people can get in touch with you, especially for your new venture. What's a contact, or email, or website?
[00:20:13] JM: I'll give you the website to the Slip Clip. It's theslipclip.com. And then you can contact us at info@theslipclip.com. It’s like a rhyme. And you'll get right to myself and Wendy. And yeah, really appreciate it. We're looking forward to getting those slip clips in the market across the United States.
[00:20:33] BL: How much are they? How much do they run?
[00:20:36] JM: For the retail ones, they’re 750 that you might find in a wall, like a wall cap or end cap of a store. We do a lot of promotional for cruise lines. We have a lot of like Florida stores that name drop, they'll just put their name on the clip. So we do a lot of personalization. Those all differ based on how many logos you're doing and those types of things.
[00:20:57] BL: based on quantity and all that. Yeah. Oh, that's great. Well, I'm going to check it out. Yeah.
[00:21:01] JM: Yes. There's a box heading to Kathy’s way. That should be there Friday when she's in Detroit.
[00:21:06] BL: Excellent. I can’t wait to see it. Well, good luck with that, Jen. And thank you so much for coming on the show. We really, really appreciate it.
[00:21:13] JM: Thank you ladies. Have a happy day.
[00:21:15] KK: Have fun at baseball.
[00:21:16] JM: I will.
[00:21:18] BL: Tell Dylan we say hi, and hang in there.
[00:21:19] KK: See you, girl.
[00:21:21] JM: We’ll see you at the cottage. How’s that? That’s a deal.
[00:21:23] KK: Please. Fingers crossed. That’s a wrap.
[00:21:25] JM: Okay, girls. Have fun.
[00:21:27] KK: Bye-bye.
[00:21:27] BL: Bye-bye.
[00:21:27] JM: Bye.
[00:21:28] KK: I mean, so great, right?
[00:21:30] BL: Yeah. I mean, I have my own perspective on things because I have a – But I have a senior, she's a middle schooler. So it's a little different. They're still very reliant on their mother or the father to get them to school and to keep up with the schedule. And my son drives. So I don't have to do all that. But it's, it's a transition time for these kids. And there're just a lot of concerns. And like hearing his hesitation and just knowing that this is an interesting topic to discuss. And tomorrow, or our next show, we're going to be interviewing a therapist, and get his perspective on what he's been seeing and maybe some advice on how to get these kids to transition. And what are some good things to talk about? And just try to make that transition easier for them as they head back to school when they're developing an all new normal again.
[00:22:33] KK: Right. It’s hard. It’s hard all the way around. And I think the more that we as parents can, one, recognize that there are these things happening and that we have a little bit of knowledge of what to do or what to say or how to just navigate and help with this. It's so important. So I'm excited to hear what he has to say tomorrow.
[00:22:57] BL: Yeah. Me too. Me too. That'll be a good show.
[00:23:00] KK: We have to talk about our state sale this weekend, this past weekend.
[00:23:05] BL: Yes, we did go. We did go. And you went back the next day without me and bought a lot more stuff.
[00:23:11] KK: I did. I did.
[00:23:13] BL: Okay. So wait. Those maps, so there were these maps on the wall that had a metal thing that I’m guessing they retracted and crawled up into the metal holder, right?
[00:23:24] KK: So if you remember back in school, above the chalkboard were always the pull down. Remember?
[00:23:29] BL: Oh, yes. Yes.
[00:23:31] KK: So those are originally school maps.
[00:23:34] BL: But they had them going down the hallway. There were a ton of them.
[00:23:36] KK: Yeah. There was one with a whole country of India. There was a whole Africa one. There was South America. And then what was left there for me was North America.
[00:23:49] BL: Well, that was good.
[00:23:49] KK: So I got North America. I have to look at it closer to look at the age, but I did look at what they’re going for, and it’s ridiculous.
[00:24:00] BL: Well, you made money that day. That’s a good thing. It was a good find.
[00:24:04] KK: But it was also so cool where we went to this house. We were both saying like, “Where are we?”
[00:24:12] BL: We’re in Spanish Hills, which is a really beautiful neighborhood, and you just don’t hear about it because it’s a little bit a distance away from us, but it’s a beautiful neighborhood with these gigantic houses and–
[00:24:22] KK: And on a golf course, which I’m sure some of those times you can see the ocean in the distance.
[00:24:27] BL: Oh yeah. And big properties. Yeah. That house was interesting. It was a neat house.
[00:24:34] KK: 90 years.
[00:24:35] BL: 90 years and never changed the carpet.
[00:24:39] KK: This is what Bliss always puts the attention to me, “Look at the carpet. Look at the carpet.” It was squishy in a few places.
[00:24:48] BL: It was a little creepy and stained and it was kind of gross.
[00:24:53] KK: But amazing stuff.
[00:24:53] BL: Yes, very cool stuff.
[00:24:56] KK: Very beautiful collections. Like the other thing that was gone, because we went on day two. I went back on day three. But apparently on day one, there were Ming vases. Like they had really serious collection, beautiful, beautiful.
[00:25:10] BL: You could tell. And you could also tell that a lot of things have been picked through. We came in a little on the late side, but not too late.
[00:25:18] KK: And luckily no line. A line to check-out, but not a line to get in.
[00:25:22] BL: Right. Right. Right. So that was fun.
[00:25:24] KK: So the state sale adventures continue.
[00:25:26] BL: Absolutely.
[00:25:27] KK: And you got a beautiful, beautiful lace.
[00:25:29] BL: I got a beautiful lace, like table cloth, a cover. Very decorative and beautiful, and Europeanly. So I don’t know. It’s really great. So once I have a dinner party, when we’re allowed to, I will put that on and it will be fantastic.
[00:25:47] KK: So nice. So nice. Well, I think we covered this show. It was exciting to hear her story. She’s so funny.
[00:25:55] BL: She is. She’s hilarious.
[00:25:57] KK: Like she’s got such great wit and energy and comments. I can see why she’s so good at what she does with being able to come in and look at a situation. She has very good interpersonal skills and being able to look to manage situations and kind of find solutions, which I think is very cool.
[00:26:19] BL: Yeah. No. She’s a neat person.
[00:26:21] KK: But as always, we want to hear from you if you’ve got just questions or similar stories. Please reach out to us, riskybusiness@schooldevicecoverage.com is our email. And we want to hear what you have to say about any of these subjects –
[00:26:40] BL: Absolutely. Absolutely. Or something that we haven’t covered yet. What interests you and what can we talk about. So we love that.
[00:26:45] KK: And experts that we can bring on. So that’s what we’re excited about coming up in our next shows. And we can’t wait to share them with you. So until next time, this is Risky Business with –
[00:26:57] BL: The Coverage Queens.
[00:26:59] KK: Have a great day.
[00:26:59] BL: We’ll see you next time. Thank you. Bye-bye.
[00:27:01] KK: Bye.
[END]