This February, the Ross College morning Dental Assistant class from Sylvania visited Bennett Academy in Toledo, Ohio. The Ross students were able to present in front of and work with 120 first grade students and they loved it! To prepare for the big day, the Dental Assistant students worked hard to make fun and creative sock puppet characters. At the school, they used their funny sock puppet friends to do skits for the children. They also created informational booklets that they passed out to the students in order to provide more instruction on dental hygiene techniques.
It was an experience that the Ross College students and the elementary students had looked forward to, and it was every bit as fun and educational as they had all hoped. Claudette Palmer, morning Dental Assistant Instructor at Ross, said of the experience, “it was very interactive. The children loved playing and learning how to brush the sock pet’s teeth. It was a wonderful learning experience for Ross students as they learned to interact with the children and to demonstrate tooth brushing skills.” Each of the Ross students had an opportunity to put their skills to the test and make an impact for dental health on the next generation.
The demonstration and activities reinforced classroom skills and helped to build the students’ confidence in public speaking. As part of the presentation, the Ross students showed a short video from Colgate on how to “Get rid of the nasties.” The children loved it! Also, Amy Goldie, Ross’ very own “Tooth Fairy,” provided a toothbrush to each and every one of the children. The Ross students walked away from the experienced with a renewed sense of the importance of what they are training to do in the future as Dental Assistants. They loved the opportunity to make a positive impact on children in their community in such a fun and important way.