Class 10 Exit Ticket

The Bennett Family

• David (father, 52): Recently promoted at the engineering firm where he’s worked for 20 years. He has just accepted a position that would move the family from Maryland to Houston. He made the decision without consulting anyone because he “didn’t want to get everyone’s hopes up until it was final.”

• Ingrid (mother, 49): A high school art teacher. She supports the move in front of the kids but privately tells David she feels “like my life is always the thing that gets packed up.”

• Jordan (son, 22): A college senior living at home. He has just started a serious relationship and a part-time job he loves. He refuses to move and says his father “only cares about his career.”

• Elise (daughter, 16): A high school junior. She tells each parent what she thinks they want to hear, has started skipping family dinners, and says she “just wants everyone to stop fighting.”

Scenario

• David announced the move two weeks ago, after he had already signed the offer. Since then, Jordan and David argue almost every night, and Ingrid alternates between defending David and siding with Jordan. Elise spends most evenings in her room or at a friend’s house. David says, “I’ve worked my whole life to give this family security. Why does everyone act like I’m the villain?”