Thursday!!

Today was day three of teaching my intercession class, "Major Historical Events of the 20th Century." We've covered a lot of material so far, but today we were talking about HIV/AIDS. Yesterday I asked the class what they knew about HIV, and one student answered, "they say it came from the gays," so I was determined to clear up any myths and maybe teach them a thing or two about the outbreak of HIV in America. Throughout the lesson, they were all really interested, engaged, and full of thoughtful questions and comments. It was really encouraging. There is no better way to say it -- it just made me feel good.

Lien was kind enough to help me out by adding a 30 minute biology lesson to show them how the virus functions in the body and why scientists have no way to cure it. I really appreciate Lien taking on this lesson and I think the students benefited from it a great deal. We even had one particularly bright student offering suggestions to scientists as to how to combat the virus. The class was full of energy and just about everyone was actively paying attention. It was really nice and refreshing.

Teaching the intercession class has been extremely challenging, fulfilling, and thought-provoking. I'm really glad to have had this opportunity. It has truly opened my eyes. Working with the kids is... so many things. All the students have their own personalities, opinions, and attitudes (the sassy ones are particularly amusing). I really enjoy interacting with them, and I think they think I'm all right too. Yesterday I had a student tell me that I made history interesting for her. That made me feel really happy! And tomorrow we're playing jeopardy, so I think we will part on a good note.

I realize now how hard it is to be a teacher in high school and I feel bad for all the times I slept in class or didn't do my homework. I can't imagine acting that way now that I am two semesters away from graduating college. I have been thinking about what changed in me, and how I can convey those lessons to the students. Today I challenged them to think about WHY they are so bored and who benefits from their boredom. I asked them to think about what knowledge is, how much they have, and how they can get more. I encouraged them to think hard about what is wrong with society and what they can do to fix it. Their slogan is "Knowledge is Power," but sometimes I think they hear it so much that the meaning of the phrase is completely lost. I hope that is not the case.

Special thanks to Rachel and Jim for letting us stay in their beautiful home on the lake. Today they cooked us an amazing dinner of fried turkey, pineapple casserole, sweet potatoes, stuffing, cranberry, and salad. WOW! I also want to say what an amazing effort our group leaders, Clare and Elma, are putting forth. I really appreciate everything they've done for us. I'm so glad to have gone on this trip!

- Christine