Much to be Proud About

Besides being a 10th grade global history teacher I also teach a class called AVID, or Advancement Via Individual Determination. Though the name is as corny as some of my other past involvements (I named our high school Christian a cappella group...wait for it...The Heavenly Voices!) It's actually a great program that serves students who are academically driven and wanting to be college bound.  Apart from teaching them specific skills and acting as their overbearing parent while they're in school, I basically get to do anything with them that increases their awareness of the world and the opportunities that lies within it.  Muhahaha!

So, after hearing about Stop Child Trafficking Now I pitched it to my AVID students thinking it would be a great community service and team building opportunity.  It was the first time I'd ever done something like this with my students and I braced myself for the difficult task of getting my students who have a hard time getting their own basic needs met to invest in this effort.  I showed clips, had them research statistics on child trafficking, and delivered lip quivering speeches.  To my surprise, some of my students really took hold of this cause and began running with it.  They made posters and fliers and posted them all over the school.  I helped them get organized into researchers, location managers, and action planners and we made plans to sell baked goods and soda during our lunch periods.  The goal was for us to raise $150 in 3 days which we were going to donate at the culminating event - a 5K walk in Manhattan.  Our fundraising efforts were only for three days because it hadn't been long since school started back up and the walk happened just yesterday.  I had my doubts along the way but a group of my AVID students really took it from my hands and ran the entire operation.  In fact, they were so on top of it that I gave over the reigns almost completely to the elected student team captain and they ended up raising $250 in just 3 days! They were so proud of themselves, and rightly so.

The morning of the walk was unmercifully early and very wet.  Purim, who's not a morning person, braved the hour train ride up to the Bronx to help me pick up my students.  Of the 11 that said they'd go, only 5 showed.  It was pouring and it was 8am.  I didn't blame them.  Even I didn't want to be there.  But I put on my happy face and dished embarrassing jokes at my students all the way down town.  By the time we got out on the other end, however, my students were already regretting being there.  By the look on their faces you would have thought they were being forced to clean dirty bathrooms!  Long story short, we got through the walk and several of the students even had really meaningful conversations with some of our super encouraging friends who were also participating in the walk.  Though we were tired and soaked we put on our best smiles and took this picture at the end of the walk.  Soon after, we finished out the day with a couple of pizzas and made for our respective beds.  I sincerely hope my students understand the significance of what they have done for children worse off than they all over the world.  It was a tough lesson to be learned, but I believe they are better for it.