This section I found not quite as moving as the other sections, but I still enjoyed it very much. I really enjoyed the entry that talked about the teacher who wrote notes to all his students who were struggling and sent on a retreat, giving them all a copy of the 'Serenity Prayer' that has always been one of my absolute favorites and a true calming influence on my own life. I felt that by giving these students this prayer that the teacher was truly making a statement to them, telling them that they can only control so much in their lives and that they should strive to take life one obstacle at a time. I also loved that when the teacher was telling the student the overwhelming amount of work that the student still had to make up that the student put him back in his place, by handing him a pile of make-up work he had done so far and showing the teacher the Serenity Prayer.
I also enjoyed the entry that had the students going to a special over-night retreat that recreated the difficulties of life around the world, including in the inner-cities. Although I did not entirely understand the premise of the retreat or the details, I thought that it was a very powerful learning exercise. The student who refrained from 'raiding' (which I imagine was socially fun and challenging) to protect her 'baby', herself having home issues where her own mother abandoned her. I would love to set something up like this for my students, a sort of 'desert island' simulation or whatnot that is both fun but also gives students opportunities to make the tough decisions and learn about themselves and each other. I had some experiences like this in mostly middle school, and I enjoyed them very much. I feel that in high school an experience like this would be invaluable.
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