So much for sleeping in!

This is the first weekend that I've had off from work in several years where I didn't have to request it. The plan: treasure each moment of sleep and take full advantage. The reality: I was up at 7 am. I wanted to sleep in and have a nice chill morning, but I couldn't. I woke up this morning with a zeal, an anticipation of getting back to my class and getting the job done. So, what lit the fire?

Last night, Kat and I decided to go and see this movie. If you haven't seen it, I highly suggest that you do! A story of applied science and struggle for equanimity? I'm in. The movie was very inspirational and definitely worth the ridiculous price of admission to theaters these days. Forgive me, I still remember paying less than $4 to see movies. In fact, there was a $1 theater in my town as a child!

So, back to tending that fire. Week one has wrapped up and rather abruptly due to snow!

It was great to meet all of the kids and start building the curriculum. I'm not going to lie and say it was perfect, that the kids were very well behaved and eager to learn. Don't get me wrong, I could see that hunger in a few faces, the hope that I was one that was going to help them learn and really improve their lives. It was great to see that look, that hope. It was also a little disheartening to see the ones eaten up by total apathy and belligerence. This presents me with my goal for next week, the one that doesn't seem to want me to sleep in on a snow covered and chilly Saturday morning: break the belligerence, inspire, and improve.

I think I spent a 3rd of this very inspirational movie thinking of ways that I can use it to motivate students, to help them see the struggles faced by people just to get accepted, educated, and given the opportunity to contribute. The three women in this film were most certainly educated and definitely contributed to what I consider a monumental feet, a very important one. They are an inspiration, one that I hope will help me cut through a jaded haze pervasive in so many high school classrooms, specifically mine. So, here's to progress, to fixing problems and moving forward, to giving these kids the tools they need to meet the challenge head on and overcome any obstacle.

Here's to week 2.