Last Day of School

On the last day of school, I have the students complete a reflection activity that asks them where they would like to be in 5 years. They write down dreams to travel, go to college, get a great job and make lots of money, and so on. The next part of the activity is to imagine that they got pregnant or someone else pregnant (keep in mind this is health class and we just covered Human Sexuality). They continue to process what their options are, who they would go to for guidance, and then finally 3 preventative measures they can take to ensure that they are able to make their dreams come true on the front. THey make a pledge to themselves to make certain healthy decisions to ensure this.

After this activity, I ask them if they remember the first day of health class. And one person always remembers. "You dressed up as a fairy godmother and wore a prom dress and a tiara!" Of course, I can't help but smile and explain to them that as their fairy godmother I granted them three wishes, but they are the only ones that can make their dreams come true. I tell them that I did everything I could to give them the knowledge and the skills necessary to live healthy and happy lives, but they are the only ones that can do that by using the things we learned.

Lessons Learned from My students:

#1) All students want to succeed in life. Whether they appear motivated or excited about life, everyone wants something better in their future--it's human nature. So always encourage your students and give them something to be hopeful for if you have the opportunity.

#2) Kids remember/recall information when you dress up or act a part or a character. You don't have to be a theater major to role play every once and awhile, but visuals help engage learning and memories, which can be to your advantage as an educator. I still have former students saying, "remember when you dressed up that one time..."

Health Fairy Godmother 2010

Safe Sex Superhero: the Incredible IUD

                                               

Proud Moment

Today I graded my nutrition projects. One of my students wrote a reflection about the assignment and their future eating habits as assigned. I want to share a tidbit Brandon's reflection because it made me proud that something I taught had stuck with a student and will make him a healthier and happier person (if he sticks with it obviously).


my student's reflection, "Usually I eat a lot of fattening foods. I used to have 1-2 mountain dews a day, rarely hit the 8 glasses of water recommendation, and not as much fruit and vegetables. Now I cut my soda drinking. I haven't had a soda since we started this. All I drank is water and milk. I have started eating fruits or vegetables with every meal. Also I have stopped eating as much as before. I started eating smaller portions. From now on I plan on eating healthier and I don't feel as tired as I used to. It has definitely changed me for the best." ---one kid at a time :)

Cost of a Baby?

Today, we also discussed the cost of raising a baby for the first year of it's life. Students had to use an online calculator to figure out how much they would spend on individual items the baby would need. I told them I woud give them the amount it would cost for insurance and health care.

Billy pipes up in reference to the insurance costs, "I'm a gold member at the adoption agency so I won't have to worry about that expense!"

Contraceptive Conundrums

Recently, in health class we have been discussing and researching birth control methods. When we started discussing the vasectomy. One student says, "What happens after it (the vas deferens) is cut. Does the testicle just hang there or fall off? And what about all the blood vessels? Is there any more blood flow?"

Me, "No, everything stays where it's at. That's what the scrotum is for to hold everything in place.

[Kids!]

Human Sexuality: Questions You (and I've) Never Heard Before

Human Sexuality Day 1--I thought (and you thought) I'd heard it all--NOPE


Kid #1
"Ms. Strey, will you be handing out free condoms during this unit?" 
Me, "No I'm not allowed to do that."
Kid, "Aww really...ok well I have one at home..."
Me, (silence)


Kid #2
"Ms Strey, one good thing about being a hermaphrodite is you can't get anyone pregnant cuz you don't make sperm."


Again silence.

Alumni Christmas Visits

Yesterday, I really felt like I have been at Timberlane for awhile when I had a student come back from college and visit me. She is someone that I counseled a lot with her issues of low self esteem, depression, suicide, dilemmas over sexual orientation, body image. You name it she went through it. It was a good feeling to know that there were kids out there that wanted to come back and visit me. It's ironic that a few weeks ago a girl came and visited me that I never in a million years would have seen coming back through the doors of Timberlane. She was a mess in high school and was removed and sent somewhere else because of her behavior. She came back and said she missed Timberlane and has to do some things over at a small community college but wants to go to a 4 year college as well. This was a shocker to me! Someone who hated school and was all about the boys. It's amazing what kids take from you or a school and come back with later that as a teacher I was not even aware of.

BINGO Shenanigans

To review for out nutrition test this week, we played a revised game of BINGO called NUTRO. A kid asked me, "Ms. Strey how many do we have to get in a row?"

Really? I had to double check the kid to see if he was being serious but sadly he was. My response, "All of them. All the squares across, diagonal or up and down." Ey yi yi