Exhilaration

So here is the deal...for the rest of break, every day, I will be blogging. So check back!

And here is the 'Exhilaration' posting.

A few days ago I gave a semi-lecture to Eliot Schain's Psychology class, a class I myself took just two years ago.

We discussed college at first, and then moved on to deeper subjects. I talked to them about resisting unjust authority, resisting the easy path of apathy, and resisting the urge to blindly follow something that may not be true or right.

I have to say, it was very exciting. Yes, I was nervous beforehand. Yes, I had talked to fellow/younger students before, whether it be prospective AP Government students or Seniors curious about college. I had not, however, been given an open slate, a clean agenda with which to work and present my own ideas. I had never created my own lesson plan. I was nervous about keeping these kids entertained. I was nervous about how to avoid talking down to them, seeming above them. Because, as I emphasized, I was just like them. I haven't been gone from Alhambra for long. BUT, I have experienced the joys of higher education and life outside Martinez, and I wanted desperately to show them down that path as well.

These kids have a choice. They can confront the world, form their own opinions, and do the little things to improve our planet, improve our society as a whole. But it's up to them. They need to choose. They need to decide whether to give back to their community, and show compassion to others, and confront global problems like climate change and poverty and conflict. Or they can simply sit on their couches, watch Nascar, enjoy the friday night Bulldog football games, drive their hummers, raise more children destined to never leave Martinez, and drink a lot of Bud-light. To me, that is what makes Martinez fail. Too much of that, and only that.

Anyway, I don't know if I'll become a teacher. But I have to say it was a lot of fun, and I got a very positive response, certainly more positive than I expected. Thanks Schain!