Chapter 10 - Going Beyond the Classroom

Chapter 10 draws the book to a close on a topic that I found somewhat surprising in a book about high school students, it dealt almost entirely with getting students involved outside of school in things that interest the student. Making connections with these activities in school and fostering their independent nature is something that can bring the students that sense of accomplishment that they may be missing, or it can tie them to a whole new outlet. In these respects it makes more sense than having no other options but school and schoolwork, the challenge for us, in rural Maine, is being able to identify those type of programs that our students might be interested in and helping them in those activities. So many students find part-time jobs to earn money for the latest Prada or Coach purse, but how many would be willing to go to a daycare and read books to a child, or go to a nursing home and visit with residents there. As a history major an outing to a nursing home would provide invaluable lessons to students as they have the opportunity to talk to an individual who has lived through some of the most momentous changes in the United States. It would give those residents a chance to talk to a young person again, and maybe that would be the only visitor they have.

In looking forward on my future teaching career this section does present some unique challenges for myself and my fellow teachers. We need to find ways to get our students involved in more than just PS3, WWE and four-wheelin'. We need to show them that there is so much more to the world than what they can see from their front porch. The how to many of these questions and scenarios is where we are going to have keep in the fronts of our minds so we do not fall into the trap that new teachers fall into, that despair and lost feeling when we just can not seem to get anything going our way. We need to remember that it is not OUR way that is important but rather the way that the faces looking back at us every day find.