Today, I showed my students some pictures from Thailand. They were really interested and had a lot of questions. I found myself becoming frustrated with some of the questions and comments they were making. They laughed at things that were "different", such as kids in different clothes or having different haircuts. Some of them asked why they didn't just go get a job so that they could buy things. I explained that jobs are hard to come by there and that many people end up collecting garbage to get money.
At the end of the day, I thought about the fact that they just don't know any better. It is literally a different world for them. A world that they were never exposed to, or at least most of them. Until now. My prayer is that some of these words would sink in and would cause them to take action in some way. And that might not be this year, but maybe somewhere down the road.
What if schools and parents brought up kids knowing about poverty and atrocities going on in the world? How would that shape their worldview and their actions, both now and in the future? Would there be more people advocating for social change? And how can it be done in a way that gives hope and does not lead to despair? These are some of the questions I have. I know that if I ever have kids, I want to expose them to what is going on in the world. Right now, I am thankful for the opportunity to tell my students about these issues. I am praying for wisdom in how to do this effectively.
As I walked around the lunchroom today, lots of kids asked me about my dress. Mainly they just liked to know what number day I was on and how many more days I had to go. Most of them think that I'm crazy, but that's okay. Hopefully, some of my words sank into a few of their brains and made them think.
Day 16. 13 more days to go. Much more to come even after those 13 days.
No comments:
Post a Comment