2010 lessons

I feel really good about the lesson plans that me and Viorica have written+been teaching this semester. The topics have been very interesting and hopefully new and useful information for the students.

So far this semester we have taught lessons about various topics:

**Etiquette (how culture influences/defines etiquette) and what is appropriate behavior/etiquette in (Moldovan) school settings (ie how students should behave and why), at a meal/dinner table, and etiquette for communication (how to behave when making a presentation/interview, being in an audience, a date, etc.). It was neat sharing with the students things that are considered normal behavior in America that differ from Moldova (ex. removing your shoes before entering a Moldovan home... not always expected when entering an American household).

**Integrity, or "integritate" in Romanian. This word was new for our students and for my teaching partners so it was good to teach them this word and discuss its meaning and importance. Why is it important to be a person of integrity? Why is important within relationships and bigger networks (society) to encourage people to act with integrity? (Integrity we defined to them as meaning consistent/stable honest behavior; behavior that reflects the ideals that someone preaches... so the opposite of hypocrisy).

**Who is a person in your life that demonstrates positive qualities that make them a good role model? How does this person demonstrate integrity?

**Leader... "lider" in Romanian. What does it mean to be a leader? What are characteristics of a good leader? What are (negative) characteristics of a bad leader? What does a leader look like: do they dress a certain way, have a certain color skin, of a certain age, speak a certain language, or have lots of money? Does a leader always know best? For a demonstration I had one student stand and follow my instructions: "touch the ground, touch the desk, run around... eat a chair!" Of course everyone laughed and the kid was like what??? I'm not eating that! So it led to good discussion about how leaders do not always know best. We cited Adolf Hitler as just one ex. of a historical figure that used his position of power and leadership to influence others to do negative things. It's important that leaders are also held accountable by the people they serve.
Hopefully this lesson wasn't too influenced by my pro-democracy upbringing--if true, not sure if that would be such a terrible thing... We just taught this lesson this week and it's going over very well. I think it's a great topic for the students particularly here because of (personal observation) tendency to not question authority and lack of individual thought and decision-making. The person with the most money or perceived influence does not always have the well-being of the whole in mind. The best leaders are not necessarily the best-dressed person in the village/city with the most money.

I was really proud of Viorica today. She has a good heart and I love seeing her encourage students. One particular 6th grade student is from a vulnerable family (parents are alcoholics w. limited financial resources compared to others here) and Viorica noticed that he does not know how to read. She took him aside after a class and he admitted to her that he was left behind and his Romanian teacher did not help him... he might have a learning disorder, but these are not identified here. Anyway, Viorica thinks he is perfectly capable of learning (which is always the best attitude!) and today gave him an assignment during class to copy some Romanian text and she is checking it after he writes and giving him work to take home. I don't know if he would be able to catch up with other students just through her help, it's unlikely, but she showed sensitivity toward him that was really nice and uncommon. Not uncommon for her, just uncommon in this particular setting and for this situation. I've seen her try to help other students, too. We have a handful of illiterate students in our classes and many of these students act up during class bc they don't know what else to do or possibly have BED (I think this is the acronym?) / behavioral disorders.

The weather here feels like spring has truly arrived... 65-70 degrees these past few days. Flowers are now blooming! I've gone jogging this week and hope to keep up the exercise regime. I would like to return home feeling healthy and active.

I should find out this weekend what day I will be returning home in July. It will probably be the 21st, 22nd, or 23rd.

This coming Sunday I will be holding a seminar about GLOW (summer initiative/camp) with a fellow volunteer, Melissa. I hope a lot of girls will show up to participate! We will discuss volunteerism, body-image, leadership, and applications for GLOW summer 2010.