mixes

This evening I had my 'Hands for a Bridge' meeting. Hands for a bridge always lifts my spirits and eases whatever stress or exhaustion i might have felt before. Today was a great day, but my last lesson got a bit out of hand. I had to pull a few students aside and give them the sad news that 'Yes, they DID have to do their homework in order for me to give them the good marks they wanted.' I felt pretty good about how I handled, feeling like i'm finally getting the hang of finding my style of discipline, but it's still exhausting to keep hyper students interested in a subject they may not care much for. I remember Dr. Metz talking about how powerful humor can be in keeping students engaged and keeping tense situations from escalating. I definitely think he's right, but even so, it makes for a tiresome day. Thus, it was nice to have a Hands for a Bridge meeting today.

Hands for a Bridge is a group of students who create safe spaces for communication. Sometimes the communication is about the Troubles here in N.Ireland, and other times its about the many other issues important to teens here in Ireland. The students are doing a wonderful job of encouraging each other to get out of their comfort zones, and its a magnificent thing to participate in. It is the type of group I really want to continue to seek out in whatever teaching job I may have.

There are many things from this experience that make me thrilled for what else I may find out there in the future. What other 'Hands for a Bridge' groups are out there?