Sixteen years ago, I chose the profession of teaching. My life has never been the same and that is how I like to present life to my students. I teach College Prep, Community Service, Web Design and Business Education. I also sponsor a club called Key Club. My students range from 9th grade to 12th grade. Approximately, two years ago, our high school burned to the ground. We've since attended school in portables and our students are so resilient that they pulled themselves up by the bootstraps and have tried to make the best of it. We are a small farming community that sticks together and the proof of that is our students making portable buildings their school home for the time being.
Each year my students adopt a particular boys home. This is not just any boys home, these children have been abused to the point that they cannot be placed in regular foster homes. The boys range in age 6 - 11 and are precious to my Key Clubber's hearts. Each year we celebrate Christmas with these young children. My Key Club students chaperone these boys at a football game, a basketball game and then we have a huge Christmas party, complete with a Christmas tree, Santa Clause and gifts. Since our school burned to the ground, it makes it difficult to have fundraisers, as it is difficult to communicate what clubs are doing to raise money. It is also very expensive to provide for 10 to 16 children, gifts that make a difference in their lives. Each year we try to provide gifts that the boys can use in the home together. This year we would like to give them a touch football game set and soft frisbees for their toy. We also provide the boys with new socks and underwear and gloves and hats when we have the money. The boys share everything, even clothing, so we try to buy things that last and are alike. When other students find out about this project, even if they are not in Key Club, they ask
I've chosen sports items for the home we adopt as it gives the boys in the home an opportunity to get needed exercise and it also allows my students to get involved in a sports activity with the boys. The footballs and frisbees allow my Key Club Students to break down the barrier some of these children have and in turn, it allows the young children to enjoy an evening where they are not labeled and they can laugh and play and experience the care that the human race can display.
This project will allow a group of young boys and a group of high school students to share experiences of the heart. This is a big brother/ big sister experience for everyone involved. It also allows my high school students to own this project because they do all of the shopping, wrapping and delivering of the gifts provided for the boys during our Christmas extravaganza. The moments experienced by both sides are exceptional.
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