This I Believe

On Tuesday, we discussed Martin Luther and the protestant reformation. Thankfully, only one student thought we were talking about Martin Luther King, Jr. Then again, he didn't do the reading because he lost his syllabus and didn't ask anyone for the information.

But, I digress.

For the past year, I've been reading the essays submitted to the "This I Believe" segment on National Public Radio (NPR)

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4538138

I decided to incorporate this into my lesson plan. Martin Luther held very strong and very public beliefs. So, I assigned an essay to my students. They were to write their own submission. I was very impressed with what some of my students shared.

Since we were watching a movie in class last night, I decided to review them during the movie.

One student shared how much his mother meant to him and how she helped him define his belief in family. She was a single parent who made every effort to attend her son's sporting and school events. She sacrificed to ensure that her children were loved, fed, and had their needs met. I encouraged him to share his essay with his mother. I truly hope he does.

As these students were sharing their personal views, I opened myself to them as I read them.

But, I am looking forward to next week when we study the First Amendment and the Separation of Church and State (esp since one student wrote about her belief that the citizens of the U.S. were in favor of rejecting God). It should make for a lively discussion.