Teaching

I've spent the last two Saturdays teaching my  Medicinal Herb Course at the local community college to a group of 5th through 8th graders.  Interesting.  Really interesting.  I do not usually spend a lot of time around public/private school kids.

I was amazed at some of the things I heard.  All you have to do is stop and listen to them talk to each other.  These were bright kids.  The "cream of the crop" from 8 counties.  And I really enjoyed my time with them.  I had the same group of kids both Saturdays.  I'll have a different group the next two Saturdays and will be teaching Soap Making to them.  More about that later.

I had one young man who couldn't stop whispering.  Unusual.....I'd expect that more from the girls.  But, not a problem for me.  I am a mama of boys.  Four of them!  And, I knew that the staff at this school backs up its teachers.  They would rather send one child home than ruin the experience for a class of 20.  Fortunately, I was able to handle it fine.  I have found, with my own children, that placing an attention seeking child in a position where they can't seek attention usually cures the problem.  It works in the classroom setting also.

I had some very sweet kids and a few homeschooled kids.  I had one boy who was there wanting to learn things to help his mama.  She works, goes to school and takes care of home and kids.  I know how she feels.  He so desperately wanted to learn things to help her alleviate stress.  He was a good kid and I know she must be proud of him.  I told him so.  He was a delight.

There was a young man who wanted to be a vet.  He gets teased by family members for this goal.  I really tried to encourage him - he has just the right kind of personality to be a vet.  Sensitive, humble, caring. I hope he continues his pursuit of this dream...he'll be a wonderful vet someday.

I was amazed at the cruelty kids can show to one another.  Name calling, accusations about them, their parents and more.  Good thing the government wasn't around...the "new hate crime laws" that impede free speech were broken all over the place.  What used to be considered childish behavior is now illegal.  And I was amazed at how much it could affect these kids. One young lady was quite upset.  I spent a long time speaking to her about these types of people.  There will always be someone to call names and make false accusations.  Don't give them power over your life....blow it off and move on.  Of course, you and I know, the truth always comes out in the end.  He promises us that!

I was also amazed at how much interest there was in the opposite sex.  We are talking 11 and 12 year olds!  And how it apparently is encouraged by some parents.  Dating at 11?  Give. me. a. break.

What was heart breaking to me was the total lack of knowledge about our Father and His ways.  The biggest joy and delight in life and they were clueless.  Which, of course, explained a lot of the behavior and hearbreak that I saw.  However, the kids were very politically correct and assumed, for the most part, that what they see on TV is the truth.

I was considered quite an oddity when they found out that I hadn't watched television for over 25 years now.  "Why?"  they cried! And I was able to share.  "What do you do instead?"  they wanted to know.  I explained to them that we read together, played games, had great conversations and studied.  I don't think it sounded very attractive to them....they sure don't know what they are missing.

I'm really looking forward to next week.  I have very informally taught soap making to a variety of friends and friends of friends over the years.  However, this class has pushed me to create a more formal approach including notes for the kids to take home.  So, I have spent much time in the last weeks writing my own Soap Making book.  I created a shortened version for the class but am being very thorough, since I am half way there, to create a Soap Making course for ya'll.  It is something I have wanted to do for a long time but just couldn't find the time.

I am getting up to write a few hours before the boys and then after school and well into the evening I have been writing, researching and taking all of my notes from over the years and putting it all together.  Hopefully, this explains why I haven't been quite as diligent in posting to my blog. So far, I'm very pleased with my results.  Right now, I am taking my lists of herbs that color soap, properties of different oils, butters and essential oils and creating charts and lists for you.  What took me years of trial and error  to learn will be right at your fingertips!  It is also nice that all of my hand written scribbles will be set into a more formal context.

I am hoping to finish up this week and then I plan on offering a PDF download on my website...just like my Medicinal Herb Course.

So....off to teach my own kids and then I hit the computer key board once again.

Blessings,