Challenges

Pgs 45-103

This section of the book was less happy and glowing than the first part. I should’ve expected this because the section is called challenges. I found this section incredibly sad that there were so many students in desperate situations. Story number 27 was hard for me to deal with on a lot of levels. First I just want to say that although I have strong opinions about a lot of issues I do not usually try to influence other people in any way to adopt my beliefs. I am very much against abortion and I almost got physically sick when that teacher said that she almost had a 3rd abortion by the time she was 17. I understand that sharing her story with the student will help that student tell her mom or make a decision about what to do with the baby. I also did not like that woman from the story that told the teacher that god and his angels would help her through the difficult times. That is the worst thing anyone could ever say. People have to figure out how to go through difficulties on their own, it is impractical to sit around and stare at the sky for a solution to problems. All in all, this story made me sick and angry. Story number 44 was the other story I wanted to mention. This was about a 27 year old teacher giving the eulogy for his sixteen year old student who had died in a car crash. This story I could relate to more than the stories about gang violence killing students because this happens in Maine. I had a couple friends crash their cars during snow storms in high school. Most were uninjured but my friend Megan messed up her back so bad she couldn’t play any sports for almost a year. They were lucky but I could have a student someday who isn’t so lucky and that is why this story struck home for me.