Today was the "Courage Retreat" for our seventh grade team. It's put on by a group called Youth Frontiers, and it's basically a positive experience. They start with games and dancing to get the kids involved. Once the kids are feeling relaxed and involved, they add in small group talks and large group talks talking about the courage to do the right thing and be yourself. The day is a great day and is life changing for some. Unfortunately we are talking about seventh graders, so some really don't get it. Others are involved for the day, but continue to bully the next day. At the end of the day, they do an activity called "Pebble in the Pond".
It's my least favorite part of the day because many students participate merely for a chance to be "center of attention" and are typically always the center of attention. Although it may be unprofessional, we (teachers) added a betting experience to the day. While the students were meeting in their small groups, preparing for "Pebble in the Pond", we each made a list of six students (3 boys and 3 girls) who we knew would go to the center of the circle. After eliminating the one girl that we were absolutely positive would make at least one trip to the center, we made our lists. It's sad that we all did well to quite well (4/6, 5/6, 5/6, 6/6). Maybe it's a good thing because it means we really know our students. I would like to say that I was the 6/6! Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!!
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