Session 7: I don't have a clever name today.

I was back up to a full class today and my helper, DK, who I have not had for a couple of weeks.  As a result, it was significantly more impactful.  I must say that having only four youth was kind of nice, in its own way, as the four of us got to connect on a more personal level, but having the full class there is important because it allows us to benefit from a variety of perspectives and opinions.

However, there is one lasting positive of my small class, in that CM, who had not shared once before that class (even though I saw her working her courage up several times) is apparently now going to share often.  She shared just the once last week and went from her first and only moment of sharing to sharing four different times today including taking a turn reading the story.  She apparently broke through that barrier and now it is a thing of the past, very exciting.

Other than that it was a pretty nondescript class.  I'm still struggling to ditch the last of this flu so I'm a bit distracted and low energy which seems to rub off on them.  Still, in some ways that is good, it gives them a break from the intensity that sometimes comes along with Manadoob.  We did have a good talk about bullies, and several of the members came up with good reasons people might be bullies.  Chief among these ideas was the idea that maybe they are themselves being bullied, so I asked them, who would be bullying the bullies if it isn't the other people at school.  The answers they came up with were older bullies, an older sibling, or maybe a parent.  I was really hoping they would mention parents because we have a youth at our Club who is bullied by a parent and, as a result, is quite a bully himself.  Hopefully I can play that realization into something more as we delve deeper into the bullying issue.

CJ continues to be amazing and really blows my mind on a weekly basis.  She was the one today who came up with the idea that parents might be bullies, which, to someone who does not have a physically abusive parent, is kind of a stretch.  It's funny how I've gone into the class each year with preconceived ideas that come from the fact that I have a preexisting relationship with the children in my class, and, both years, I have been surprised at who has really separated themselves from the class with their combination of intelligence and perception.  CJ is the person this year, like DK last year, who has consistently floored me and made me redefine what I thought of them.  It is quite an enjoyable feeling.

Sorry if this is a bit choppy and doesn't flow well.  I'm in the main office at work and have talked to three different parents in the middle of writing it.  Thanks again for reading!

Be Well.