Giant Catch-Up Blog

I have been a very bad blogger. Sorry! Here's what's been happening:

Last Wednesday, 10/9 and Thursday, 10/10 the students shared their Life Plans with each other and then as a group we brainstormed the possible things that could happen to keep them from achieving their life plans or to slow them way down in achieving their life plans. Occasionally I will pull out one of the ideas on their list and pull a student's name and age out of a bag and put them all together to create a problem. Such as "Daniel gave all his money away to family/friends at the age of 20. He wants to finish college. What should he do now?" Then we will work together to find a way out of the hole Daniel has dug for himself. This is to help them see that their actions/behaviors can have direct affects on their life plans, but that there are also solutions to problems and it's not always "the end of the world."

Here are the students' lists:

Grade 9

skip class in college
bad teachers
bad professors
you give your money away to family members/friends
you are not accepted to college
you fail your classes
marry early
have a baby
life tragedy
not enough money for college
transportation problems
career plans change
legal/criminal problems
bad influences
drugs
sexual activity
alcohol
you have no community service
lose your job/laid off
kicked out of your house
fighting
drop out of school

Grade 10

change career plans
parents divorce
peer pressure
depression
babies
having to take care of your parents
hanging with the wrong people
drugs
alcohol
lack of money
big tragedies
being in debt
not getting scholarships
car accident
disability
kid's disability
dropping out of high school
bad grades
bad credit
low self-esteem
not organized
overwhelmed
not accepted to college
marriage proposal denied
health issues
disease
death
jail/prison
dog bites
suicide
family problems
legal problems
financial problems
bad economy
killing some one

11th Grade

Suicide attempt
Get fired
Laid off
Trauma
Raped and impregnated (used this as a teachable moment to talk about how rape victims should go immediately to the hospital, don't shower or change clothes. They can collect evidence at the hospital and give you Plan B which can help you prevent pregnancy).
Bad credit
Join a terrorist organization
Car accident
Identity theft
Car theft
Big tragedy
Loss of loved one
H1N1
Bombings/terrorism
Can’t find job
Family issues
Family illnesses
Loss of family support
Failing a class
Financial problems
Feeling threatened
Kidnapping
Severe disaster
Bullying
Stress
Weight gain/loss
Depression
Bad roommate
Bad environment
Bad economy
Babies
Losing academic integrity
Serious injury
Prison
Loss of motivation
Changing major
Criminal problems
Addiction
Eating disorders
Arranged marriage

12th grade

Bad accident
Prison
Death of a loved one
Hair falls out
Bad credit
Bad debt
Lose scholarships
No food
No water
Get distracted
Not accepted to college
Just quit/give up
Not good at job
Don’t pass training
Flunk out
Natural disaster
Pregnancy
No money
Addictions
Abusive relationships
No transportation
No phone
Financial problems
Lack of support
Swine flu