Challenges

                In this section of Teaching Hope, I felt the strongest connection to passage 43.  The overarching theme of this section has to do with how little information schools and teachers have about their students.  This resonates with me because of my experience working at a summer camp.  The issues weren’t related to legal matters, but a fair amount of information about campers wasn’t told to certain staff members.  For example, I had a camper who had Asperger’s Syndrome, and most of us weren’t made aware of it until late into the summer.  Vital information like this should definitely be made available for teachers and anyone else responsible for the safety of children.

                The other part of this section that really sticks with me is the beginning, when Sequain makes a poorly-timed joke about Sam White’s death.  I completely connected to the actions of Sequain because I will usually make light of situations that are gravely serious.  This is a coping mechanism that has gotten me into trouble in the past.  I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that the teacher did not take time to lecture Sequain on the inappropriateness, since it may have been exactly what Sequain needed in order to feel okay with the situation.