Fall Semester 2025
"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not."
-Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
My Sour Grapes.
Teenagers are freakin nuts. Not clickbait.
But, I feel so incredibly honored to be a part of the lives of the kids I work with.
I recently described my guide class as my “ride or die” which I think is a horribly dramatic expression but the idea of going through thick and thin with them and not wanting to trade a moment of it - is exactly what I mean.
These kids have had a pretty tough start to their senior year- as a consequence to their own actions. They’ve been acting out, and I felt so overwhelmed with pressure that I needed to “fix” them.
To give vague background- I work with a tricky population of kids and sometimes it feels like when you try to help them- the gloves are off, you are now taking punches to the face.
So what do you do when you are feeling kinda stressed but you have a group of kids who are incredibly upset with one another &the adults in their lives?
Well, I think the Holy Spirit poured out an immense amount of compassion on me- as I just needed them to know that they are not bad people. I wanted them to know they were created so intently and are deeply loved. So we sat down and had a handful of pow-wows- the most recent being a Grape Party.
On the first day of school we read the book The Sour Grape which is about forgiveness and re-becoming a sweet grape. In this Grape party, we talked about overcoming their perceived reputation, letting go of bitterness, I went through each one of them individually and told them what I admire about them, wrote them all cards of encouragement, and we toasted grape juice at the end- to the “sweet grapes” that they are (and ate grape candy- real grapes are expensive).
I needed them to know they aren’t “bad” people.
The result? Teens are still “freakin nuts.” However, they know someone is rooting for them. They got to experience love when they were at a low- which I think in a little sense helps them understand the gospel.
Now, at the very least when one of them does act a fool, I hear another kid say “hey we are sweet grapes now.” Joking or not, I am honored to be able to speak into each of their lives.
After School.
As mentioned in the last post, Kalan and I started an after school program for kids in La Joya. The idea of the program is to help kiddos stay out of trouble, maybe help them invest time in a new hobby, and most ideally maybe reaffirm their value in Christ.
The program really did not look as I expected it to, but it quickly became one of my favorite parts of the week. We spent the past month running a jump rope class, which gave me war flash backs to 7th grade gym class, but it was super fun.
Essentially we (Kalan) taught the kids a bunch of tricks from beginner to advanced and as they completed a column of tricks they got prizes. We also did double dutch, spent time getting to know each of them, and hyped them up as they showed off for the kids who rolled in for a workout session with Nate (pastor and founder of Love Restored).
It was the fastest hour and half of my week, and despite my inability to jump rope well, I was constantly laughing and constantly in awe (these kids practiced in their free time!!!)
Now, we aren’t sure of the future of the program and we have hit some bumps, so please if you think of it, be in prayer for us for wisdom on what the future of this program looks like.
Legacy.
The expedition for the juniors and seniors is “legacy.” As they contemplate who they are and who they want to be remembered as, I wanted to get the gears turning with The Lorax. This movie is excellent in showing how the actions of just one person matters (both positively and negatively).
In class they are studying the human body and these kids have NAILED it. I kid you not, they learned the layers of the skin and ALL the bones in the body exceptionally well- everything I throw at them has been such a pleasure to grade. Now, the reason we have this class is so many of them want to be doctors, and I want to give them their best foundational shot when they leave Doulos and further their studies.
So how do we relate establishing a legacy to the A&P? With each body system we study what can go wrong for example melanoma, rickets, ALS…- something we are focusing on is the legacy of the people who are lead researchers in developing medicine and technology to help / cure people with various conditions. We will then understand how their technology actually works!
From there the kids are going to hear from the school nurse, a missionary, using her expertise to serve them. Then they will go on a medical missions service trip with a local ministry. On this trip they will get to pray with people who are in medical need, and also learn to take blood pressure, vitals…etc. So they can use what they are learning in class to be a part of something greater than just a classroom- serving others and using the privilege of their education to better the world.
Because as Dr. Seuss mentioned above, unless one of them cares a whole awful lot- the world won’t change.
More Highlights.
I started for the staff “Macha Basketball” team (we got destroyed)
Starting a (very chill) basketball club with my staff
I got to go on a practice hike with 9/10th grade
I have weekly lunch meetings with the new staff member I am mentoring and its an incredibly silly/light hearted time
I got to teach a biochemistry 😍 unit
The physics and precalculus students have been so impressive
I have been working with the seniors on their “lanzamiento”
I am still a small group leader for the 11th grade girls, and its been the best part of chapel- with extended small group time this year, we have a lot of genuine conversations
I got to sit and give guidance to a member of a Doulos Service Team who told me her dream job is to teach HS science at Doulos when she graduates (that was super cool)
God has been graciously answering a lot of prayers
I am growing in a lot of different areas in my life and its fun to experience
Hiked to some new waterfalls
Some topics we’ve studied: Logarithms, Simple Machines, Cells, The Skeletal System, The Muscular System, Polynomials, Kinematics, Federal Taxes, Budgeting, Radicals and so much more!
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